Capacity Building Expert Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We're a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation's health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future. Department Summary: Congratulations on taking control of your career! We're pleased you're exploring opportunities to evolve and adapt your professional life. MITRE's diversity of sponsor missions, research areas, and cross-corporate capabilities translates into hundreds of meaningful projects at any given time. We invite you to discover how your unique combination of strengths and experiences can benefit our work program in new ways. MITRE Technology and Engineering is seeking a C-WMD Assessor with deep experience in demonstrated experience in biological threat reduction, international security cooperation, capacity building, federal research program oversight, and program or portfolio evaluation. The subject matter expert will support an overseas capacity-building assessment program, partnering with the Assessment Lead and the broader team to design, execute, and report on independent evaluations that support national-level strategy, treaty compliance, and counter-proliferation objectives. Roles & Responsibilities: * Design & Preparation: Develop assessment objectives, metrics, sampling plans, and methodology suites tailored to nonproliferation capacity-building programs (e.g., epidemiology, biosurveillance, hazardous-materials response). Use program documentation, performance data, open-source information, and geopolitical context to inform country, program, and portfolio assessments.
* Execution: Support audit teams document review, technical review, interviews, data validation, stakeholder engagement, and site visits. Participate in domestic and international site visits, as appropriate, and document objective evidence supporting assessment findings.
* Data Analysis & Reporting: Analyze qualitative and quantitative information to evaluate program performance, capacity gaps, success factors, barriers, sustainability, and return on investment. Translate collected data into performance-measurement frameworks and clear, evidence-based findings for senior leaders and Congress.
* Process Improvement: Identify success factors and barriers, provide recommendations for safety, security, and quality improvements, and support long-term sustainment planning for capacity building programming. Recommend improvements to program governance, risk management, biosafety, biosecurity, technical quality, stakeholder coordination, and performance measurement.
* Stakeholder Communication: Prepare technical reports, white papers, presentations, read-ahead materials, and briefings for senior leaders, government sponsors, interagency partners, and congressional stakeholders. Basic Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree and 5 years of related experience; or a Master's degree with 3 years of related experience; or a PhD with relative experience who can immediately contribute to this job step; or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
* Candidate must have a professional background in one of the key nonproliferation domains (chemical, biological, radiological, and/or nuclear) with a degree in one of the following areas: Counterproliferation, Epidemiology, Emerging Infectious Disease, Public Health, Biodefense, Border Security, Nuclear Security, International Security, Weapons of Mass Destruction or a related field.
* Direct experience with international security-cooperation or capacity-building programs.
* Demonstrated knowledge of biological nonproliferation, biosafety, biosecurity, dual-use research considerations, treaty compliance, and national biodefense policy.
* Experience with mixed-method evaluations and metrics validation to evaluate portfolio effectiveness, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.
* Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary, sponsor-facing environment.
* Candidate must be able to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.
* Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
* This position requires a minimum of 3 days a week on-site. Preferred Qualifications: * Master's or Advanced degree
* Experience supporting US Government counter-WMD programs, federally funded laboratories, or comparable national-security and biological-research organizations.
* Experience managing or evaluating federal research, security-cooperation, or international capacity-building portfolios.
* Prior involvement in independent assessments and objective-evidence documentation
* Experience as an auditor/lead technical assessor for some or all of the following standards: ISO 17025:2017, ISO 15189, ISO 9001, and ISO 35001.
* Experience interacting with auditees, leading audit teams, and generating audit reports
* Experience preparing decision materials or responses for senior government leaders, executive-branch offices, congressional stakeholders, or interagency audiences.
* Experience coordinating with international laboratories, ministries, embassies, implementing partners, or multilateral organizations.
* Familiarity with applicable laboratory quality and biorisk-management standards.
* Familiarity with treaty reporting, dual-use research considerations, and federal/international biological research regulations.
* Experience conducting open-source research and applying geopolitical or public-health analysis to country or program assessments.
* Experience in emergency preparedness, emergency medical services, or public-health emergency response.
* Familiarity with occupational health & industrial hygiene, and with forensic chain-of-custody practices.
* Knowledge of Biological Safety/Security principles and practices. * Knowledge of Border Security principles and practices.
* Knowledge of Nuclear Security principles and practices.
* Active Secret or Top Secret Clearance This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
None This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$119,500 - $149,500 - $179,500 Annual Work Location Type:
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