Senior Principal Scientist for Cryptography and Applied Cryptography Research

The MITRE Corporation•New Bedford, MA

4d•$205,500 - $308,500•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. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. The Cryptography, ICAM, & System Assurance Department is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and practitioners driving innovation in the department’s technical areas of focus, with particular emphasis in Cryptography; System Assurance; and Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM). We develop and apply scalable approaches for systems and software, evaluate technology and solutions, lead and foster external partnerships within the communities we support, and conduct novel research and development. We serve in critical roles including: Aiding the Federal Government as a community in architecting and applying modern cryptography and PQC technologies to secure systems, software, and protocols. Developing strategies, assessing policy and technical constraints, and facilitating the deployment of cryptography solutions into cloud, hybrid, and on-premises infrastructures for enterprise and tactical environments. As senior trusted advisors and leaders within the cryptography and PQC community internally and external to MITRE, we apply our knowledge of industry trends, advances in commercial technology, and relevant industry standards and protocols to inform our sponsors’ decision-making. Performing research and development, evaluation and testing and operational support for high-priority sponsor mission applications, MITRE Labs strategic initiatives, and MITRE’s internal research and development program. The department works across MITRE’s cryptography portfolio which spans fundamental research, applied cryptography, cryptographic engineering, secure communications, trusted computing, confidential computing, quantum-resistant security, privacy-enhancing technologies, and cryptographic modernization. The department brings expertise in digital identity, ICAM, Software Assurance, and the security foundations for secure distributed systems. The department integrates cryptographic innovation with emerging disciplines including artificial intelligence, Zero Trust architectures, secure software engineering, resilient communications, trusted microelectronics, and quantum information science to address rapidly evolving national security challenges.

Requirements

Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
15+ years of experience in relevant domain.
Proven technical depth and recognized external technical stature in a breadth of technologies within the cryptography technical capability area, including commercial products, emerging tools, research capabilities, etc.
Track record of technical innovation (research, innovation, etc.) with demonstrable impact.
Demonstrated ability to define and lead collaborative efforts both within, and across, different organizations and stakeholders (local, sponsor, industry, etc.).
Track record of successful project management (scoping, costing, execution, delivery, etc.).
Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across organizational units.
Track record of successfully mentoring technical staff, including experience in leading high-performing teams.
History of successful project initiation (definition, scoping, aligning to need, costing, etc.) and project management (execution, staffing, schedule management, delivery, quality review, etc.).
Applicants selected for this position will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or applicants who are eligible for security clearances.
Top Secret clearance with ability to obtain Top-Secret/SCI.
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

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related discipline strongly preferred. Candidates with a Master’s degree and exceptional experience will also be considered.
Twenty or more years of progressively responsible experience conducting advanced research, development, and application of cryptographic technologies.
Recognized technical authority in one or more areas including applied cryptography, cryptographic engineering, post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic protocols, secure hardware, confidential computing, privacy-enhancing technologies, formal verification, trusted computing, secure distributed systems, or related disciplines.
Sustained or significant track record of original contributions in publications or cryptography communities.
Demonstrated record of defining technical direction for programs, research initiatives, or technology transitions.
This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s): Top Secret
This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s): Top Secret

Responsibilities

Establish and execute MITRE’s long-term scientific and technical vision for cryptography and secure computing foundations across the corporation.
Define technical strategy and guide research investments spanning post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic agility, applied cryptography, cryptographic protocols, secure key management, privacy-enhancing technologies, confidential computing, secure hardware, trusted execution environments, threshold cryptography, secure multi-party computation, homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, formal verification, and emerging cryptographic paradigms.
Lead the development of innovative cryptographic technologies that strengthen the security, resilience, and trustworthiness of mission-critical government systems while enabling operational transition across multiple sponsor communities.
Shape national strategies for post-quantum cryptography migration and cryptographic modernization by developing approaches for cryptographic agility, enterprise key management, standards adoption, interoperability, and long-term technology transition.
Advance the integration of cryptography with artificial intelligence by developing secure and privacy-preserving approaches for AI-enabled systems, trusted AI infrastructure, model integrity, secure data collaboration, and AI-enabled cyber defense.
Conceive, champion, and establish new technical thrusts that position MITRE several years ahead of sponsor demand while advancing the state of the art in cryptographic science and secure computing.
Apply formal methods, protocol verification, and rigorous security analysis to improve the assurance, correctness, and resilience of cryptographic protocols and secure system architectures.
Shape national investments in cryptographic modernization by advising senior government leaders on emerging technologies, technical risks, standards adoption, research priorities, and future capability development.
Influence the direction of national cryptographic strategy through leadership in standards organizations, interagency initiatives, advisory committees, technical working groups, and strategic partnerships.
Define and evolve MITRE’s long-term technical strategy for cryptography and secure computing across the Cyber Engineering Division, MITRE Labs, and MITRE’s FFRDC Program Divisions.
Provide strategic technical leadership across sponsor programs, corporate research investments, independent research initiatives, and emerging technology areas.
Create and lead multidisciplinary technical communities spanning cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, systems engineering, software engineering, communications, trusted microelectronics, and quantum information science.
Foster technical collaboration across MITRE and establish enduring partnerships with government, industry, academia, federally funded laboratories, and standards organizations.
Expand MITRE’s impact through technology transition, standards development, open collaboration, publications, reference implementations, and innovative sponsor work that advances national cybersecurity.