Principal Cyber Operations Strategist

Job Description

Company: MITRE

Location: McLean, US

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:

MITRE’s Cyber Threat Intelligence department is seeking a Principal Cyber Operations Strategist to join our team and apply your skills in support of our government and private sector sponsors. You will advance our research and innovation in cyber operations and provide subject matter expertise on the intersection of cyber operations, strategy, planning, and national security. Our staff work with government, industry, and academia, enabling the public and private sector to make better decisions and implement solutions to complex challenges of national and global significance.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Serve as a senior-level strategist and trusted advisor providing objective, mission-focused expertise on cyber operations, cyber strategy, national security decision-making, and the policy, planning, and authority frameworks that shape cyber operations in practice.
• Advise sponsors, MITRE leadership, and technical teams on complex cyber mission problems, helping translate operational needs into analytically grounded strategies, research directions, and actionable recommendations.
• Provide strategic advisory support to the Center for Threat-Informed Defense (CTID), helping shape project concepts, research priorities, and engagement approaches that advance the CTID mission.
• Contribute to and help guide cross-functional project work, including framing research questions, reviewing analytic approaches, and connecting project outputs to real-world operational use.
• Support CTID’s membership development and strategic engagement activities by helping communicate mission value, cultivate trusted relationships, and identify opportunities for deeper collaboration with government, industry, and other mission-aligned stakeholders.
• Engage across MITRE’s sponsor, partner, and member ecosystem to bring together perspectives from government, industry, and academia in support of cybersecurity innovation, operational relevance, and broader national impact.
• Advance international cybersecurity collaboration by working with partners and multinational stakeholders on shared cyber challenges, operational concepts, and approaches that strengthen collective cyber resilience and cooperation.
• Author, review, and refine high-impact written products, briefings, and other publicly available deliverables for senior technical, operational, and policy audiences.
• Represent MITRE in workshops, working groups, and other engagements requiring sound technical judgment, credibility with senior stakeholders, and the ability to bridge strategic, operational, and technical perspectives.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience in cyber operations, cybersecurity, and working for or with U.S. government cyber agencies.
• Demonstrated experience working for or with U.S. government organizations on cyber, defense, intelligence, or national security issues, including familiarity with the missions, authorities, and interrelationships of key stakeholders.
• Knowledge of adversary and friendly tradecraft and the utilization of cyber operations as a tool of military force and statecraft.
• Experience with U.S. government cybersecurity agencies, authorities, and relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to provide objective analysis, independent technical judgment, and well-supported recommendations on complex mission challenges involving strategic, operational, and policy dimensions.
• Experience advising senior leaders, program teams, or sponsors and helping shape direction on technically and organizationally complex efforts without relying on direct supervisory authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, concise, and well-structured products for senior government, technical, and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across organizational boundaries and to convene or collaborate with stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and other mission partners.
• This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience operating in an FFRDC, UARC, non-profit R&D, or similarly mission-driven environment that values objectivity, long-term sponsor relationships, and freedom from organizational conflicts of interest.
• Experience with membership development, sponsor engagement, strategic partnerships, or ecosystem-building in support of cybersecurity research, innovation, or operational collaboration.
• Experience engaging internationally on cybersecurity strategy, cyber cooperation, or multinational mission initiatives involving allied and partner nations.
• Experience supporting international cyber capacity-building activities, including strategy development, stakeholder coordination, partner engagement, or institutional capability development.

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):

Not Applicable

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$172,800 – $216,000 – $259,200 Annual

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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Benefits information may be found here.

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