Lead Systems Engineer

The MITRE Corporation•McLean, VA

9d•$146,400 - $219,600•Onsite

About The Position

The Systems and Operations Department (L626) within MITRE’s Systems Engineering Division in the Center for Engineering and Analysis delivers innovative, mission-focused solutions using a multidisciplinary systems engineering approach to address sponsor challenges critical to national security missions. We advance engineering rigor, operational relevance, and mission effectiveness across complex systems and enterprises, with core focus areas in Domain Systems Engineering, Lifecycle Systems Engineering, and Acquisition Systems Engineering. Our teams develop, assess, and transition engineering solutions, provide strategic technical vision, and deliver data-informed recommendations that enable sponsor mission success from tactical through enterprise levels. The Systems and Operations Department is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to support government sponsor mission needs across complex and evolving national security environments. The selected candidate will help define, design, architect, integrate, and transition complex mission systems by applying both Traditional Systems Engineering (TSE) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methods. The role requires the ability to work across technical, operational, acquisition, and programmatic stakeholders to translate mission needs into executable system concepts, architectures, requirements, roadmaps, integration plans, acquisition artifacts, and engineering recommendations. The selected candidate will be expected to: Apply systems engineering principles across the system development lifecycle, including mission analysis, concept development, system design, architecture definition, requirements development, integration, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transition Lead system design and architecture activities by translating sponsor mission needs, operational constraints, and capability gaps into system concepts, functional designs, technical approaches, and implementation options Develop, assess, and refine system architectures for complex mission systems, including operational views, functional architectures, logical and physical architectures, interfaces, data flows, dependencies, and integration points Apply TSE and MBSE methods to capture system behavior, structure, requirements, interfaces, constraints, verification relationships, trade space, risks, and technical decisions Conduct stakeholder engagements, workshops, interviews, and technical working groups to elicit, analyze, document, and validate clear, testable, and traceable mission, system, product, interface, performance, security, and operational requirements Perform engineering studies, trade analyses, and gap assessments to evaluate current-state systems, operational processes, technology limitations, interoperability challenges, and opportunities to improve mission outcomes Steer integration, test, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transition activities for complex systems, including integration sequencing, test objectives, success criteria, interface dependencies, and deployment readiness considerations Perform alternative analysis for government sponsors and program managers on mission context, capability needs, technical priorities, system roadmaps, technology insertion opportunities, acquisition strategies, and engineering approaches that support program objectives Lead acquisition planning and execution by contributing to Statements of Work, Statements of Objectives, Performance Work Statements, market research, acquisition strategies, evaluation criteria, technical evaluation plans, source selection documentation, and vendor assessments Facilitate multidisciplinary teams to develop and present technical artifacts, architecture briefings, decision papers, trade study results, requirements packages, interface documentation, and engineering recommendations for sponsor and leadership review Serve as a mentor to junior staff by providing guidance, feedback, and knowledge-sharing to support their professional growth and strengthen team capabilities

Requirements

Minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience
Experience applying systems engineering practices to complex technical, operational, or mission-focused systems
Experience with system design, system architecture modeling, requirements development, interface analysis, integration planning, verification and validation, and technical documentation
Familiarity with both MBSE and traditional systems engineering approaches, including requirements analysis, functional decomposition, interface control, trade studies, risk analysis, technical reviews, and engineering decision support
Ability to develop or review architecture products, requirements specifications, trade studies, technical plans, acquisition artifacts, and engineering recommendations
Experience leading technical tasks, facilitating stakeholder workshops, coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams, or advising senior technical and program leadership
Ability to collaborate directly with government sponsors, program managers, technical teams, acquisition stakeholders, and mission users
Strong analytical, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to define ambiguous problems, structure technical options, and brief technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Ability to work both collaboratively and independently in a dynamic sponsor environment
Willingness to work at various sponsor locations in the Northern Virginia area as needed
Must have an active Top Secret/SCI with Polygraph U.S Government issued Security 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 has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-site

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of intelligence operations, the intelligence lifecycle, and intelligence systems
Experience applying MBSE methods using modeling languages and tools, such as SysML, Cameo, MagicDraw, Rhapsody, Sparx EA, or similar platforms
Experience developing SysML diagrams, including block definition diagrams, internal block diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, state machine diagrams, requirement diagrams, and parametric models
Experience developing or applying systems architecture frameworks, architecture views, interface models, operational models, or enterprise architecture products
Experience advising the federal government on acquisition lifecycle activities, including SOW/SOO development, market research, acquisition planning, technical evaluations, source selection support, or adoption of innovative acquisition approaches
Experience supporting system integration, test planning, verification and validation, deployment readiness planning, or technical transition of mission systems
Experience with digital engineering, mission engineering, enterprise architecture, software-intensive systems, cloud-based systems, data platforms, cybersecurity, or command-and-control systems
Experience researching, assessing, prototyping, integrating, or supporting the transition of mission technologies such as secure communication protocols, mobile devices, terrestrial and space-based networking, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or related technologies

Responsibilities

Apply systems engineering principles across the system development lifecycle, including mission analysis, concept development, system design, architecture definition, requirements development, integration, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transition
Lead system design and architecture activities by translating sponsor mission needs, operational constraints, and capability gaps into system concepts, functional designs, technical approaches, and implementation options
Develop, assess, and refine system architectures for complex mission systems, including operational views, functional architectures, logical and physical architectures, interfaces, data flows, dependencies, and integration points
Apply TSE and MBSE methods to capture system behavior, structure, requirements, interfaces, constraints, verification relationships, trade space, risks, and technical decisions
Conduct stakeholder engagements, workshops, interviews, and technical working groups to elicit, analyze, document, and validate clear, testable, and traceable mission, system, product, interface, performance, security, and operational requirements
Perform engineering studies, trade analyses, and gap assessments to evaluate current-state systems, operational processes, technology limitations, interoperability challenges, and opportunities to improve mission outcomes
Steer integration, test, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transition activities for complex systems, including integration sequencing, test objectives, success criteria, interface dependencies, and deployment readiness considerations
Perform alternative analysis for government sponsors and program managers on mission context, capability needs, technical priorities, system roadmaps, technology insertion opportunities, acquisition strategies, and engineering approaches that support program objectives
Lead acquisition planning and execution by contributing to Statements of Work, Statements of Objectives, Performance Work Statements, market research, acquisition strategies, evaluation criteria, technical evaluation plans, source selection documentation, and vendor assessments
Facilitate multidisciplinary teams to develop and present technical artifacts, architecture briefings, decision papers, trade study results, requirements packages, interface documentation, and engineering recommendations for sponsor and leadership review
Serve as a mentor to junior staff by providing guidance, feedback, and knowledge-sharing to support their professional growth and strengthen team capabilities