Senior Systems Engineer

The MITRE Corporation • Huntsville, AL

8h • $121,200 - $181,800 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Systems Engineer will directly support an Army sponsor, working across MITRE, contractor, and government locations in Huntsville, Alabama. The role applies expertise in agile practices, AI, and data systems to guide technical planning, assess contractor solutions, evaluate mission needs, and deliver data-driven recommendations that support Army modernization and operational outcomes.

The engineer will work with government stakeholders, contractors, and operational users to evaluate architectures, requirements, performance, integration, deployment constraints, and technical risks. The Systems Performance and Evaluation Department provides expertise in designing, assessing, and evolving complex solutions across the systems engineering life cycle, using systems thinking, performance measurement, and emerging AI-enabled engineering practices.

The position requires at least three days per week onsite and an active Secret U.S. Government-issued security clearance. Candidates must be U.S. citizens to be eligible for a clearance and must be based in or able to relocate to Huntsville, Alabama.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 3 years with a master’s degree, or a PhD with relevant experience.
• Must be based in Huntsville, Alabama, or able to relocate there.
• Experience developing, integrating, testing, or assessing software or data systems.
• Systems engineering experience assessing requirements, designs, interfaces, technical tradeoffs, and risks.
• Understanding of AI architectures, including large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, and knowledge bases, and deployment considerations for classified or air-gapped environments.
• Ability to clearly communicate complex technical findings and recommendations to senior leadership and technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience conducting objective technical evaluations and working with stakeholders to resolve identified gaps.
• Ability to apply agile practices to technical planning, prioritization, and iterative delivery.
• Must have an active Secret U.S. Government-issued security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for security-clearance eligibility.
• Must work onsite at least three days per week.

Nice To Haves

• Cybersecurity experience, including familiarity with the Army’s implementation of the Risk Management Framework.
• Experience evaluating AI and large language model performance, limitations, and risks.
• Experience with document ingestion, knowledge bases, and data pipelines.
• Experience deploying or assessing systems in on-premises, cloud, classified, or air-gapped environments.
• Experience supporting security assessments and system authorization activities.
• Experience reviewing and refining agile backlogs and using common agile tools.
• Familiarity with software and data configuration management, including version control, change review, traceability, and release management.
• Experience assessing the technical maturity of software and data-centric systems, including familiarity with technology readiness levels.

Responsibilities

• Assess contractor architectures and technical documentation to identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities, including interoperability, technical maturity, and readiness for operational use.
• Evaluate and recommend AI capabilities based on mission needs, performance, limitations, and deployment constraints.
• Translate government priorities into requirements and measurable technical milestones.
• Develop technical roadmaps that account for operational user needs, deployment dependencies, and security considerations.
• Develop and improve execution battle rhythms and user feedback processes across government and contractor teams to support coordination, prioritization, and continuous improvement.
• Communicate technical findings and actionable recommendations to senior government and contractor stakeholders.
• Develop reusable assessment methods and technical guidance to strengthen the government’s ability to support multiple programs.
• Work with government stakeholders, contractors, and operational users to evaluate architectures, requirements, performance, integration, deployment constraints, and technical risks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior