Agile Systems Engineering Department Head (FACULTY)

The Pennsylvania State University•University Park, FL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Agile Systems Engineering Department (ASE) within the Materials, Manufacturing and Sustainment Office (MMSO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State is seeking a Department Head. The ASE Department focuses on applying and training systems engineering to advance warfighter capabilities rapidly. The department specializes in the swift development of complex engineering systems, integrating cross-disciplinary expertise in areas such as system architecture design, functional analysis, requirements development, and model-based engineering. A key role of the department is also workforce development and systems engineering training. This leadership position will oversee all facets of the department, which comprises approximately 10 individuals, providing strategic direction, technical leadership, and operational management. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader capable of building and guiding a multidisciplinary team in the tailored application of systems engineering, model-based engineering, architecture development, and rapid systems integration. This role can be filled as either a Research and Development Engineer or a non-tenure Research Faculty. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes transitioning military members.

Requirements

Leading individual research projects and portfolios including developing technical concepts, writing winning proposals, staffing the project, conducting the research, managing budgets, and delivering high-quality results.
Past success applying systems engineering techniques for complex system development, with emphasis on streamlined and/or tailored processes.
System architecture design, functional analysis, requirements development, system decomposition, and flow down of requirements.
System and interface architecture development and testing.
Evaluation of communications, messaging, and data architectures.
Developing logical and physical representative models of system requirements and architectures.
Developing time-varying physics-based models.
Model-based approaches to supplement traditional test & evaluation (T&E) methods for more complete and cost-effective verification & validation of system requirements.
Experience with systems engineering challenges in complex systems (e.g., maritime, aerospace, ground vehicles, unmanned systems).
Past success in writing white papers or reports.
Active security clearance, at the Secret level or higher.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance.
Must be able to participate in the ARL drug testing program.
Must comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors.

Nice To Haves

Non-tenure faculty rank will be commensurate with education level and experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage all aspects of the Agile Systems Engineering Department, providing strategic direction, technical leadership, and operational oversight, personnel management, workforce planning, talent development, and performance evaluation.
Build and direct a multidisciplinary team focused on the application of systems engineering to a diverse set of programs, technologies and sponsors.
Mentor systems engineers in applying systems engineering to a variety of complex engineering problems that span levels of technical maturity ranging from early science and technology to system acquisition.
Support division leadership in developing and maintaining relationships with sponsors in support of meeting funding objectives.
Lead individual research projects and portfolios including developing technical concepts, writing winning proposals, staffing projects, conducting research, managing budgets, and delivering high-quality results.
Foster partnerships with U.S. Military Program Offices, defense contractors, systems integrators, and other government laboratories.
Lead department personnel in developing and delivering training on systems engineering to ARL staff and external partners.
Foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and mission focus.
Support development of a comprehensive roadmap for embedded systems and integration methodologies pertinent to systems of interest to the division including but not limited to missiles, hypersonics, and uncrewed aerial systems.
Establish and maintain partnerships with U.S. Military Program Offices, defense contractors, systems integrators, and other government laboratories.
Build strategic relationships with Defense Industrial Base stakeholders.
Collaborate across ARL departments and with external stakeholders as a trusted agent in identifying and applying appropriate systems engineering activities for large U.S. Military development programs.