Agile Systems Engineering Department Head

Penn State; State College (Centre County); On-site; USD 161,000 - 299,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Job summary

Penn State University seeks a Department Head for the Agile Systems Engineering Department (ASE) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) in State College, PA. The role leads a ~10‑person team, guiding strategic direction, technical excellence, and mission‑driven research across DoD‑sponsored programs.

The position emphasizes workforce development, partnerships with military offices, and delivering training in systems engineering to ARL staff and partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science required.
• Extensive experience leading research projects and portfolios.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all aspects of the Agile Systems Engineering Department, including strategic direction, technical leadership, personnel management, and performance evaluation.
• Build and direct a multidisciplinary team applying systems engineering, MBSE, and rapid, tailored systems integration.
• Mentor engineers in applying systems engineering to complex problems spanning science to system acquisition.
• Develop relationships with sponsors to meet funding objectives and drive portfolio success.
• Lead projects from concept through proposal, staffing, execution, and delivery of high‑quality results.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Architecture design

Requirements development

Model-based engineering

Budget management

Proposal writing

Team mentoring

Cross‑functional collaboration

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science

Job description

Agile Systems Engineering Department Head page is loaded## Agile Systems Engineering Department Headlocations: Penn State University Parktime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: REQ\\_0000081933# **APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:*** ## CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please to complete the. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please to complete the Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.* ## If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click \"Apply\" and complete .###**Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see .**###**POSITION SPECIFICS**Your working location will be fully on-site located in State College, PA. This role requires periodic travel to remote locations.We are searching for a Department Head for the Agile Systems Engineering Department (ASE) of the Materials, Manufacturing and Sustainment Office (MMSO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. The Agile Systems Engineering Department is dedicated to the application and training of systems engineering to support the advancement of warfighter capability at the speed of relevance. The department focuses on the rapid development of complex engineering systems requiring the integration of cross-disciplinary solutions and expertise, including system architecture design, functional analysis, requirements development, and model-based engineering. Additionally, the department has a lead role in workforce development and systems engineering training. This role will lead and manage all aspects of the Agile Systems Engineering Department, providing strategic direction, technical leadership, and operational oversight of a department of approximately 10 people. This leadership position requires a visionary leader capable of building and directing a multidisciplinary team focused on tailored application of systems engineering, model-based engineering, architecture development, and rapid, tailored systems integration. This position may be filled as either a Research and Development Engineer or a non-tenure Research Faculty.ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.**You will:*** 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**Additional responsibilities for the higher-level position includes:*** 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**Required skills/experience areas include:*** 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* 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**MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS**If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) - Principal Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science19+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:NoneIf filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) - Advanced Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science5+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:NoneIf filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires:Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science14+ years of relevant experienceRequired Certifications:None###ARL's purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Intel Community (IC). **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at****.****BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES**Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.###Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL):Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.**SALARY & BENEFITS**The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $161,004.00 - $298,800.00.- Information on Penn State's salary structurePenn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees