Project Assistant Jobs in Lanham, MD (NOW HIRING)

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The Army Concepts to Capabilities Department (N213) provides innovative methods addressing our sponsors' most challenging problems by applying state-of-the-art engineering and scientific disciplines coupled with exquisite operational understanding to achieve multidomain-capable forces. The Concepts to Capabilities Department manages and oversees a wide range of sponsor projects spanning the research and development pipeline-from concept development and technology evaluation through transition, fielding, sustainment, and the organic industrial base. Our work programs deliver impact to Army operations across U.S. and Joint capabilities to maintain land dominance during competition, crisis, and conflict. The Project Leader role is critical to the success of the Army Division, building competency across a diverse group of mission engineers, defense acquisition experts, operations research/system analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and communications systems engineers-all with a united passion and sense of mission to solve problems for our warfighters and create a safer world. Department leadership advises senior leaders and decision-makers across the national security enterprise through evidence-based analysis that broadens visibility, provokes thought leadership, and enables action. We build partnerships across government, industry, academia, and research centers and bring objectivity, innovation, courage, and technical excellence to help our sponsors make the right decisions. The Department is based at the MITRE McLean campus and has technical staff located in McLean, Bedford, Huntsville, Colorado Springs, Hawaii, Wiesbaden, Germany, Vicenza, Italy, and multiple MITRE sites. Department work programs focus on providing high-quality technical and engineering support while maintaining and growing trusted-advisor relationships with senior sponsors across Army and Department of War work programs. Job Description: The Army Division (N210) is seeking a talented and experienced leader to serve as the Army Acquisition Project Leader for the Concepts to Capabilities Department (N213). The selected candidate will lead execution of MITRE's work program in support of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)). The Project Leader will set the technical and strategic direction of the work program; shape and execute high-impact work with the sponsor; develop and grow a diverse team of world-class technical and engineering talent; foster a culture of connection, inclusion, and collaboration; and build trusted relationships across the sponsor community, MITRE, industry, academia, and other mission partners. The successful candidate will work closely with department managers, chief engineers, MITRE Labs, and technical leaders across the corporation to bring MITRE's differentiated capabilities to bear on ASA(ALT)'s most consequential challenges. ASA(ALT) leadership resides across multiple Maryland and National Capital Region locations, including Aberdeen Proving Grounds, the Pentagon, Arlington, VA, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The successful candidate will work closely with senior government civilian and military leaders to define, shape, and execute MITRE's work. Regular sponsor interaction and presence in government spaces will be required, and the candidate must be willing to engage government stakeholders where they are as mission requirements demand. The Project Leader will be accountable to the N213 Department Manager for sponsor-facing execution, technical quality, staff integration, financial stewardship, and internal business operations. The PL will coordinate across N213, N210, and the broader MITRE enterprise to maximize mission impact and MITRE's role within the sponsor organization. This role will embody the MNS strategy by focusing MITRE resources on the sponsor's most consequential problems and maximizing measurable mission value. What Success Looks Like The successful Project Leader will establish and strengthen MITRE's position as a trusted technical and strategic partner to ASA(ALT); shape a portfolio focused on the Army's most consequential acquisition and modernization challenges; connect technical innovation from across MITRE, Industry, and sponsor partners to executable acquisition, transition, and fielding pathways; and build multidisciplinary teams capable of delivering measurable mission impact. Roles & Responsibilities: * Lead and shape MITRE's support to Army acquisition reform, including implementation of relevant acquisition modernization initiatives, through thought leadership grounded in a strong understanding of ASA(ALT), Army acquisition organizations, and institutional Army missions. Build partnerships across MITRE efforts supporting Transformation and Training Command, HQDA G-8, Portfolio Acquisition Executives, Capability Portfolio leads, PEOs/PMs, and other key stakeholders.
* Initiate and lead cross-stakeholder activities addressing national mission priorities, including interoperability and integration challenges involving NGC2, counter-UAS, operational theater needs, fragmented data sharing, incompatible tactical communications networks, redundant sensor/ISR data pipelines, and cross-domain capabilities
* Advance prototyping, experimentation, transition, and rapid-fielding opportunities by identifying promising dual-use and defense technologies; designing pilot demonstrations; developing effective data and network-integration strategies; and engaging transition partners early to enable adoption at scale by aligned PEOs, PMs, and other acquisition organization
* Define and lead fast-paced, high-impact work across systems engineering, concept development, data architecture and design, artificial intelligence, digital engineering, autonomy, and industrial-base security.
* Develop and nurture trusted relationships with senior defense leaders, including General Officers, Senior Executive Service leaders, and their key staff, serving as a bridge across government, MITRE, industry, and the broader innovation ecosystem.
* Identify consequential sponsor problems and grow MITRE support in high-impact areas where MITRE can provide differentiated value, including areas where direct support does not currently exist.
* Collaborate with department managers and project leaders to define a high impact work program enabling MITRE to bring differentiated value.
* Collaborate with department managers, project leaders, chief engineers, and technical leaders to shape an integrated, high-impact work program.
* Directly contribute to the work program and ensure delivery of measurable impact against both division objectives and sponsor mission outcomes.
* Align project outcomes with MNS Cross-Cutting Priorities and Build Deep Priorities, collaborating with priority leads as appropriate.
* Identify and secure the technical talent and resources necessary to execute the work; build and lead multidisciplinary teams aligned to sponsor needs.
* Provide regular, useful, timely, and complete feedback to department managers regarding staff performance and development.
* Collaborate across HQDA, other FFRDC/UARC partners, industry, contractors, academia, and other mission partners as appropriate.
* Lead by example and model MITRE's Cultural/Behavioral Attributes: Speed, Risk Taking, Adaptability, Grace and Respect, and Collaboration. Basic Qualifications: * Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; 7 years with a Master's degree; a PhD with 4 years of experience; or an equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
* Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Operations Research, or another related technical discipline.
* Demonstrated technical leadership experience across systems engineering and one or more relevant areas such as digital engineering, mission engineering, autonomy, data architecture, modeling and simulation, cyber, or artificial intelligence.
* Demonstrated understanding of Army acquisition, modernization, and transition processes, with experience working with or supporting organizations such as ASA(ALT), PEOs/PMs, HQDA, Army Futures/Transformation organizations, or equivalent defense acquisition organizations.
* Demonstrated understanding of Army data and network modernization initiatives and architectures; familiarity with the Unified Data Reference Architecture (UDRA) or related Army data architectures is desirable.
* Technical background relevant to defense acquisition and modernization, which may include systems engineering, information technology, cyber, autonomy, MBSE, modeling and simulation, requirements, data analytics, experimentation, prototyping, and transition/fielding.
* Proven experience engaging senior sponsors, achieving measurable mission outcomes, and establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships.
* Established track record leading delivery of data-driven technical products or capabilities within the military warfighting or acquisition domain, resulting in positive mission i