Director Cross Cutting Lead, Telecommunication

MITRE • McLean, VA, United States • $200k - $250k / year • 3w ago

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MITRE Labs, MITRE National Security (MNS), and MITRE Public Sector (MPS) are placing a significant emphasis on Telecommunications, a key technology at the intersection of Great Power competition with the potential to be a growth engine for the US economy and its role in National Security. MITRE aims to build and demonstrate key telecommunications capabilities for 5G and 6G allowing increased US leadership, position US and partner nation economies to gain first mover advantage, and ensure 6G, and beyond, aligns with US social and democratic values.

Job Description:

Telecommunications is a growth engine of the US economy generating $700B to US GDP and supporting roughly 5M jobs. The US has ceded leadership of cellular standards and equipment and is working to re-establish its leadership position to win the technology competition with China in telecommunications. The US is making continued investment in 6G standards and technologies; MITRE aims to work across Government, industry and academia to ensure these technologies align with our values and advance US and partner interests.

MITRE Labs is working across all MITRE FFRDCs to strategically align outcomes to enable whole-of-nation solutions driving to accelerate actionable results. This requisition seeks to find a director to lead the growing Telecommunications work program, specifically at the intersection of national security and public sector priorities, focused on enabling whole-of-nation solutions that improve our understanding of the world’s oceans. As the Cross-Cutting Priority Director for Telecommunications, the successful candidate must be a strong technical leader who can define and lead major initiatives to cohere across DoD, Commerce Department, DHS, NSF, and other government sponsors.

The candidate must focus on bridging individual sponsor/portfolio efforts via a set of cross-cutting initiatives to achieve integrated outcomes. The candidate will help to align MITRE’s research initiatives and its direct work program to enable larger scale, integrated, innovative solutions, and partner with organizations and leaders within the sponsor community, and across industry and international partners as appropriate. The candidate must be able to oversee various initiatives and to lead interactions between senior stakeholders and MITRE on those initiatives to drive change and enable outcomes. This is a critical role that will require careful synchronization across MITRE’s research activities, work programs, other Cross-Cutting Priorities, and broader MITRE strategic priorities.

The successful candidate will report directly to the Director of the Infrastructure and Networking Innovation Center and be part of the MITRE Labs Leadership team. The selectee will be part of a small team leading these priorities, coordinating efforts with MITRE leaders across Sectors including MITRE Labs directors & chief engineers, FFRDC managing directors and other key stakeholders.

Key Job Responsibilities Include:

Developing and executing a cross-corporate strategy aligning stakeholder needs within the Telecommunications community. Growing MITRE’s support across DoD, Commerce Dept, DHS, DOE, NSF, and other government agency sponsors.
Building a team and/or network of related projects and efforts and aligning capabilities to deliver the cross-cutting priority outcomes.
Advancing MITRE capabilities through innovation, integration, external partnering, and direct work program shaping in alignment with MITRE Labs, MITRE NSEC, and MITRE MPS Priorities.
Leading new partnerships across government, industry, and innovation networks to achieve cross-cutting priority objectives.
Partnering with work programs and network of government champions to catalyze solution development and operational transition.

Basic Qualifications:

Requires a minimum of 15 years of related experience leading technology development and integration, strategy and business development, technical and engineering services, program and portfolio management, and government program leadership in the Telecommunications space with a Bachelor’s degree; or 12 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 10 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
Significant experience in telecommunication sectors or related technical fields with specific expertise in some subset of the areas of mobile/cellular networks, mobile network standards and standards development organizations, spectrum management, spectrum sharing techniques, mobile network security, signal processing, and/or communications.
Demonstrated experience overseeing cross-cutting and multi-organization initiatives, including overseeing the direct work, funding, and management of teams that cross sponsors, technology, and missions/domains.
Demonstrated ability to bridge the gap between national defense and public sector priorities.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with academia, industry, and government partners.
Success in providing sponsors and partners with advice to address critical issues; setting and meeting strategic objectives; and advancing short and long-term program goals.
Excellent leadership skills including persistent, tactful, and persuasive communications, influencing, conflict resolution, and building trust.
Demonstrated ability to develop a strategic vision and use that vision to guide short and long-term execution.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong partner and sponsor relationships at the most senior levels of diverse organizations.
Strong business acumen and demonstrated ability to develop, plan and implement cross-cutting strategies in a complex multi-stakeholder environment.
Experience working across multiple technical disciplines with a desire to do cross-disciplinary work assessing concepts for novel national security and public sector systems and sensors in operational contexts.
History of team building, achieving team goals, and growing trust.
Must have and maintain a DHS Suitability Clearance.
Enjoy a balanced work-life with our 80% hybrid on-site schedule.

Preferred Qualifications:

Advanced education with a relevant Master’s degree or a PhD.
Deep understanding of the telecommunication systems past & present, stakeholders across industry & Government, and the technologies being developed.
Demonstrated knowledge and presence within the telecommunications ecosystem and track record of enabling growth in this space.
Demonstrated expertise working with DoD, Commerce, NSF, DOE, and Interagency government organizations, including senior government leaders, as well as diverse commercial organizations from small start-ups to large established corporations.
Proven success working across organizational boundaries, create win-win approaches for complex multi-sponsor challenges, and manage effectively through influence to achieve successful whole-of-MITRE outcomes.
History of success developing new pilots, programs, and mission applications, including navigating both internal organizational processes and government programmatic processes.
Maturity and expertise balancing performance and mission impact against effective risk management and technical quality.
Demonstrated comfort with ambiguity and change in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence.
Ability to prioritize across multiple competing demands and simultaneously handle diverse commitments to multiple stakeholders.

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