Division Exploit Lead

The MITRE Corporation•McLean, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

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 for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us. The Strategic Non-Kinetic Effects (SNKE) Mission Division at MITRE is a new and emerging organization within MITRE focused on developing cutting-edge capabilities to gain and maintain strategic advantage. We are a cross-functional team of analysts, subject-matter-experts, engineers, and innovators working to deliver meaningful solutions to the nation’s most pressing security challenges. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of strategic non-kinetic effects within the national security landscape and work on high-impact projects with significant real-world implications. You will be part of a dynamic team of experts dedicated to advancing this critical field. We are seeking a Division Exploit Lead to support the SNKE Mission Division. The Exploit Lead’s purpose is to Assist the Managing Director and Division Chief Engineer in enabling and managing the current work program. The Exploit Lead executes day-to-day financial management and execution on behalf of the Managing Director. Reviews both the high-level execution results and targeted details of those results to communicate directed actions for specific projects to the relevant project leaders (PL) and their cognizant department managers (DM). Explores the mechanics of how processes, especially project planning, are executed/performed with discussions of what’s working and what’s not for those processes and their related tools. Roles & Responsibilities: Coordinate across multiple efforts within the SNKE portfolio, ensuring alignment with MITRE and sponsor technical, operational, and strategic objectives. As the Exploit Lead you will work closely with the Center and other Division Exploit Leads to identify opportunities to integrate across work programs and providing planning and execution data to drive higher-level decision-making. Maintain a regular battle rhythm with Project Leaders and key staff to track progress, manage risks, ensure portfolio alignment, and to identify and capitalize on opportunities to grow the scope and scale of MITRE’s impact. Support the SNKE Managing Director and Chief Engineer in reviews, quality assurance, and technical reporting. Serve as the escalation point for technical and execution issues affecting delivery. Develop and execute a comprehensive knowledge & information management program for the Division. Participate in Corporate working groups (e.g., pipeline management, staffing, etc.) Participate in business transformation efforts and provide guidance to project leaders as new tools and processes roll out Coordinate across financial analysts, business partners, and Project Leads to ensure effective planning and execution of projects, with a focus on ceiling management, talent acquisition, and financial management and oversight. Coordinate and provide timely responses for Center, Sector, and corporate data calls, including aggregating Division delivery data and managing Division budgets, coordinating and representing Division workforce initiatives, tracking current ceiling and funding levels, and sharing valuable information with relevant stakeholders to improve transparency and decision-making. Selected candidates will demonstrate the following: Interpersonal Skills. Deliver strong leadership and partner closely with both senior military leaders to identify tactical, operational, and strategic challenges, potential solutions, and communicate task goals and impacts clearly and effectively. Collaboration. Cultivate an environment that develops robust network of MITRE and other professional connections to engage and collaborate with engineers and planners, subject matter experts, specialists, and defense acquisition professionals. Leverage MITRE technical expertise from the Labs, capabilities from the MITRE Platforms, and other sponsor efforts to support the FFRDC value proposition. Flexibility and Suitability. Be able to modify and alter course as the environment and sponsor priorities shift. Understand the power of reach-back and be an effective conduit to bring the talent forward to execute at the right time.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Networking, or related technical field; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience’ or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Proven experience leading or enabling multi-project research or operations portfolios in national security, defense innovation, or intelligence contexts, with emphasis on integrating technical and operational lines of effort to achieve strategic outcomes.
Demonstrated success in program or portfolio management—especially in environments requiring coordination across cross-functional teams, complex sponsor ecosystems, and dynamic mission priorities.
Experience managing sensitive or classified programs and navigating sponsor relationships requiring discretion, adaptability, and alignment with evolving mission demands.
Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills.
Active Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of non-kinetic operations concepts and how they interact across instruments of national power.
Experience optimizing business rhythms, project planning processes, or data-driven decision frameworks across large, distributed teams.
Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to translate technical program data (financial, schedule, risk) into actionable insights for senior leadership and project teams.
Familiarity with MITRE or other FFRDC operational models, including sponsor engagement, deliverable quality management, and cross-division collaboration.
Ability to develop and implement knowledge management or operational governance frameworks that enhance transparency, communications, and organizational learning.

Responsibilities

Coordinate across multiple efforts within the SNKE portfolio, ensuring alignment with MITRE and sponsor technical, operational, and strategic objectives.
Work closely with the Center and other Division Exploit Leads to identify opportunities to integrate across work programs and providing planning and execution data to drive higher-level decision-making.
Maintain a regular battle rhythm with Project Leaders and key staff to track progress, manage risks, ensure portfolio alignment, and to identify and capitalize on opportunities to grow the scope and scale of MITRE’s impact.
Support the SNKE Managing Director and Chief Engineer in reviews, quality assurance, and technical reporting.
Serve as the escalation point for technical and execution issues affecting delivery.
Develop and execute a comprehensive knowledge & information management program for the Division.
Participate in Corporate working groups (e.g., pipeline management, staffing, etc.)
Participate in business transformation efforts and provide guidance to project leaders as new tools and processes roll out
Coordinate across financial analysts, business partners, and Project Leads to ensure effective planning and execution of projects, with a focus on ceiling management, talent acquisition, and financial management and oversight.
Coordinate and provide timely responses for Center, Sector, and corporate data calls, including aggregating Division delivery data and managing Division budgets, coordinating and representing Division workforce initiatives, tracking current ceiling and funding levels, and sharing valuable information with relevant stakeholders to improve transparency and decision-making.