Department Head, Autonomy and Emerging Technology

The Pennsylvania State University; Ferguson Township (PA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 299,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition discount (75%)

Comprehensive benefits package (health

Dental and vision

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University is seeking a Department Head for Autonomy and Emerging Technology within ARL's SSW division, located on-site in State College, PA. The role involves leading autonomy research for unmanned undersea vehicles, coordinating cross-disciplinary teams, and driving field-testing and collaboration with Navy sponsors to advance next‑generation autonomy capabilities.

Candidates should have substantial leadership experience, senior level engineering or science credentials,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science required.
• 19+ years of relevant experience for R&D Engineer, Department Head (various levels).
• Clearance eligibility: Top Secret or higher may be required.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership in autonomy for UxVs and mission planning.
• Oversee UxV programs and multidisciplinary teams across sensors, navigation, and autonomy.
• Collaborate with sponsors to shape new SSW research directions.
• Manage resources, personnel, and test facilities for program needs.
• Mentor engineers and researchers in autonomy, control systems, and sensing.

Skills

Autonomy for unmanned systems

Technical leadership

Programmatic leadership

Decision-making

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science

Job description

Position Specifications

Your working location will be fully on-site located in State College, PA. This role requires periodic travel to remote locations. The Systems and Emerging Capabilities Division in the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) is seeking a Department Head for Autonomy and Emerging Technology (AET). This department is an innovation hub for our Systems Engineering Division. The AET Department’s primary mission is to develop, test, and evaluate emerging capabilities in the Subsea and Seabed (SSW) mission area. Its secondary mission is to rapidly evaluate and field test new and emerging capabilities applicable to SSW – including testing of systems, payloads, and software. This position may be filled as either a Research and Development Engineer or a non-tenure Research Faculty.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership - Lead innovation in SSW mission area to include autonomy for UxVs, including adaptive mission behaviors, environmental awareness, distributed autonomy, multi-vehicle coordination, and integration of autonomy with UxV sensors and payloads.
• Drive advancements in UxV simulation, field testing, and fleet-relevant autonomy capabilities.
• Programmatic Leadership - Oversee SSW-focused UxV programs and multidisciplinary teams working across undersea navigation, endurance optimization, acoustic communications, environmental modeling, and autonomy-enabled CONOPS.
• Collaborate closely with ARL’s SSW Portfolio Manager and sponsors to shape new SSW research directions.
• Resource Management - Align personnel and technical resources—including UxV test assets, autonomy laboratories, software infrastructure, and field test facilities with program needs and strategic priorities.
• Personnel Management - Mentor engineers and researchers specializing in UxV autonomy, control systems, undersea sensing, navigation, and environmental modeling. Foster growth in mission-focused undersea autonomy competencies.
• Department Management - Ensure effective planning and execution of programs involving system integration, sea testing, autonomy software development, mission simulation and evaluation, and cross-domain unmanned systems collaboration.
• Collaboration - Work across ARL departments to integrate autonomy with undersea vehicles, sensors, communications, and emerging technologies. Partner with oceanography, acoustics, guidance & control, and materials experts to develop next-generation UxV capabilities.
• New Business – Must be entrepreneurial in nature. Work with the SSW Portfolio manager to create and shape new UxV autonomy research opportunities. Help develop seedling efforts in areas such as long-duration UxV autonomy, autonomous behaviors for complex missions, resilient undersea communications autonomy, and cross-domain unmanned vehicle coordination.
• Customer Interaction – Engage directly with Navy sponsors, DoD collaborators, and other stakeholders to present UxV autonomy advancements, field-test results, and new capability concepts. Represent ARL at autonomy and undersea systems conferences and technical reviews.

Required Skills/Experience

• Past success managing technical teams and programs.
• Strong decision-making skills in complex technical and operational environments.
• Autonomy for unmanned systems including autonomy architectures, behavior frameworks and mission planning for undersea missions, undersea navigation and perception autonomy behaviors, autonomy standards for UxVs (e.g., MOSA, A-GRA, UMAA, PCX), UXV simulation, evaluation, and verification environments.
• DEVSECOPS approaches used for government autonomy and control software.
• Test and evaluation of maritime platforms.
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Top Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required.

Preferred Skills/Experience

• UxV systems, including platforms, mission payloads, launch and recovery, acoustic comms, and energy management.
• Oceanography, seabed features, and environmental data used for UxV autonomy.
• Past success supporting Navy missions, operational training, or UxV fleet experimentation.
• Development or use of UxV simulation frameworks (e.g., high-fidelity hydrodynamic or environmental modeling).
• Principal Investigator or business development experience in UxV or autonomy programs.
• AI/ML methods applied to UxV navigation, perception, environmental characterization, mission planning, or anomaly detection.
• Past success managing technical personnel in undersea systems or autonomy fields.

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 Science 19+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None

If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) - Advanced Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science 5+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None

If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) - Senior Professional, this position requires: Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science 14+ years of relevant experience Required Certifications: None

Salary & Benefits

• The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $161,004.00 - $298,800.00.
• Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure.
• Penn 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 as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

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.

EEO Statement

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

About ARL

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

Company Culture

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473. Federal Contractors Labor Law Poster PA State Labor Law Poster Penn State Policies Copyright Information Hotlines There’s a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top one percent of the world’s universities. Across 24 campuses, our 100,000 students and 40,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom – it’s the positive impact made on communities across the world. Our ideals stem from our origins as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution, which allow us to continue to bring positive impact to humanity through our teaching, research, and engagement mission. And across the world is a community of Penn Staters – more than half a million strong – driven by that same spirit to serve our local and global communities. At Penn State, passion is met with collaboration in an environment that is rooted in shared pride for the accomplishments of our fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Penn Staters cheer each other on to build a culture committed to service and engagement. Our University values represent our core ethical aspirations for all our daily activities and actions as students, faculty, staff, and volunteers at Penn State. Our values are as follows; Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence, and Community. We Are Penn State. One Community. Impacting Many.