Framework for Mission Engineering Competencies Nicole Hutchison Stevens Institute of Technology Contact Information 1.202.279.0771 Nicole.Hutchison@stevens.edu Hoong Yan See Tao Stevens Institute of Technology Contact Information 1.201.779.3323 hseetao@stevens.edu William Miller Stevens Institute of Technology Contact Information 1.908.759.7110 wmiller@stevens.edu Dinesh Verma Stevens Institute of Technology Contact Information 1.201.216.8645 dinesh.verma@stevens.edu Gregg Vesonder Stevens Institute of Technology Contact Information 1.201.216.8107 gvesonde@stevens.edu Copyright © 2018 by Nicole Hutchison, William Miller, Hoong Yan See Tao, Dinesh Verma, and Gregg Vesonder; Stevens Institute of Technology, Systems Engineering Research Center. Published and used by INCOSE with permission. Abstract. Mission engineering is the application of systems of systems (SoS) engineering in an operational context. The focus is on execution of the mission and this can often require interoperability across an array of heterogeneous systems. This paper presents research resulting in the identification of the critical skills required to successfully accomplish and shepherd mission engineering. The competency model presented herein uses the grounded theory methodology and leverages the Helix methodology. It is based on a combination of interviews with mission engineers together with research in the open and seminal literature. Subject interviews and open source literature cover 1) mission engineering definition and organizational support, 2) identification of competencies and gaps, and 3) future vision. There is an overlap in mission engineering and systems engineering competencies with important differentiation in 1) governance, 2) foundational math/science/general engineering skills, 3) operational concepts, 4) interpersonal skills, 5) and leadership skills. What is Mission Engineering? There is no single definition of mission engineering. The US Department of Defense (DoD) defines it as “the deliberate planning, analyzing, organizing, and integrating of current and emerging operational and system capabilities to achieve desired warfighting mission effects” (Defense Acquisition Guide, 2017). A more general definition of mission engineering spanning more domains than just warfighting is the deliberate planning, analyzing, organizing, and integrating of current and emerging operational and system capabilities to achieve desired mission effects. For example, NASA defines mission engineering as an end-to-end, multi-mission development methodology that seeks to integrate the development processes between the space, ground, science, and operations segments of a mission. It thereby promotes more mission-oriented system solutions,