Lead Mission Systems Engineer

The MITRE Corporation•San Diego, CA

1d•$146,400 - $219,600•Hybrid

About The Position

MITRE is 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. The MITRE National Security Sector (MNS) and its National Security Engineering Center (NSEC) FFRDC are dedicated to solving the nation’s most complex security challenges—spanning the Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community, interagency partners, industry, and international allies. As a trusted systems engineering and integration partner, NSEC bridges organizational boundaries to enable cross-cutting solutions, proactively assessing capability gaps and focusing on mission outcomes rather than isolated systems or processes. The Naval Integration and Operations Department (N232) is seeking a Lead Mission Systems Engineer. This individual will serve as a technical leader with a strong engineering foundation and demonstrated ability to translate complex Navy and Space mission concepts into clear, actionable decisions for Government Sponsors and senior stakeholders. N232 integrates game changing, asymmetric, and strategic capabilities into Naval operations in order to ensure maritime superiority and All-Domain Fleet lethality in a dynamic, complex, and contested maritime environment. This role blends hands-on technical depth with executive communication, connecting operational needs, system requirements, and technical tradeoffs across multi-domain mission areas. As a technical leader, this individual will also responsible for partnering with Naval Division Mission Outcome Leads, and the joint MNS International team to share MITRE’s work and align with NSEC level outcomes to achieve greater enterprise impact.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of systems engineering or relevant technical discipline experience with a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM related field; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) principles.
Familiarity with modeling frameworks and languages such as UAF, SysML, and UML.
Ability to develop and manage system requirements, and to produce logical and functional system designs (system structure, behaviors, and data flows).
Interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) concepts and tools.
Strong communication skills with demonstrated experience briefing senior government or senior customer stakeholders on status, critical decisions, and technical recommendations.
Active Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.
U.S. Citizenship required
This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site presence.

Nice To Haves

Active TS/SCI (or ability to obtain), plus relevant program access as required.
Direct Experience with: DoD Architecture/Systems Engineering practices (MBSE/SysML, DOORS/Jama, ICDs)
Agile delivery in mission systems environments (JIRA/Confluence)
Model-based analysis, trade studies, and mission engineering
Joint/coalition interoperability, tactical data links, or maritime C2 integration
Space mission threads (PNT, ISR, SATCOM, space control/resilience)
Master’s degree in a technical discipline or Systems Engineering.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary technical interface to Government Sponsors, converting mission outcomes into technical direction, priorities, and deliverables.
Translate Navy and Space operational concepts (e.g., maritime operations, space-based sensing/communications, kill chain integration, resilient architectures) into CONOPS, system requirements, roadmaps, and decision briefings.
Lead technical planning and integration across engineering teams (systems, software, test, cyber, data, comms) to ensure technical execution aligns to Sponsor intent.
Develop and deliver Sponsor-facing products: executive briefs, technical interchange meeting (TIM) content, risk/issue trade studies, and capability demonstrations.
Drive requirements decomposition, interface coordination, verification/validation planning, and engineering change impact analysis.
Identify technical risks early; communicate tradeoffs, mitigation plans, and recommended paths forward in Sponsor-ready language.
Coordinate with program management on scope, schedule, and performance commitments; support milestone reviews and operational demos.
Collaborate with Navy/DoD stakeholders, partners, and vendors to ensure interoperability and mission alignment.