Mission Area Lead

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Mission Area Lead is responsible for mission alignment, integration, and accountability for the Threat Analysis Directorate’s Automation Integration with Vulnerability Response focus area. The focus area aims to scale vulnerability coordination against emerging AI-driven threats by integrating automation and AI into processes that are currently manual, while building community partnerships. The role will deliver agentic automation to accelerate remediation, building on SEI’s research and experience in coordinated vulnerability disclosure (CVD). The Lead will direct and leverage ongoing SEI CVD projects and conduct applied research and development to automate vulnerability response and extend coordination at scale. The role also engages government, industry, and academic partners to securely develop, adopt, and use automation to accelerate mitigation in support of Department of War (DoW) and Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) priorities. The Lead partners with SEI technical and support staff to foster technical excellence, creativity, cross-enterprise collaboration, innovation, and secure capability transitions. Working in conjunction with the CERT leadership team, the Mission Area Lead manages government partner relationships and project efforts, represents the mission area to sponsors and stakeholders, oversees budgets and product quality, and coordinates support functions needed to execute the mission. The position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and requires willingness to travel 25% to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings. The successful candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance and will be subject to a background investigation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, networking, information systems, or a related technical field with 10 years of experience; or a master’s degree in computer science or a technical/engineering field with 8 years of experience; or a Ph.D. in computer science or a technical/engineering field with 5 years of experience; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. Other technical educational backgrounds may be considered.
At least 3 years of enterprise- or research-level vulnerability management experience.
Technical understanding of vulnerabilities from discovery through validation, coordination, disclosure, mitigation, and remediation.
Experience managing complex technical projects from initiation through delivery.
Experience organizing cross-functional teams and managing multiple concurrent efforts.
Experience leading and advocating for personnel.
Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical information in status updates, risk assessments, and executive briefings.
Ability to build and maintain relationships with mission stakeholders and strategic partners, and translate partner needs into technical requirements.
Willingness to travel 25% outside the office location to SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance; subject to a background investigation.

Responsibilities

Help create and maintain strategic direction so individual projects support the Mission Area and Threat Analysis Directorate mission and vision.
Manage relationships with government partners in the National Capital Region as needed or applicable.
Serve as a primary technical liaison to DoW and FCEB mission partners on CVD and automation of vulnerability response.
Lead and manage project efforts across the mission area, ensuring integration and alignment with broader Threat Analysis Directorate goals.
Organize cross-functional teams and keep execution on track across multiple concurrent efforts.
Lead and advocate for personnel by setting expectations, removing blockers, providing support, and holding milestones accountable.
Foster a team culture of technical rigor, accountability, innovation, and cross-team collaboration, including across multiple locations.
Manage budgets across multiple mission area efforts to maximize return on investment and strategic value.
Review internally developed products and ensure internal quality, safety, and security requirements are met.
Conduct project reviews, identify quality gaps, develop corrective actions, and verify compliance with SEI standards.
Assess the impact of CERT’s project portfolio for mission partners.
Communicate with strategic partners about ongoing support and recommend future direction.
Maintain sponsor and stakeholder relationships through regular check-ins, feedback gathering, and alignment of delivered work with partner priorities.
Translate partner needs into actionable technical requirements for project teams.
Partner with other FFRDCs and UARCs to better serve mission partners.
Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions, including security, IT, contracting, and human resources, to ensure the mission area has the support needed to execute.
Balance deliverable transition timelines, effort coverage, and risks.
Synthesize technical information into status updates, risk assessments, and executive briefings for internal leadership and external mission partners.