Cybersecurity Chief Engineer

Mercer University•Warner Robins, GA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC), a research institute of Mercer University, provides engineering, scientific, and technical support to government and private-industry customers. The Cybersecurity Chief Engineer is responsible for executing contractual efforts as applicable, including design, development, prototyping, production, and operation. The role sets an example for and advises or mentors technical leads and contract personnel, and performs its duties under the supervision of the respective technical director. The position oversees technical status and deliverables across the technical directorate, supports technical staffing and capability development, and serves as a focal point for customers and business development. It also leads or supports contract capture and proposal efforts, advises on budgets and resource allocation, and protects MERC's competition-sensitive and proprietary information and intellectual property.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance.
A Ph.D. in a relevant engineering field (such as Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science) from an ABET-accredited institution and 10 years of directly related technical experience; or a master's degree in the same and 12 years of directly related technical experience; or an undergraduate degree in the same and 13 years of directly related technical experience.
Experience leading technical teams: 11 years with an advanced degree or 13 years with an undergraduate degree.
Extensive experience in a designated industry, including areas such as aerospace, electrical, software, environmental, biomedical, mechanical, or systems engineering.
Experience leading teams of people from varied backgrounds and disciplines.
Knowledge of engineering, analysis, test, and design principles.
Exceptional organizational and time-management skills and close attention to detail.
Ability to collaborate and bridge communication among engineering teams, service technicians, business development, operations staff, and clients.
Strong budgeting and cost-management abilities, including estimating costs early in a program and keeping actual costs within budget.
Ability to draft clear, comprehensive reports on assigned contracts, resource use and allocation, and finished-program quality.
Technical acumen and ability to troubleshoot across a variety of programs.
Ability to perform business development activities, including customer interface, estimating and scheduling, technical proposal development, and follow-through.
Application must include a cover letter and resume.

Nice To Haves

Ability to develop and execute a long-term strategic vision for software and cybersecurity capabilities aligned with technical investments and organizational growth objectives.
Recognition as a technical leader in one or more advanced cyber disciplines, including cyber operations, secure software engineering, DevSecOps, Zero Trust architectures, artificial intelligence/machine learning, cloud security, digital engineering, systems security engineering, or emerging technology integration.
Track record of developing and maturing technical capabilities that produced measurable business growth, market expansion, or competitive advantage.
Success challenging conventional approaches and introducing innovative solutions that improve mission effectiveness, technical performance, operational efficiency, or customer outcomes.
Strong understanding of Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, Federal, and commercial cybersecurity markets, including technology trends, threats, acquisition strategies, and customer priorities.
Experience translating market opportunities, customer challenges, and emerging technologies into actionable research, development, investment, and capture strategies.
History of identifying growth-limiting processes, technologies, or organizational assumptions and leading transformational change despite institutional resistance.

Responsibilities

Track technical status for contracts in the technical directorate and report issues and recommended solutions to the technical director.
May serve as a technical lead on contracts.
Identify required technical resources and work to hire, train, and equip the technical area, ensuring MERC is not one deep in any position.
Identify qualifications and requirements for the technical director and Senior Manager, Employee Services.
Ensure engineering artifacts are accurate and sufficient to comply with MERC Standard Processes; review finished-product quality and effectiveness; document Lessons Learned; and serve as release authority for deliverables.
Conduct business development with new customers and develop new capabilities for DoD-wide and commercial markets.
Keep the Technical Director, Director of Acquisition Strategy, Senior Director of Engineering and Programs, and Executive Director informed about programs, especially issues and challenges.
Serve as the primary focal point for current customers in the technical area and across MERC.
Serve as capture manager on contract opportunities and lead proposal teams with the Director of Acquisition Strategy and Senior Manager of Business Development.
Recommend training for new employees in the technical area.
Justify budget and resource-allocation recommendations to senior management for the technical area.
Provide capital-investment requirements for the technical area to the technical director.
Protect MERC competition-sensitive and proprietary information and intellectual property from people without a need to know.