Part-Time Research and Development Engineer

Penn State University • University Park, IL

1d • Remote

About The Position

We are searching for an experienced Systems Engineer in a part-time capacity at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. This position will serve as a dedicated senior-level advisor to ARL on all aspects of integration with all aspects of U.S. Navy subsurface equities including maintaining continuous engagement with Navy stakeholders and ensuring ARL’s research, capabilities, and technical expertise directly support Naval operations and strategic needs. This advisor interprets Navy problem sets, identifies technology and analysis gaps, and connects them with ARL researchers to deliver timely, high-value solutions in systems engineering, modeling, analytics, and multi-domain integration. ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering plus at least 25 years of direct related experience in senior level technical, analytic, advisory, and systems engineering positions within the Navy
• Proven success in translating complex operational requirements into data-driven analytic approaches or systems engineering models
• Technical capabilities in systems engineering, decision analytics, forecasting, automation, or operations research
• Demonstrated expertise developing analytic tools, models, or workflows that improve decision timeliness and clarity
• Prior success conducting independent and collaborative research, development, testing, and evaluation activities to solve complex scientific and engineering challenges in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers, sponsors, and national security missions
• Ability to engage senior leaders by presenting clear, actionable analysis
• Ability to navigate multidisciplinary research teams in a fast-moving environment
• Active security clearance, at the TS/SCI level
• Must be a U.S. citizen

Responsibilities

• Serve as ARL’s primary technical and strategic interface to the Navy for subsurface systems
• Translate Navy operational and strategic requirements into actionable systems for engineering, modeling, and analytics tasks
• Advise Navy stakeholders on ARL capabilities in modeling, data analytics, decision support, and systems integration
• Maintain awareness of Navy modernization efforts and identify opportunities for ARL technical contributions
• Collaborate with ARL leadership to develop tailored technical responses and multi-domain integration concepts
• Support early shaping of projects by refining questions, aligning data sources, and determining analytic and engineering approaches
• Provide guidance to ARL teams on Navy operational context, decision processes, and constraints
• Build relationships across Navy analytic communities and capability development enterprises
• Assist in program development activities, including technical scoping and sponsor briefings

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior