Proving Ground Program Manager (Auburndale, Florida)

Applus IDIADA • Auburndale, FL

304d

About The Position

As Program Manager of the Proving Ground, you will be responsible for managing all services performed by Applus IDIADA, as operator of the proving ground. Our proving ground partner is a research and testing facility developed by the Florida DOT in Auburndale, Florida. It sits on 475 acres and includes multiple state-of-the-art vehicle test tracks, workshops, and buildings. The facility is dedicated to the development and testing of emerging transportation technologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor´s/Masters degree in Engineering or Business Administration
• Fluent in English
• Experience working in a dynamic and multicultural environment
• Proven experience in strategic planning, business development, and project management for large-scale facilities or government contracts
• Experience working with state DOTs, federal agencies, or transportation research institutions is highly desirable
• Experience managing multidisciplinary teams, budgets, and complex projects
• Ability to develop and oversee marketing, business, and utilization plans for a testing facility
• Financial acumen with experience in budget planning, cost management, and performance metrics tracking
• Strong ability to liaise with government agencies, private sector stakeholders, and academic institutions
• Experience in stakeholder reporting, contract compliance, and risk management
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for presentations, reports, and high-level negotiations
• Willingness to travel for conferences, stakeholder meetings, and industry collaborations both at and international level
• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in a similar position
• Good technical knowledge of the vehicle’s functions and attributes
• Must be able to reliably commute to Auburndale, FL

Responsibilities

• Primary point of contact for the Proving Ground owner (Florida DOT)
• Oversight of strategic planning for the management of the Proving Ground that indicates vision and growth, with annual reporting responsibilities
• Oversight of the Marketing and Business Development Plan along with performance measures, annual reporting
• Develop cooperation with academia to promote FDOT´s mission and its transportation research activities
• Oversight of the Utilization Plan that envelops in the business, strategic, and marketing plan to yield results
• Ensure an optimized utilization of the facility to research, test and deploy transportation technology systems
• Oversight of all activities performed including planning, organizing, and implementing tasks
• Oversight of staff and resources for all tasks and activities performed under this Contract
• Oversee training of staff to ensure all Contract requirements are properly performed
• Oversee the ongoing development and implementation of Infield Test Sectors and Highway-Speed Oval operations
• Provide updates, reports and cost summaries to the shareholders monthly and at any other time as may be requested
• Lead the Proving Ground´s Strategic Development and the deployment of engineering, simulation and testing services.

Benefits

• Health Insurance (100% Premium costs paid by Company)
• Voluntary Dental insurance
• Voluntary Life insurance
• Voluntary Vision Insurance
• Paid time off
• 401K Plan (4% Company Match)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree