Director of Agile Systems Engineering

Penn State University; State College (Centre County); Hybrid; 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

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.