Cyber Operations, Principal

The MITRE Corporation•Colorado Springs, CO

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us. Department Summary: The Critical Infrastructure Intelligence, Strategic Effects, & Solutions (L542) Department is committed to protecting and strengthening our nation’s critical infrastructure. We analyze infrastructure systems and adversary threats to inform risk mitigation and drive stakeholder decisions. Our work integrates expertise in critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and all-source intelligence, leveraging technical skills across MITRE to develop analytical tools and models that support intelligence collection, risk assessment, mission assurance, and system interoperability. We focus on full-spectrum cyber operations, including advancing defensive operations to secure both civilian and military infrastructure. Our team develops and maintains MITRE technologies for OT cybersecurity, conducts critical infrastructure assessments, and collaborates with government sponsors on research, lab test environments, and strategic policy guidance. We share our thought leadership within MITRE and across the industry through conferences, presentations, and publications, driving the state-of-the-art in cybersecurity for operational technologies. Our team includes experts in Operational Technology (Detection Engineers, Embedded Device Specialists, Cybersecurity Experts), Cyber Intelligence, Cyber Policy, and Modeling/Simulation. This diverse expertise allows us to deliver tailored solutions that address the unique needs of government and private sector stakeholders focused on operational technologies in critical infrastructure.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Intelligence Studies, Strategic Intelligence, or related field.
Substantial related experience leading government-funded cyber operations, cyber-physical security, and/or mission assurance efforts.
Demonstrated experience leading multi-team delivery (planning, staffing, execution, and quality control) across multiple concurrent portfolios or capability lines.
Demonstrated experience in one or more cyber-physical mission domains (e.g., OT/ICS, weapon/weapon control systems, space/ground segments, IoT/embedded, mission C2).
Proven ability to develop repeatable methods (assessments, operational practices, playbooks/CONOPs) and drive adoption across teams and sponsor organizations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including briefing senior leaders and producing decision-quality technical artifacts.
Minimum 50% hybrid on-site work required at MITRE or government locations.
Must have a TS clearance to be considered.
Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as a Department Manager/Acting Department Manager, Group Lead, Task Lead, Project Lead, or Deputy Project Lead on sponsor programs in DoD/IC environments.
Demonstrated technical leadership experience shaping large projects and aligning operational needs, engineering reality, and programmatic execution.
Experience standing up and operating high-fidelity cyber-physical labs/testbeds (e.g., space system end-to-end testbeds, vulnerability research environments supporting reverse engineering and advanced assessment).
Experience developing or standardizing hunt/defensive cyber operations practices and enabling consistent training and evaluation across teams.
Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP) and advanced degree(s) aligned to cyber/IA and/or technology intelligence.
Demonstrated track record of leading multi-disciplinary efforts or small teams to deliver high-impact products for demanding government sponsors.
History of building trusted relationships with demanding customers or leaders.
Excellent interpersonal skills, judgment, discretion, and tact.
Advanced degrees in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Intelligence Studies, or a related field.
Active TS/SCI Clearance.

Responsibilities

Deliver mission impact by developing and applying core MITRE capabilities to sponsor challenges, in partnership with FFRDC leadership.
Serve as a principal engineer and technical leader within MITRE Labs, leading capability delivery and mission integration across cyber-critical infrastructure and cyber-physical mission sets, with emphasis on OT/IoT device security, OT countermeasures, cyber-physical/weapon control systems, cyber autonomy, and cyber command-and-control.
Support department and division leadership to ensure workforce readiness and sponsor alignment of capability development strategy and delivery, driving operationally relevant outcomes in contested and critical-infrastructure environments.
As assigned by MITRE FFRDC leaders, drive complex, multi-stakeholder sponsor efforts as a Project Lead, Deputy Project Lead, or Task Lead—directing cross-functional teams across multiple capability lines and translating sponsor intent into deliverables, operational improvements, and scalable methods.
Lead mission-based assessment and operational integration efforts by developing and operationalizing Mission-Based Risk Assessment approaches for DoD weapon and space systems; guide teams assessing high-value platforms (e.g., C3/ISR and space segments) and producing threat-informed mitigation strategies and repeatable assessment methods.
Build and operate high-fidelity R&D/test infrastructure (e.g., end-to-end space system testbeds and vulnerability research facilities) by leading requirements, procurement, and execution—accelerating discovery, validation, and mission assurance for sponsor programs.
Ensure the quality of artifacts and briefings for senior sponsor leadership by driving technical excellence, clarity, defensibility, and mission relevance.

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