at The MITRE Corporation in O Fallon, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That’s because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation’s toughest challenges-and we’re committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are 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, and a culture of innovation that embraces diversity, inclusion, flexibility, collaboration, and career growth. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE-and make a difference with us.
Department Summary:
MITRE’s Operations in Contested Environment Division (N150) is seeking an operationally focused, experienced leader, and highly collaborative Department Manager (DM) for the Operational Innovation and Modernization department (N153). N153 serves a unique and critical warfighter advisory role on behalf of the Air and Space Forces Center (A&SFC), with a charter to coalesce advanced capability developers, operational warfighters, and the acquisition community.
The Operational Innovation and Modernization Department (N153) informs warfighter requirements, modernization priorities, and new operational concepts directly related to real-world military operations. The department drives the rapid transformation of current and future USAF warfighter operations through rapid prototyping; digital engineering; mission analysis; innovative concept development, requirements development and application of enabling technologies; and operational and technical assessments through experimentation and field evaluations. The primary sponsors include the Combat Air Forces and Mobility Air Forces, and the department partners closely with MITRE’s Joint Staff and Combatant Command Division to ensure a joint perspective on the work program. With direct connections to warfighters, current operations, and exercises, N153 partners with acquisition projects, technology innovators, and MITRE enterprise operational analysis efforts to ensure capability development, use cases, and mission thread analyses are informed by operational concepts and operational requirements to improve Air Force acquisition program outcomes in delivering capabilities to the Warfighters.
N150 seeks a leader who is passionate about the Department of the Air Force’s operational mission to assume this role. The DM will be responsible for developing the department strategy to support the broad needs of A&SFC, setting the technical direction of the work program, growing a team of world-class warfighter-centric, entrepreneurial talent, driving the development of new opportunities, and building partnerships and collaborative relationships across MITRE, our sponsors, Federally Funded Research and Develop Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), industry, and academia. The DM will also be responsible for evolving strategies at the MITRE site locations that N153 manages (Eglin- Hurlburt, FL, and Shaw AFB, SC). Additionally, N153 has staff in locations in McLean, VA; Hampton, VA; Honolulu, HI; Ramstein AFB, Germany; and Bedford, MA.
Roles & Responsibilities:
Technical Leadership
+ Influence the direction and priorities of the center’s work program by providing the operational understanding of warfighters’ key challenges.
+ Oversee all aspects of work program planning, management, and execution to include regular coordination with MITRE executive leadership on risk topics.
+ Manage technical quality in partnership with Department Chief Engineer, ensuring technical and strategic quality review of department project plans, prototypes, capabilities, and deliverables.
+ Define strategic goals and/or objectives for the department and serve as a core member of the division leadership team, working to implement division and department strategies and accelerate sponsor outcomes.
+ Recommend strategies and execution plans to align MITRE core capabilities and expertise to address the Combat Air Force (CAF) and Mobility Air Force (MAF) sponsor challenges to center and division leadership.
Sponsor Engagement
+ Identify and anticipate major sponsor and environmental trends, opportunities, and issues; continually shaping the plan and strategy accordingly to achieve mission impact, critical outcomes, and enable good growth through our work program.
+ Lead executive-level engagements with sponsors and MITRE Senior Leadership to build trusted relationships and collaborative partnerships at the intersection of MITRE cross-cutting priorities, mission critical programs, and key sponsor challenges.
+ Influence executive-level sponsors and stakeholders to inform MAF and CAF warfighter requirements, modernization priorities, and shape new and existing operational concepts.
Resource Management
+ Proactively hire, develop and enable a department workforce with the expertise and capabilities needed to execute operational solutions, meet mission needs, identify and address current/future mission gaps, and build workforce development plans for critical capability areas.
+ Mentor, coach, and develop staff within the department to set and achieve career goals, shaping a high-caliber team to deliver high-value and high-impact work. Objectively evaluate individual contributions, provide feedback, reward, and recognize staff as appropriate.
+ Lead and manage department workforce activities such as employee performance assessments, salary adjustment recommendations, promotion nominations, as well as adjudication of employee grievances, issues, and conflict resolution.
+ Engage across MITRE to ensure delivery of the highest quality technical approaches and talent to the N153 work program. Partner with and leverage MITRE Labs and program divisions for needed technical talent and expertise.
Basic Qualifications:
+ Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 10 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 7 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
+ Demonstrated expertise in one or more technical fields including: systems engineering; systems integration; operational analysis; communications and networking; or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities; and/or experimentation.
+ Demonstrated ability to develop close working relationships and partnerships with senior sponsors.
+ Strong leadership presence and demonstrated thought leadership on a variety of technical topics.
+ Active Top-Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
+ Excellent communication, writing and editing skills, including demonstrated ability to articulate complex topics to sponsors and staff.
+ This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site
Preferred Qualifications:
+ An advanced degree (MS/MA or PhD) in a relevant technical field.
+ Possess an in-depth understanding of Air Force, Joint, and Combined operations to include command and control; battle management; ISR; mobility; and logistics.
+ Experience in shaping the workforce and skill mix to develop the technical capabilities of the staff, to include high quality hires capable of technical impact and growth.
+ Commitment to engage in person with sponsors and staff at site locations (CONUS and OCONUS) on a regular basis.
+ Active TS/SCI clearance.
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