Decision Analyst, Principal

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:

MITRE's Acquisition Division, Department for Acquisition Transformation & Applied Technologies (L581)  is focused on advancing the art and science of cost analysis, acquisition, and management for national security missions. Our multidisciplinary team delivers objective, data-driven insights to help government sponsors make informed decisions about resource allocation, technology investments, and acquisition strategies. By combining deep expertise in cost estimation, acquisition policy, operations research, and analytics, the Acquisition Division enables sponsors to accelerate modernization, transition emerging technologies, and solve complex management challenges.

We foster collaboration across government, industry, and academia—driving innovation and shaping resilient, effective solutions for the nation’s most critical missions. And above all - we bring objectivity, innovation, courage, and technical excellence to help our sponsors make the right decision.

Roles & Responsibilities :

L581 is seeking a well-connected and recognized expert on defense acquisition and innovation. The ideal candidate will be a credible authority on defense acquisition, emerging technologies, and national security processes. You will belong to a high-performing team that regularly initiates and implements projects in support of senior and executive level Sponsors’ strategic initiatives within the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The team will advise senior and executive-level government officials and directly support the MDA Director for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Effectively engage and motivate sponsors, stakeholders, and the larger enterprise on acquisition modernization and agility topics ranging from acquisition policy to technology assessments, commercialization, and mission needs.

Provide subject matter expertise on DoW acquisition practices at Joint and Service echelons, to include Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), processes applied across the defense innovation and rapid acquisition ecosystems, and advanced knowledge of the Federal Regulation Register (FAR), Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO), Defense Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), MDA-specific Directives and Instructions in order to inform and guide reform and transformation initiatives.

Develop and propose innovative strategies, policies, and processes that improve MDA defense acquisition outcomes, ranging from programs, portfolios, and agency enterprise-wide initiatives.

Contribute with impact as part of one or more integrated product teams to enable MDA to transition emerging technologies and prototypes.

Strategically communicate internally and externally on key issues related to defense acquisition.

Build and manage relationships between senior and executive sponsors, MITRE, and other stakeholders (Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), think tanks, Industry,…