Transportation Safety Division Chief Engineer

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Department Summary:

The Transportation Safety Division (P230) is currently seeking a Division Chief Engineer to deliver high impact outcomes to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to sponsors across the transportation sector.

Our division is responsible for advancing the science of safety across all modes of transportation. We focus on applying systems engineering, artificial intelligence, deep safety domain knowledge, risk-based safety management approaches and analytics to continue to improve the safety of domestic and international aerospace and surface operations, while also accelerating the certification and integration of safe and efficient technologies.

This impactful work has immediate benefits to the everyday lives of the public, including the safe, secure, and efficient movement of people, packages, and supplies across our nation and around the world.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The P230 Chief Engineer will drive the technical quality of the work program and lead the ongoing evolution of technical capabilities, experimentation capabilities, and exploration within the Division’s mission areas.

The Chief Engineer will develop close working relationships with our organization’s senior leaders, as well as senior and executive leaders within the Federal Aviation Administration and other transportation organizations. As well as engaging directly with industry, airlines, operators, and manufactures, etc. to develop methods to advance safety.

The primary responsibilities of this position will be associated with the McLean, VA location.

Technical Impact and Quality

Work with Division leadership to transform our work program by constantly aligning our efforts to our sponsor’s current priorities; anticipating future priorities; and applying innovative thinking to shape our work program to have the greatest possible impact now and in the future

Ensure the work and the products we produce represent MITRE’s world-class technical mastery in meeting mission needs

Serve as an active mentor, and partner with Division leadership to ensure the organizations technical talent has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to address our sponsors current and future problems

Lead and drive the use of MITRE technical capabilities, labs, data, and resources to deliver on the cross-government promise to our sponsors

Lead and connect the Divisions work with industry offerings, developing partnerships to deliver impactful solutions to our sponsors.

Leverage opportunities for integration and learnings across projects, Division work programs, transportation sponsors, and other FFRDCs to facilitate knowledge sharing and identify and implement best practices to improve impact while achieving key sponsor outcomes.

Strategic Planning

Lead and drive the division technical strategy guiding technical workforce shaping, investments, initiatives, and capabilities within laboratories

Develop the strategy for enhancing the Division’s technical fields or the utilization of technical fields within MITRE, including research, internal and external initiatives, and partnerships

Partner with Division leaders to establish the formulation and management of the sponsor strategy for the division’s current and future mission work areas

Develop close working relationships with sponsors and stakeholders, becoming a trusted advisor in the sponsor organization on major initiatives, policies, challenges, and priorities.

Develop the strategy for enhancing a technical field or the utilization of a technical field within MITRE, including research, internal and external initiatives, and partnerships

Staff Development

Mentor, train, and develop staff within the appropriate organizational scope

Contribute to staff development, talent assessment, and planning, including senior staff across the division

Encourage and support staff in external technical activities (publishing, conference attendance, professional society participation)

Develop and define initiatives in partnership with others to cultivate the culture of our organization

Partnerships and Initiatives

Coordinate technical outreach, partnerships, and engagements with industry, academia, and other stakeholders to ensure that best practices and innovative approaches are brought to bear on the Division’s work and products

Strengthen and build partnerships across MITRE to ensure alignment and synergy across technical initiatives and investments

Initiate and influence internal research and development investments to address challenges within the scope of our mission focus

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of related experience, Master’s degree with 10 years of related experience, or PhD with 7 years of related experience

Minimum of 7 years of leadership experience leading teams and projects, including experience meeting cost, schedule, and performance requirements

Demonstrated effective collaboration and clear written and verbal communication skills to support individual, team, and customer-related interaction

Proven experience engaging senior sponsors with successful impacts and outcomes and establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships

Proven ability to lead, nurture, and support technical talent

Demonstrated success in developing and delivering high-quality technical products under government-funded projects that result in accomplishment of Sponsor outcomes

Demonstrated ability to tackle problems and define solutions with an enterprise perspective

Technical background in one or more of the following:

Safety analytics, Certification and SMS

Digital Transformation, Information Technology and Information Systems, Computer Science, or related discipline

Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Digital Engineering, Modernized Software Development, or Acquisition

Cybersecurity

FAA Suitability or the ability to be granted FAA Suitability

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

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with the transportation sector generally, and the Federal Aviation Administration specifically

Active clearance at the Secret level

Research project leadership 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):

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

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