Lead AI Assurance Engineer

The Mitre Corporation • McLean, VA

3d • $174,000 - $261,000 • Onsite

About The Position

MITRE’s Trustworthy & Secure AI Department is seeking a motivated, adaptive, and self-directed engineer to help research, develop, evaluate, and integrate secure AI systems. The role focuses on shaping processes and safeguards that make federal AI systems trustworthy and compliant, at the intersection of AI policy, risk management, assurance, and technology oversight. The position requires working on-site at least three days per week.

Requirements

• Typically requires at least 8 years of AI experience with a relevant bachelor’s degree, 6 years with a master’s degree, or 3 years with a Ph.D.; an equivalent combination of AI-related education and work experience may also qualify.
• Advanced understanding of foundational AI/ML theory and demonstrated ability to reason about AI system behavior, vulnerabilities, and evaluation.
• Practical experience in AI assurance or AI strategy and governance, such as assessing AI systems for security, reliability, risk, compliance, responsible use, or mission suitability; or developing AI strategies, governance frameworks, policies, risk-management approaches, or implementation models.
• Knowledge of AI regulatory environments, including U.S. federal and state AI initiatives.
• Ability to engage senior mission stakeholders across technical and operational domains.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain challenging technical concepts and influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Active IC or DOD Secret security clearance; must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI with polygraph U.S. Government-issued clearance.
• Must be a U.S. citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• Must work on-site at least three days per week.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, data science, technology policy, or a related discipline.
• Experience performing AI risk assessments, evaluating AI systems for policy compliance, or applying governance frameworks such as NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001.
• Experience advising federal executives and senior government leaders on AI strategy, governance, assurance, risk, adoption, and implementation.
• Hands-on experience applying mechanistic interpretability techniques in support of AI safety research and evaluation.
• Understanding of model lifecycle management and associated operational risks.
• Experience leading teams of 10 or more to solve complex technical challenges.
• Familiarity with the MITRE ATLAS threat matrix.
• Active IC or DOD TS/SCI security clearance with CI Poly.

Responsibilities

• Design and operationalize AI governance frameworks aligned with NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, and other global standards.
• Partner with engineering, data science, acquisition, and legal teams to integrate governance checkpoints into the AI development lifecycle.
• Support AI risk assessments and model explainability reviews for high-impact systems.
• Track and interpret evolving AI regulations and help sponsors translate them into actionable internal policies.
• Develop and deliver training programs to build AI governance literacy across technical and business teams.
• Collaborate with product leaders to ensure AI features meet innovation goals and governance requirements.
• Lead, mentor, and collaborate with technical staff.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior