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Our nation's ability to defend the homeland, deter aggression, and build a resilient Joint force rests on our capacity to identify, prioritize, and successfully field the optimal set of effective, suitable, and survivable systems. We must re-envision national security to keep pace with advanced adversaries, leveraging the entire spectrum of the Nation's Innovation Base, while creating and leveraging a growing set of new options and authorities for accelerating Joint and whole-of-nation capabilities.
That's where MITRE's Acquisition Studies & Analysis (ASA) Department comes in. We are a diverse group of defense acquisition experts, operations research / system analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and communication systems engineers- all with a united passion to solve problems for a safer world. We're experienced professionals who advise senior leaders and decision-makers across the national security enterprise. Our evidence-based work garners visibility and provokes thought and action. We're team players who build partnerships across government, industry, academia, and research centers.
And above all - we bring objectivity, innovation, courage, and technical excellence to help our sponsors make the right decision.
Roles & Responsibilities
MITRE's ASA Department seeks a well-connected and recognized expert on defense acquisition and innovation. The ideal candidate will be a credible authority on defense acquisition, emerging technologies, and national security processes You will belong to a high-performing team that regularly initiates and implements projects in support of sponsors' strategic initiatives, often before a sponsor can fully recognize or articulate that they are needed. The team may publish, speak at high visibility events, and advise senior government officials.
Responsibilities include:
Lead transformation in how defense acquisition processes operate within existing statutory and regulatory frameworks. This role contributes acquisition process expertise that complements technical modernization leaders; and it includes streamlining governance, reducing friction across requirements, engineering, acquisition, and budgeting processes, and enabling adoption of modern acquisition approaches to facilitate produce continuous capability delivery.
Shape and scale acquisition execution models across sponsor portfolios to better enable incremental capability delivery and continuous value realization.
Influence governance structures, decision forums, and oversight approaches to align acquisition control mechanisms with modern engineering and delivery practices.
Design practical execution architectures that integrate requirements, funding, contracting, engineering, test, and sustainment into synchronized delivery systems.
Partner with engineering leaders to ensure acquisition strategies reinforce - rather than constrain - DevSecOps, iterative development, and platform-based approaches.
Reframe performance management from milestone completion toward measurable delivery outcomes.
Identify systemic barriers within acquisition structures (organizational, financial, cultural, or procedural) and implement pragmatic transformation strategies that improve portfolio throughput.
Guide sponsors in structuring acquisition pathways - including Software Pathway, hybrid models, and alternative contracting mechanisms - to accelerate transition from proto@type to continuous capability delivery.
Advise senior leaders on portfolio-level prioritization, sequencing, and risk trade-offs to improve capability delivery performance.
Contribute to development of repeatable frameworks, playbooks, and reference models that can be applied across multiple sponsors to institutionalize modernization gains.
Serve as a trusted advisor to program teams and senior leaders.
Proactively help sponsors identify and shape modernization opportunities.
Build and sustain trusted relationships across sponsors, FFRDC partners, industry, and academic stakeholders to support integrated modernization efforts.
Serve as an active member of multidisciplinary teams integrating acquisition, engineering, and delivery expertise to improve capability outcomes.
Basic Qualifications:
Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years' experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Demonstrated experience navigating or improving DoW acquisition processes in programs, portfolios, or enterprise settings.
Working knowledge of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), including the Software Acquisition Pathway, and related requirements and resourcing processes.
Practical knowledge of acquisition mechanisms such as OTAs, FAR-based strategies, and innovation pathways to enable adaptive delivery approaches.
Experience implementing modern acquisition approaches in traditional acquisition or AAF environments.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional working groups and drive change across organizational boundaries with measurable improvement.
Experience supporting or implementing governance improvements.
Strong analytical, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to operate in dynamic sponsor environments with evolving objectives.
Active DoD Secret clearance
U.S. Citizenship required.
Willingness to support hybrid on-site engagement as required by sponsors.
This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site presence.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with the DoW software acquisition pathway leading critical acquisition modernization or reform
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance with access to Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
Private sector experience defense, technology, or consulting industries.
Experience working with OSD Research and Engineering and/or Acquisition and Sustainment staffs.
Demonstrated ability to maintain and leverage a strong professional network to provide thought leadership across the acquisition enterprise.
This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Secret
This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Secret
Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$173,200 - $216,500 - $259,800 Annual
Work Location Type:
Hybrid
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.
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