Chief of Research – Infrastructure and Networking

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Department Summary:

MITRE’s Infrastructure and Networking Innovation Center (L) is seeking a Chief of Research. The L Chief of Research will act as a liaison, champion, coordinator, translator and coach across L’s innovation aligned Science & Technology (S&T) efforts, including the MITRE Independent Research and Development (IR&D) program and other innovation funding opportunities internal and external to MITRE. The candidate selected for this role will foster a culture of research helping staff generate innovative ideas and concepts and submit proposals for funding. The Chief of Research will also help foster partnerships across MITRE and external research organizations like universities and other FFRDCs to amplify impact to our sponsors and nation.

L seeks a motivated and energetic candidate to serve as a champion for our staff and their ideas while increasing the alignment of our S&T efforts with MITRE Labs’ and our FFRDC partners’ strategic priorities. The Chief of Research will work with the Division leadership and act as a liaison between the MITRE IR&D program and L. A significant function of this role will be championing for L’s research themes in the IR&D program and then interpreting the evolving IR&D strategic direction for our staff. The Chief of Research will coach L staff through each stage of the proposal process as well as oversee the successful execution of research.

One particular area where the Chief of Research will be focused is in driving innovation in support of US Government (USG) Department of Defense (DoD) tactical networks. This area of research leverages state-of-the-art algorithms to provide resiliency and robustness in contested environments across DoD, driven by real-time mission data and priorities.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Chief of Research will exercise technical leadership (behaviors, skills, expertise) to ensure these results:

• Innovation Center interests and research agendas are championed in the IR&D program
• Strong alignment between L research proposals and IR&D strategies
• High success rate of funding for L staff’s research proposals
• Development of new external partnerships and research pursuits
• Division led research is of high quality and impact and demonstrates compelling impact for our sponsors
• Alignment and transition of research surrounding dynamic network command control to direct work

Key responsibilities of this role are:

• Coach and champion for division staff applying for MITRE IR&D programs including the Early Career Research Program (ECRP). Serve as a mentor for interested staff providing feedback through the proposal and briefings stages, and all the way through to project execution.
• Engage MITRE IR&D research leads on research areas important for L and our customers. Assist in shaping the strategies developed by the research leads.
• Understanding the different funding avenues both internal to MITRE and external for innovative proposals
• Serve as a liaison with similar roles within MITRE Labs and across the program divisions with MNS and MPS Chief Engineers
• Act as a champion for the research challenge to innovate tactical network command and control Mission Informed Threat-Aware Networking)
• Identify and lead research partnerships with external organizations
• Identify and lead pursuit of non-FFRDC S&T work

The Chief of Research may be required to travel % of their time to meet in person with L’s staff and collaborators. Note that the Chief of Research is a part-time role and the individual selected for this role will be expected to also be a technical leader/contributor to research and directed funded projects for L’s customers.

Basic Qualifications:

• Demonstrated broad understanding of L’s technologies and methods: enterprise networking, cellular networking (5G/xG), network modeling and simulation, cloud and containerization, tactical networks, satellite communications, enterprise IT services
• Demonstrated understanding of MITRE IR&D program or a similar IR&D program outside of MITRE
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with diverse stakeholders to achieve a common objective
• Solid understanding of sponsor needs and whole-of-government challenges
• Knowledge of emerging technologies in the networking and communications space, particularly with data-driven networking and the application of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and resiliency of infrastructure and networks
• Demonstrated ability to engage in broad outreach across a large organization
• Proven success coaching and mentoring staff for research proposals and execution
• Track record of consistently delivering technical work of high quality that results in high-value, transformational impact
• This position requires a minimum of % hybrid on-site
• Must have Secret Clearance to be considered

Preferred Qualifications:

• A history of successful participation and leadership in MITRE IR&D (or other similar IR&D program outside of MITRE)
• Experience with grant proposal and execution
• Proven track record of building research collaborative agreements between industry, academia and government
• Recent examples of risk-tasking with new innovative ideas applied to the nation’s hardest whole-of-government problems
• Prior experience with US Department of Defense (DoD) tactical networks
• Prior experience with US DoD Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2)
• Prior experience with mission planning, data collection and analysis, and network modeling and simulation

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):

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

Work Location Type:

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