Operational Technology Cyber Threat Intelligence, Lead

The MITRE Corporation•McLean, VA

1d•$158,800 - $238,200•Onsite

About The Position

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future. Are you ready to defend national critical infrastructure from evolving non-kinetic threats? The Critical Infrastructure Protection Department (L561), sitting within MITRE’s Cyber-Physical Systems Division, delivers innovative solutions to sponsor challenges critical to national security and public sector missions. Our multidisciplinary team researches, develops, and applies advanced technologies to ensure the operational resilience of vital national assets. Our core focus areas include: Infrastructure Susceptibility Analysis Safety Engineering Threat-Informed Recommendations Critical Infrastructure (CI) Threat Detection, Analytics, & Adversary Emulation Operational Technology (OT) Device Security & Space System OT Cross-Sector Interdependency Analysis Defense Critical Infrastructure Expertise Civilian Critical Infrastructure Sector-Specific Expertise MITRE’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Department (L561) is seeking an Operational Technology (OT) Cyber Threat Intelligence Lead to bridge the gap between deep OT threat intelligence and automated adversary emulation. In this role, you will analyze real-world adversary TTPs targeting industrial control systems (ICS), SCADA, and Space OT environments. You will distill complex OT threat reporting into operational behaviors, network communication patterns, and protocol mechanics—enabling our software engineering team to automate realistic attack scenarios in platforms like Caldera for OT. If you want to study real-world adversary behavior in complex cyber-physical/OT systems and strengthen national critical infrastructure alongside federal and industry partners, this role is for you.

Requirements

Typically requires a 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.
Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Intelligence Studies, Strategic Intelligence, or related field.
Minimum 2 years of hands-on experience analyzing, securing, or threat-modeling Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), SCADA environments, or Space OT systems. (Experience limited to enterprise IT security will not satisfy this requirement.)
Working understanding of common industrial communication protocols (e.g., Modbus TCP, DNP3, OPC UA/DA, Ethernet/IP) and lower-level control architecture (Purdue Model Levels 0–3).
Demonstrated experience applying ATT&CK for ICS, SPARTA, or Cyber Kill Chain for ICS to dissect adversary campaigns and analyze cyber-physical attack paths.
Must have an active Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance and must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI 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.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a relevant technical field.
Active TS/SCI security clearance.
Experience performing network packet capture analysis (e.g., Wireshark, Zeek) on industrial protocol traffic to differentiate normal operations from malicious commands.
Experience partnering with red teams, penetration testers, or adversary emulation developers on threat simulation exercises.
Relevant OT/ICS certifications such as GIAC Global Industrial Cybersecurity Professional (GICSP), GIAC Response and Industrial Defense (GRID), or GIAC Critical Infrastructure Protection (GCIP).
Experience partnering with organizations such as CISA, DoD, or Sector Risk Management Agencies (SRMAs) on threat reporting and mitigation guidance.

Responsibilities

Analyze real-world ICS/OT threat intelligence (e.g., PIPEDREAM, INCONTROLLER, Industroyer) to identify specific adversary behaviors, target device types, and network communication patterns.
Translate OT threat intelligence into concrete technical requirements, attack flows, and protocol parameters for developers building automated emulation capabilities (e.g., Caldera for OT).
Track and characterize advanced persistent threats (APTs) targeting critical infrastructure, defense industrial base assets, and space system OT environments using unclassified and classified intel sources.
Advise government sponsors and critical infrastructure owner/operators on developing OT-specific threat intelligence programs and adopting threat-informed defense strategies.
Conduct OT-focused threat modeling, mission impact analyses, and cyber-physical risk assessments using frameworks such as ATT&CK for ICS and SPARTA.
Produce actionable technical briefs, attack flow mappings, and strategic briefings tailored for both technical engineering teams and leadership.