Lead Operations Research Systems Analyst

The Mitre Corporation•See Sponsor City, VA

2d•$155,200 - $232,800•Onsite

About The Position

MITRE seeks a technically skilled, operationally focused Lead Operations Research Systems Analyst to support the Joint Staff J7 Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC) modeling and simulation task. The role is located onsite in Suffolk, Virginia, and works with the MITRE Project Lead, government sponsors, and a multidisciplinary technical team to lead analytical studies that convert joint warfighting questions into defensible models, experiments, and actionable findings. The work supports evaluation and refinement of concepts and force structure through a secure modeling and simulation capability. This position combines hands-on quantitative analysis with technical leadership and sponsor engagement. The analyst will work with military planners, subject matter experts, model developers, and software engineers to assess mission threads, communicate analytical uncertainty, and improve sponsor access to approved analysis functions, results, and documentation. Work is performed in an approved classified environment and must follow government requirements for classified processing, access, disclosure, and release. The successful candidate applies operations research, statistical analysis, modeling and simulation, and systems thinking to operational problems; leads and mentors analytical staff; sets quality standards; coordinates work and risks with the Task Lead; and presents decision-relevant findings to senior military leaders and other audiences. The role requires an active Top Secret U.S. Government-issued clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance. The candidate must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for a security clearance and must work onsite at least four days per week.

Requirements

Typically, at least 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 6 years with a master’s degree, or 3 years with a PhD, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Operations Research, Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative or technical field.
Experience designing and executing operations research or systems analysis studies that inform operational, concept development, or capability decisions.
Experience developing or applying models and simulations, including verification and validation, assessment of assumptions, and interpretation of model limitations.
Demonstrated ability to apply statistical analysis, design of experiments, and sensitivity or uncertainty analysis to complex problems.
Proficiency with Python, R, MATLAB, or comparable analytical tools for data preparation, modeling, statistical analysis, and visualization, and ability to document reproducible workflows.
Experience leading analytical activities and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and operational subject matter experts to translate mission needs into study objectives and measures.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical reports and briefings that translate quantitative findings into actionable recommendations.
Active Top Secret U.S. Government-issued Security Clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI U.S. Government-issued Security Clearance.
Must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for a security clearance.
Must work onsite at least 4 days a week.
The hired candidate must have or obtain a Top Secret/SCI clearance within one year from the date of hire.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in Operations Research, Systems Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
Experience supporting Joint Staff, combatant command, or Service analytical efforts involving joint concepts, mission threads, CONOPS, or force and capability assessments.
Experience with campaign, mission-level, agent-based, discrete-event, or Monte Carlo simulation methods and tools.
Experience supporting concept workshops, tabletop exercises, or wargames, including event design, data collection, analysis, and recommendations.
Experience applying optimization, decision analysis, or multi-criteria assessment to evaluate operational alternatives and tradeoffs.
Experience developing and sustaining modeling and simulation workflows in classified environments, including configuration management and technical documentation.
Experience applying and evaluating analytical methods, including validation of outputs and communication of their limitations.
Experience translating analytical workflows into sponsor-facing software requirements and evaluating usability with operational users.
Experience delivering tool demonstrations, training materials, and technical handoffs that enable government users to understand and use analytical capabilities.
Active TS security clearance.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and execution of operations research studies for sponsor-prioritized JWC use cases and mission threads.
Translate concepts, CONOPS, and operational questions into study objectives, measures of effectiveness and performance, scenarios, assumptions, and data requirements.
Develop experimental designs, conduct simulation runs and statistical analyses, and assess alternatives through sensitivity, uncertainty, and trade-space analysis.
Explain the operational implications, limitations, and confidence associated with analytical findings.
Develop and employ models and analytical workflows in an approved classified environment, including the task’s modeling and simulation capability.
Plan and perform model verification and validation appropriate to intended use; assess data quality, model assumptions, and fitness for purpose with sponsor experts.
Maintain reproducible analyses and documented configurations.
Partner with software engineers to define and evaluate sponsor-facing user-interface requirements, including access to approved functions, results, and supporting documentation.
Apply analytical approaches as directed by the sponsor, with appropriate evaluation and technical review.
Coordinate analytical work with the government team, contributing to kickoff planning, bi-weekly updates, and integrated product reviews.
Support preparation, participation, analysis, and recommendations for concept workshops, tabletop exercises, and wargames.
Deliver technical briefings, classified findings, and final-report contributions describing models, simulations, data, tools, and conclusions.
Develop demonstrations, working sessions, and training materials, and support transfer of approved code, software, configuration files, and documentation.
Follow government requirements for classified processing, access, disclosure, and release.
Lead analytical work and mentor technical staff, establish quality standards, and manage analytical dependencies and risks in coordination with the Task Lead.
Provide objective advice consistent with MITRE’s FFRDC responsibilities.
Communicate methods, findings, uncertainty, and recommendations to technical and nontechnical audiences.
Build relationships across MITRE and the sponsor community to obtain expertise, integrate operational perspectives, and share approved technical products and lessons learned.
Engage senior military leaders and action officers to clarify analytical needs, evaluate priorities, present decision-relevant findings, and adapt study approaches as sponsor requirements evolve.