Principal Systems Engineer

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The MITRE Corporation's N973 National Security Department is part of MITRE's Intelligence Center and supports national security sponsors through integrated technical research, systems engineering, cyber capabilities, and intelligence mission expertise. The department works across MITRE centers, divisions, projects, and sponsor stakeholders to align mission priorities with practical technical solutions, bringing together capabilities from across MITRE where appropriate. N973 partners with government sponsors to shape, evaluate, and transition impactful work that addresses complex national security challenges and helps ensure a safer, more secure nation.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Support systems engineering and acquisition activities for a high performance computing (HPC) technology effort, applying mission context to define capability needs, use cases, interfaces, and stakeholder expectations.
• Develop and maintain systems engineering artifacts including Requirements Verification Traceability Matrices (RVTMs), Systems Engineering Concepts of Operations (SE-CONOPS), Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), functional requirements, non-functional requirements, and supporting technical documentation.
• Define verification approaches and maintain traceability from requirements to test methods, evaluation evidence, acceptance criteria, and deployment decisions.
• Plan and support system performance evaluation activities, including identifying measures, test environments, data needs, risks, readiness criteria, and deployment considerations.
• Apply working knowledge of HPC capabilities to help sponsors evaluate how HPC resources, workflows, and enabling infrastructure can be used to support mission needs.
• Coordinate with MITRE, sponsor, acquisition, engineering, test, and operational stakeholders; use Jira, Confluence, and Excel to track work, document decisions, and communicate status.
• Prepare clear written products and briefings that communicate analysis, progress, risks, alternatives, and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences.

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.
• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Management, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field and a minimum of 5 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Experience developing systems engineering artifacts such as RVTMs, CONOPS, SE-CONOPS, functional requirements, non-functional requirements, verification criteria, or traceability matrices.
• Experience supporting system performance evaluation, test planning, verification and validation, integration, transition, or deployment activities.
• Working knowledge of high performance computing concepts and the ability to describe how HPC capabilities can be applied to mission or operational needs.
• Experience using Jira, Confluence, and Microsoft Excel to manage tasks, document technical work, track requirements, or communicate project status.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to produce polished technical documentation and brief technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Must have an active Top Secret/SCI w/Polygraph 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.
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting FFRDC or government activities across the systems engineering lifecycle.
• Experience developing test and evaluation plans, performance measures, measures of effectiveness or performance, acceptance criteria, and deployment readiness recommendations.
• Familiarity with HPC environments, advanced computing, data-intensive workflows, AI/ML or modeling and simulation workloads, storage and compute tradeoffs, or mission technology transition.
• Experience working in classified national security or intelligence environments.
• History of building trusted relationships with demanding customers or leaders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, judgment, discretion, and tact.
• Active TS/SCI with a Full Scope Polygraph.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$162,400 - $203,000 - $243,600 Annual

Work Location Type:

Onsite

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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