Principal Counterterrorism and Transnational Criminal Organization Expert (Intelligence Center)

Position description

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.

MITRE’s Mission Operations Department supports national intelligence mission centers by strengthening warning, collection, analysis, enterprise coordination, and strategy execution. The department helps senior government sponsors identify seams across mission areas, reduce fragmentation, and build integrated responses to complex national security challenges. It provides the policy, analytic, operational, and technical expertise required to help mission partners operate as a unified enterprise advancing intelligence integration and national security outcomes.
 

Position Summary:
 

MITRE’s National Intelligence Division is seeking a Principal Counterterrorism and Transnational Criminal Organization Advisor to provide senior-level strategy and analytic support to a national-level Intelligence Community mission partner. This individual will be embedded on-site with the sponsor in McLean, Virginia, and will support senior government leaders in shaping, coordinating, and executing enterprise-level initiatives.
 

The role will support strategy development for integrating new data sources that have not traditionally been shared with the Intelligence Community. The individual will collaborate with partners across the Intelligence Community, defense, law enforcement, and other national security organizations to shape counterterrorism and transnational threat initiatives, strengthen enterprise coordination, and advance mission integration.
 

The ideal candidate will bring a deep understanding of Intelligence Community missions, governance, policy development, and senior-level decision-making processes. This individual will operate with exceptional judgment, discretion, and independence; synthesize complex mission, policy, and organizational issues; and translate sponsor priorities into clear strategies, decision products, implementation approaches, and measurable outcomes.
 

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Serve as a senior policy and strategy advisor supporting sponsor priorities, including enterprise strategy development, policy analysis, governance support, and executive decision-making.
• Develop, review, and refine high-impact strategic products, including policy papers, strategic assessments, implementation plans, decision memoranda, executive briefings, and stakeholder coordination materials.
• Advise senior government leaders on mission, policy, governance, organizational, and enterprise integration challenges, including tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, and implementation considerations.
• Lead analysis of complex Intelligence Community issues, identify cross-cutting themes, assess strategic implications, and develop actionable recommendations that support sponsor objectives.
• Coordinate across government, MITRE, and contractor teams to align work efforts, manage dependencies, and ensure products are integrated, accurate, and responsive to senior-leader needs.
• Support sponsor engagement with Intelligence Community stakeholders by preparing talking points, read-ahead materials, issue papers, meeting summaries, and follow-up actions.
• Apply a strong understanding of Intelligence Community authorities, policy processes, governance structures, and interagency coordination mechanisms while mentoring MITRE staff supporting related work efforts and contributing to analytic rigor, product quality, and professional development.
   

Qualifications

• 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.
• Significant experience supporting the counterterrorism mission in the Intelligence Community, defense, law enforcement, or broader national security enterprise in policy, strategy, governance, mission integration, or senior advisory roles.
• Demonstrated experience developing policy, strategy, executive-level analysis, decision papers, implementation plans, or governance products for senior government leaders.
• Strong understanding of Intelligence Community missions, organizations, authorities, policy processes, and interagency coordination mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a complex, classified, matrixed, and fast-paced sponsor environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing materials for and briefing senior executives or national-level decision makers.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex issues, identify strategic implications, and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days per week on-site.
• Ability to work on-site with the sponsor in McLean, Virginia.
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience supporting a national-level counterterrorism, Intelligence Community mission center, policy office, strategy office, or senior Intelligence Community executive staff.
• Experience supporting counterterrorism, transnational organized crime, threat finance, border security, counternarcotics, or related national security mission areas.
• Experience supporting enterprise strategy development, policy modernization, governance reform, organizational transformation, or mission integration initiatives.
• Familiarity with Intelligence Community governance structures, directives, national intelligence priorities, and senior-level coordination processes.
• Experience producing materials for DNI/DDNI-level, NIM-level, mission manager, or senior executive audiences.
• Experience working across multiple Intelligence Community elements to coordinate policy, strategy, planning, or implementation activities.
• Experience advising senior leaders on organizational risk, mission performance, stakeholder alignment, or enterprise-level decision-making.
• Ability to build trust quickly with senior sponsors and operate with discretion, sound judgment, and minimal direction.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$161,600 - $202,000 - $242,400 Annual

Application instructions

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