Director - Testbeds and Fabrication
About The Position
Directs, plans, coordinates and supervises the operations and activities of a specialized unit or small department; develops and implements policies and procedures, administers the budget, organizes tasks and sets priorities. Serves as liaison with university personnel and community at large. Works under general supervision with broad latitude for initiative and independent judgement. The candidate will work in the Institute of Sustainability and Circular Economy ( https://www.depts.ttu.edu/isce/ ), Dr. Botte’s laboratories ( https://www.ceti-lab.com ) and/or the NSF Engineering Research Center CASFER ( https://www.casfer.us ) and will perform work under her supervision and senior research associates with evaluation based on accomplishment of assigned objectives and overall effectiveness of projects.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in related area required plus five years progressively responsible management experience.
- Candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive background check prior to employment.
- Employees are required to comply with all applicable state and federal regulations related to the protection of critical infrastructure.
- Ongoing employment is dependent upon maintaining eligibility for access and successfully passing periodic security and compliance reviews.
Nice To Haves
- Additional education may substitute for experience on a year for year basis.
Responsibilities
- Supervise Senior Technician and Student Assistants working in the machine shop.
- Lead mechanical design of electrochemical and process systems, including pilot units and testbeds.
- Design, fabricate, assemble, and test prototypes, testing rigs, and experimental systems.
- Modify, operate, and support pilot-scale units at CASFER and partner facilities.
- Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety protocols for equipment use.
- Train and mentor graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and postdoctoral scholars in safe and effective operation of testbeds and pilot units.
- Transfer engineering designs, operating procedures, and technical documentation to contract manufacturers and external partners.
- Communicate manufacturing requirements, tolerances, and process parameters clearly to vendors.
- Evaluate and validate manufactured prototypes for performance, quality, and scalability.
- Design system footprints for packaging and deployment; support definition of mechanical equipment and manufacturing processes required for commercialization.
- Support scale-up readiness of ISCE technologies
- Evaluate system performance using various feedstocks and operating conditions.
- Integrate machine learning, deep learning, and data science methods to optimize process efficiency, reliability, and performance.
- Enable and support remote operation, monitoring, and data acquisition for testbeds and pilot systems.
- Analyze experimental and operational data to inform design improvements and decision-making.
- Prepare technical reports, research papers, engineering documentation, experimental procedures, and internal guidance materials.
- Develop and deliver technical presentations to academic, industry, and funding stakeholders.
- Contribute to the preparation of research proposals, technical sections, budgets (as applicable), and project plans.
- Support compliance with sponsor, university, and safety requirements.
- Travel to technology demonstrations, trade shows, project sites, and partner locations to support research and deployment activities.
- Provide technical support for CASFER operations, including coordination with faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators.
- Participate in cross-functional teams supporting center operations, reporting, and strategic initiatives.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
