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The MITRE Corporation Principal Aviation System Engineer in McLean, Virginia

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:

The Advanced Transportation Operations Network Management department is seeking a seasoned technical leader to oversee a portfolio of research projects aimed at advancing air transportation management to ensure safe, efficient, secure, and resilient end-to-end operations. The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record in technical leadership, multi-disciplinary team management, rapid prototyping and evaluation, business exploration support, critical thinking, and cross-domain collaboration. This role involves leading projects within the department's focus areas, delivering high-quality technical work products that align with sponsor strategic and project-level outcomes. While project leadership responsibilities may be part-time, the selected individual is expected to maintain a significant technical contribution to the department's work areas, whether through direct or indirect MITRE project work.

Roles & Responsibilities:

  • Project Leadership: Define, scope, plan, and execute research projects involving concept development, requirement definition, rapid prototyping, data capability integration, and end-user evaluation.

  • Technical Guidance: Provide expert technical guidance to staff members to ensure timely execution of project plans and impactful results.

  • Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with Department and Division leadership to evolve work programs by anticipating future priorities and applying innovative thinking to maximize impact.

  • Stakeholder Engagement: Develop strong working relationships with sponsors and industry partners to understand their challenges, strategize solutions, and propose insightful, actionable research ideas.

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.

  • 8+ year experience in leading projects and people, with a focus on motivating and developing others.

  • 8+ years experience with applying innovative solutions across various technical domains to address challenging research problems.

  • Experience in building, retaining, and growing high-performance project staff and leading teams in a hybrid work environment.

  • Experience supporting Federal Aviation Administration and/or Department of Transportation organizations or initiatives.

  • A strong understanding of the mission and capability needs of the Federal Aviation Administration and/or Department of Transportation.

  • This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

  • A minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years with a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or an equivalent combination of related education and work experience in areas such as weather impact modeling, air traffic flow management, air traffic operations, or airline operations.

  • Experience in identifying and developing new work opportunities in alignment with organizational strategy.

  • Demonstrated experience in research and development related to advanced air mobility, unmanned aircraft systems, or next-generation air traffic management systems.

  • Familiarity with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics as applied to transportation systems.

  • Proven ability to engage with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to drive innovation and achieve strategic goals.

  • Experience in securing funding for research initiatives and managing budgets effectively.

  • Demonstrated agility, risk-taking, and responsiveness to high-priority needs.

  • This position requires the candidate to meet eligibility requirements for FAA Suitability. The work location is hybrid, requiring a blend of on-site and remote work. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of air transportation management through innovative research and strategic collaboration.

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

Suitability - FAA

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

Suitability - FAA

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

MITRE is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. MITRE recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of age; ancestry; color; family medical or genetic information; gender identity and expression; marital, military, or veteran status; national and ethnic origin; physical or mental disability; political affiliation; pregnancy; race; religion; sex; sexual orientation; and any other protected characteristics. For further information please visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website EEO is the Law Poster (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights_10_20.pdf) and Pay Transparency (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf) .

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