DoW Special Programs Manager

About the role

At MITRE, you can have a meaningful work and a fulfilling life. MITRE is 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.

MITRE’s Global Security division is committed to ensuring a secure and safe environment for MITRE’s 7,000+ employees across 56 domestic and international locations, including 22 cleared facilities. Our mission is to protect our people, information, infrastructure, and the integrity of national security information.

Responsibilities

The DoW Special Programs Manager provides strategic leadership for MITRE's DoW Special Programs security operations by leading a team of Contractor Special Security Officers (CSSOs) and other security professionals supporting Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), Special Access Program (SAP), and associated security programs.

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Contractor Special Security Officers (CSSOs) and Special Programs security professionals
• Provide strategic oversight of Special Programs security operations across multiple facilities and programs, ensuring compliance with sponsor directives, contractual requirements, Intelligence Community (IC), Department of War (DoW), and MITRE policies
• Direct and oversee compliance activities performed by assigned CSSOs, ensuring organizational readiness for sponsor inspections, accreditations, self-inspections, audits, and corrective action programs
• Standardize security processes, administrative controls, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), accreditation documentation, and record systems to promote consistency, efficiency, and regulatory compliance across supported programs
• Monitor compliance milestones, accreditation requirements, inspection readiness, and organizational risks, escalating issues requiring policy clarification, waivers, exceptions, or senior leadership decisions
• Serve as the primary organizational point of contact for MITRE technical organizations supporting new initiatives requiring CSSO engagement, integrating security requirements early to enable mission success
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with government sponsors, program leadership, enterprise security organizations, and internal stakeholders while representing MITRE on Special Programs security matters with sponsors, accrediting officials, auditors, and external oversight organizations

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.

• Demonstrated experience leading, supervising, mentoring, and developing security professionals or multidisciplinary teams
• Demonstrated experience managing Special Programs, Program Security, SCI/SAP security, or Collateral Security operations across multiple programs or facilities
• Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and standardizing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Concept of Operations (ConOps), and organizational security processes
• Experience overseeing inspection readiness, government security inspections, self-inspections, corrective action plans, and continuous compliance activities
• Experience managing or overseeing personnel, information, physical, technical, and industrial security programs
• Experience using government security systems such as JADE, DISS, SIMS, Scattered Castles, or equivalent security management systems
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience implementing Intelligence Community (IC) standards and directives, DoD directives, instructions, manuals, and policies (including DoDM 5105.21 and DoDM 5205.07), 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM), or equivalent government security regulations

Skills

Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, allocate resources, and manage competing mission requirements