The editorial, to publish in Sunday's print edition, accuses Tillerson of focusing more on redesigning the State Department than strengthening the country's ability to navigate international crises peacefully.
"Rex Tillerson is widely seen as ill suited to diplomatic leadership and determined to dismantle his own department, which has been central to America's national security since Thomas Jefferson ran the place," the board wrote in a piece published online Saturday.
"The department is being undermined by budget cuts, a failure to fill top jobs, an erratic president and a secretary who has called reorganization, rather than policy, his most important priority."
Tillerson, the former chief executive of energy giant ExxonMobil, has spoken enthusiastically since taking charge of the State Department in February about reorganizing the agency into a leaner, more efficient operation capable of taking on the challenges of the 21st century.
But since his earliest days at the department, reports have painted a picture of low morale among its career officials - a sentiment arising from a hiring freeze imposed by Tillerson and deep proposed cuts to the agency's budget.
The Times' Editorial Board also took aim at deep staffing cuts that have taken place under Tillerson's stewardship, citing statistics released by the union representing the U.S. diplomatic corps, the American Foreign Service Association, earlier this month.
"Since January, more than 100 senior foreign service officers have left the department, depleting the ranks of career ambassadors, the diplomatic equivalent of four-star generals, by 60 percent, while the number of career ministers (akin to three-star generals) is down 42 percent," the board wrote.
To be sure, the State Department has called those statistics misleading, pointing out that staffing numbers at the agency are largely on par with levels under the Obama administration.
But the Times Editorial Board also said that Tillerson will be judged in his capacity as secretary of state by his efforts to resolve some of the country's most pressing foreign policy issues, writing that, even if he is able to achieve his redesign goals, they will likely be overshadowed by larger matters.
"When it comes time to judge his tenure, however, historians will care only about this: What did he do to forestall war with North Korea, manage the rise of China, check Russia's efforts to undermine democracy, lay the groundwork for postwar stability in Syria and Iraq, and protect America's international standing?"
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