Government Relations – Principal

The MITRE Corporation•McLean, VA

3d•$166,000 - $249,000•Onsite

About The Position

MITRE Government Relations, part of MITRE’s External Affairs function, has primary responsibility within MITRE for engaging with the White House, U.S. Congress and elected officials at the state and local levels. The Department continuously monitors White House and congressional activities, e.g. executive orders, congressional hearings, and policy developments, delivering timely insights that enable MITRE leadership to have situational awareness and make informed decisions related to sponsors, FFRDCs, MITRE, or other stakeholders. The GR team also coordinates briefings and meetings with elected officials in Congress and state and local leaders to share data and insights from our technical work and research for the purpose of educating members and staff. Government Relations also serves as a strategic advisory function for MITRE leadership, helping translate congressional, White House, and broader public policy developments into implications, risks, opportunities, and recommended engagement approaches for MITRE’s mission work. The team works across External Affairs, sector leadership, technical leadership, and corporate functions to ensure MITRE’s engagement with elected officials is coordinated, objective, nonpartisan, and aligned with MITRE’s public-interest mission and FFRDC responsibilities. MITRE is a non-profit corporation chartered to operate in the public interest. The focus of our Government Relations work is to serve as a resource to help Congress and elected officials better understand critical issues and challenges facing the nation – especially those involving technology and complex systems of systems problems – and identifying effective pathways to address them. This includes translating MITRE’s technical insights into clear, decision-relevant context for policymakers while ensuring all engagement remains consistent with MITRE’s non-lobbying posture.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Expert knowledge of congressional: Organization, structures, roles and responsibilities.
Expert knowledge of congressional: Processes and procedures; and
Expert knowledge of congressional: Key players and factors that influence them
In-depth knowledge of the functional, policy and legislative environment related to the Department of War, Intelligence Community, NDAA, Intelligence Authorization, and Defense appropriations, among other national security related policy topics
Demonstrated ability to shape and effectively present content of a highly technical nature to non-technical audiences
Demonstrated experience building relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Experience working on one or more Congressional staffs as an employee or Legislative Fellow, or working directly with Congress in a liaison capacity
Experience reviewing, analyzing, and developing legislative language
Experience with tools and information resources used to track legislative activity
Comfortable with technical topics and engaging with engineering and scientific experts
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI U.S Government issued Security Clearance within one year of hire
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 4 days a week on-site

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of experience working on one or more Congressional staffs as an employee or working directly with Congress in a liaison capacity, with a preference for PSM experience on HASC, SASC, HAC-D, SAC-D, HPSCI, or SSCI, staff director roles, or national security or legislative staff leads for key members (e.g. chairs, ranking, vice-chairs, subcommittee chairs/ranking of noted committees).
Experience working with the White House, NSC, OSW CAPE, and/or DOW Comptroller on defense and intelligence priorities.
Active Top Secret/SCI U.S Government issued Security Clearance
Experience engaging at all levels of an organization, including at the executive and officer level
Experience leading teams, initiatives or projects focused on policy or legislative action
Knowledge of the regulatory basis and operating paradigm of federally-funded research and development centers
Knowledge of the activities of The MITRE Corporation and the federally-funded research and development centers it operates
Ability to multi-task and shift gears quickly
Excellent oral and written communication skills
High level of tact and diplomacy

Responsibilities

Advise MITRE National Security leadership on the congressional, White House, and intergovernmental landscape, including emerging policy priorities, oversight dynamics, stakeholder interests, legislative risks, and opportunities for MITRE to provide objective technical insight.
Develop and maintain strong and bipartisan relationships with relevant Congressional members, PSMs, and personal office staff to enable regular engagement on topics of interest for MITRE. Engage early with newly elected members and new members of key committees to introduce MITRE, build awareness, and create connectivity.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with relevant White House staff, NSC, Cabinet offices, and relevant budgetary offices such as OMB, OSW CAPE, and DOW Comptroller.
Serve as a senior Government Relations lead and strategic advisor for engagement with elected officials, including the U.S. Congress and state and local officials, on national security and intelligence related issues, among others.
Track, analyze, and provide strategic situational awareness to MITRE leadership on legislative, oversight, authorization, appropriations, and policy activities related to national security, defense, intelligence, and emerging technology issues, including implications for MITRE sponsors, FFRDC operations, and sector priorities.
Maintain close relationship with government affairs leads from the other DoW FFRDCs and UARCs, to enable timely information sharing and coordination of communications with members and staff. Provide thought leadership on government relations for the whole group of FFRDCs.
Provide timely, tailored, and actionable analysis of legislation and legislative activities, particularly those related to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittees, House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Translate developments into clear implications, recommended engagement approaches, and decision-ready guidance for MITRE leadership and internal stakeholders.
Maintain excellent understanding of developments and priorities in core MITRE national security business areas and, in coordination with CXA and sector leadership, develop and execute a multi-year Congressional and intergovernmental engagement strategy aligned to business sector objectives and priorities.
Develop and maintain a strategic stakeholder map across relevant committees, member offices, leadership offices, caucuses, state and local officials, Executive Branch counterparts, think tanks, associations, and other policy forums to identify where MITRE’s expertise can inform public-sector understanding of national security challenges.
Work with technical leaders to translate MITRE’s analysis, research, and systems expertise into clear, objective, nonpartisan materials that help policymakers understand complex national security challenges, technology tradeoffs, implementation barriers, and potential pathways forward.
Collaborate on and inform the development of corporate and sector-level strategies, and support implementation.
Coordinate preparation for employees testifying on Capitol Hill on national security or intelligence related topics; Coordinate preparation for Congressional meetings and educate MITRE staff on proper ways to interface with congressional, state and local elected officials and their staff.
Identify opportunities for MITRE to serve as a trusted convener and technical resource through educational briefings, roundtables, policy discussions, publications, and other forums that help policymakers understand complex national security and technology challenges.
Work with the broader Communications and External Affairs team to create and manage outreach-oriented resource materials.