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The MITRE Corporation Agile Acquisition Lead, Principal (DOD & Services Center) in Bedford, Massachusetts

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities, and a culture of innovation that embraces diversity, inclusion, flexibility, collaboration, and career growth. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE—and make a difference with us.

Our nation’s ability to defend the homeland, deter aggression, and build a resilient Joint force rests on our capacity to identify, prioritize, and successfully field the optimal set of effective, suitable, and survivable systems. We must re-envision national security to keep pace with advanced adversaries, leveraging the entire spectrum of the Nation’s Innovation Base, while creating and leveraging a growing set of new options and authorities for accelerating Joint and whole-of-nation capabilities.

That’s where MITRE’s Acquisition Studies & Analysis (ASA) Department comes in. We are a diverse group of defense acquisition experts, operations research / system analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and communication systems engineers– all with a united passion to solve problems for a safer world. We’re experienced professionals who advise senior leaders and decision-makers across the national security enterprise. Our evidence-based work garners visibility and provokes thought and action. We’re team players who build partnerships across government, industry, academia, and research centers.

And above all - we bring objectivity, innovation, courage, and technical excellence to help our sponsors make the right decision.

Roles & Responsibilities:

MITRE’s ASA Department seeks a well-connected and recognized expert on defense acquisition and innovation. The ideal candidate will be a credible authority on defense acquisition, emerging technologies, and national security processes You will belong to a high-performing team that regularly initiates and implements projects in support of sponsors’ strategic initiatives, often before a sponsor can fully recognize or articulate that they are needed. The team may publish, speak at high visibility events, and advise senior government officials.

Responsibilities include:

  • Effectively engage and motivate sponsors, stakeholders, and the larger enterprise on acquisition modernization and agility topics ranging from acquisition policy to technology assessments and mission needs.

  • Develop and propose innovative strategies, policies, and processes that improve defense acquisition outcomes, ranging from programs, portfolios, and enterprise-wide initiatives.

  • Contribute with impact as part of one or more integrated product teams to enable DoD to transition emerging technologies and prototypes across the Valley of Death into fielded operational capabilities.

  • Strategically communicate internally and externally on key issues related to defense acquisition.

  • Build and manage relationships between senior sponsors, MITRE, and other stakeholders (Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), think tanks, Industry, academia).

  • Increase collaboration and coordination on acquisition reform and improvement issues across policy, practice, and academic domains.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Typically requires a minimum of 10 years experience with broad exposure and significant roles across the DoD’s acquisition environment, including the innovation ecosystem.

  • Track record of providing successful thought leadership in applying, teaching, or leading defense acquisition reform or modernization – prior experience as an acquisition professional, by itself, is not sufficient for this role.

  • Experience building coalitions and communities that span multiple organizations.

  • Strong critical thinking, analytic, and problem-solving skills – comfortable working in dynamic settings where task objectives may evolve or need to be shaped, or creative solutions to task impediments must be identified.

  • Demonstrated ability to work in team settings, to include establishing formal or informal teams or alliances which coordinate across technical and organizational boundaries to achieve significant mission outcomes.

  • Strong interpersonal skills as well as effective verbal and written communication skills.

  • Working familiarity with all aspects of DoD Adaptative Acquisition Framework, in particular the software acquisition pathway, requirements, or resourcing processes – i.e., Defense Acquisition System (DAS), Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS), and/or the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) processes.

  • Experience in one or more of the domain or functional areas adjacent to the key areas of modern acquisition reform, such as:

  • Software development, including agile software development methodologies, DevOps, and/or cloud-based capabilities

  • Cyber security or cyber operations

  • Conventional/nuclear command and control

  • Missile warning/defense

  • Joint or service logistics

  • Other Joint force application or support

  • DoD critical technology areas

  • Test & evaluation, systems engineering, cost estimation, or program protection of acquisition programs related to any of the above

  • The Defense industrial base and Supply Chain management.

  • Business systems

  • Willingness to visit Sponsor sites periodically for direct engagement and/or meetings.

  • Active DoD Secret clearance

  • This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site presence.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Ability to maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance with access to Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in an Applied Science or Engineering.

  • Demonstrated ability to maintain and leverage a strong professional network to provide thought leadership across the acquisition enterprise.

  • Demonstrated ability leading critical acquisition modernization or reform efforts with visibility and trust at high levels of government and/or industry.

    This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

Secret

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Secret

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

MITRE is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. MITRE recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of age; ancestry; color; family medical or genetic information; gender identity and expression; marital, military, or veteran status; national and ethnic origin; physical or mental disability; political affiliation; pregnancy; race; religion; sex; sexual orientation; and any other protected characteristics. For further information please visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website EEO is the Law Poster (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights_10_20.pdf) and Pay Transparency (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf) .

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