Department Manager, Mission Enabled Software Solutions

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:

Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Working at MITRE is a uniquely rewarding experience where you can be a vital part of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, and focused on results. We create lasting impacts across a diverse set of fields such as healthcare, environment protection, transportation, and defense. We are making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world.

MITRE’s Software Engineering Innovation Center is focused on providing innovative solutions and expertise that drives our sponsors, our partners, MITRE, and society towards the development of healthy software systems. We are specialists in the software lifecycle addressing sponsor missions: from new start to legacy modernization. We are pioneering novel software solutions for unmet business and mission needs, and we are pushing the boundaries of the state-of-the-art through experimental methodologies. Our software engineers are skilled in all development methodologies and bring deep expertise ranging from the user interface (via human factors expertise) down to the metal (embedded software engineering). Our purpose is simple, we are “enhancing the state-of-practice and advancing the state-of-art for healthy software solutions.”

Within the Innovation Center, we are seeking a Department Manager (DM) for L539, Mission Enabled Software Systems. L539 is an organization that specializes in the development and implementation of advanced software systems to support critical missions. The department leverages cutting-edge technology and innovative strategies to create software solutions that enhance operational efficiency, improve decision-making processes, and ensure mission success. The organization’s expertise spans across sponsor domains including intelligence and law enforcement systems, department of defense, public sector, and other operational sponsors. L539 is committed to delivering reliable, secure, and scalable software systems that meet the unique needs of each mission.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The DM is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the department, shaping the work program, hiring and continuous development of the department’s staff, engaging with staff to help increase opportunities for significant impact, and streamlining operations. To achieve work shaping and maximize impact, the DM will collaborate across MITRE, with sponsors, and with external organizations to develop opportunities for staff to leverage their expertise in solving problems for a safer world through new and advanced opportunities on sponsor-based work programs, cutting edge research in the MITRE Innovation Program, and other strategic initiatives. The DM is also expected to help with the division’s technical strategy and our Software Wellness Center’s outcome goal of enabling the development and acquisition of healthier software through impactful solutions, sound advice, service offerings, and education.

The ideal DM has a focus on mentoring and building skills throughout the department so that other department leadership can be highly effective at hiring, professional development, growing work, and starting new initiatives. The DM will also be effective at running a very collaborative department with shared responsibility among staff, and have a passion for developing the technical, management, and business skills of others.

In summary, The DM will support division strategic planning and manage department implementation of the plans. The DM must be able to balance organizational and project responsibilities with a focus on work shaping to create opportunities for staff. The DM must have demonstrated leadership and team building skills in a project and organization setting.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in applicable field and 12 years of related work experience; or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience .
• An active Top Secret clearance is required for consideration
• Previous leadership experience as a DM, Group Leader, Project leader or similar mid-level management role
• Demonstrated advanced technical skills in areas relevant to L539, especially in software system management and integration, advanced software systems and architectures, software development lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies, decision support, development of cyber capabilities, and large-scale data analytics
• An entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen with significant experience growing work programs, including those that require integration across multiple organizations and disciplines
• Strategic thinking skills and a compelling vision for the future of the department
• Ability to foster a collaborative, productive, and satisfying work environment across multiple geographic locations
• Track record of supportive, open, and transparent communication
• Ability to offer constructive feedback and have challenging conversations in a respectful, empathetic, and productive manner
• High hiring standards to continue recruitment of talented, motivated staff
• Experience in strategizing, work shaping, and planning efforts directly with Sponsor organizations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated track record in building strong internal and external partnerships.
• Masters in computer science, engineering, cybersecurity related technical field or equivalent practical experience

Our culture is a tangible asset that endures through our people and leaders. At MITRE, our leaders must also demonstrate and continually develop a consistent set of shared Leadership Competencies:

• Lead with a Strategic Mindset: Drives alignment across MITRE to achieve our mission by engaging across and beyond the enterprise, making and executing decisions, and activating the Good Growth Strategy.

• Create Value: Takes a broad approach to solving complex problems using a national and global lens. Unleashes the full capabilities of our people in a relentless pursuit of innovative solutions that are scalable, equitable, transferable, and sustainable.

• Cultivate Inclusion: Creates an environment and opportunities, built on trust, where people can be their whole authentic self, feeling welcomed, supported, engaged, and respected for who they are and what they contribute to the organization. Embraces and engages all dimensions of diversity to exponentially expand MITRE’s impact in solving problems for a safer world.

• Communicate for Impact: Conveys powerful messages tailored to the unique needs of stakeholders—and desired outcomes—in a style that engages and inspires action. Exemplifies active listening to foster collaboration, understanding, and alignment.

• Commit to Action and Outcomes: Holds self and others accountable for acting on and achieving established objectives. Exemplifies cultural attributes while executing and delivering impactful outcomes.

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

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

Work Location Type:

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