Agile Acquisition Lead, Principal (DOD & Services Center)

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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:

• Effectively engage and motivate sponsors, stakeholders, and the larger enterprise on acquisition modernization and agility topics ranging from acquisition policy to technology assessments and mission needs.
• Develop and propose innovative strategies, policies, and processes that improve defense acquisition outcomes, ranging from programs, portfolios, and enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Contribute with impact as part of one or more integrated product teams to enable DoD to transition emerging technologies and prototypes across the Valley of Death into fielded operational capabilities.
• Strategically communicate internally and externally on key issues related to defense acquisition.
• Build and manage relationships between senior sponsors, MITRE, and other stakeholders (Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), think tanks, Industry, academia).
• Increase collaboration and coordination on acquisition reform and improvement issues across policy, practice, and academic domains.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years experience with broad exposure and significant roles across the DoD's acquisition environment, including the innovation ecosystem.
• Track record of providing successful thought leadership in applying, teaching, or leading defense acquisition reform or modernization - prior experience as an acquisition professional, by itself, is not sufficient for this role.
• Experience building coalitions and communities that span multiple organizations.
• Strong critical thinking, analytic, and problem-solving skills - comfortable working in dynamic settings where task objectives may evolve or need to be shaped, or creative solutions to task impediments must be identified.
• Demonstrated ability to work in team settings, to include establishing formal or informal teams or alliances which coordinate across technical and organizational boundaries to achieve significant mission outcomes.
• Strong interpersonal skills as well as effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Working familiarity with all aspects of DoD Adaptative Acquisition Framework, in particular the software acquisition pathway, requirements, or resourcing processes - i.e., Defense Acquisition System (DAS), Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS), and/or the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) processes.
• Experience in one or more of the domain or functional areas adjacent to the key areas of modern acquisition reform, such as:
  • Software development, including agile software development methodologies, DevOps, and/or cloud-based capabilities
  • Cyber security or cyber operations
  • Conventional/nuclear command and control
  • Missile warning/defense
  • Joint or service logistics
  • Other Joint force application or support
  • DoD critical technology areas
  • Test & evaluation, systems engineering, cost estimation, or program protection of acquisition programs related to any of the above
  • The Defense industrial base and Supply Chain management.
  • Business systems
• Willingness to visit Sponsor sites periodically for direct engagement and/or meetings.
• Active DoD Secret clearance
• This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site presence.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance with access to Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
• Bachelor's degree or higher in an Applied Science or Engineering.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain and leverage a strong professional network to provide thought leadership across the acquisition enterprise.
• Demonstrated ability leading critical acquisition modernization or reform efforts with visibility and trust at high levels of government and/or industry.

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

Work Location Type:
Hybrid

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