Director, Spectrum Dominance Division

Virginia Tech; Blacksburg (VA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) seeks a Director for the Spectrum Dominance Division to lead personnel, programs, and research direction in coordination with institute leadership and partners from industry and government.

Responsibilities include securing new funding, expanding experiential learning initiatives, and overseeing budgets and research activities across undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty as PI.

Qualifications

• Proven record of research leadership and impact in radio frequency communications.
• Track record building portfolios, securing sponsor partnerships and funding.
• Experience delivering results to defense, intelligence, or national security sponsors.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities early in program development.
• Develop strategies for sustainment and growth of research and experiential learning programs.
• Serve as principal and co-principal investigator on proposals and awarded grants.
• Mentor students and researchers; author technical documents and peer-reviewed papers.
• Guide faculty mentorship on business development and program execution.
• Own division budget, including overhead labor and operating costs.
• Oversee research activities of students and postdocs as PI; supervise researchers.
• Act as line supervisor for division researchers.

Skills

Research leadership

Funding portfolio growth

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Sponsored research programs

Education

Doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline

Job description

Job Description

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) was formed in 2021 with the aspiration to become the nation’s preeminent academic organization at the nexus of interdisciplinary research, technology, policy, and talent development to advance national security. The Institute grew from the Hume Center, which was launched in 2010 thanks to an endowment from Ted and Karyn Hume.

VTNSI is a national leader in advancing security and resilience through innovative and applied research, empowering the next generation of experts, and building strategic alliances to address evolving national security challenges. We bring together exceptional interdisciplinary faculty, unique research infrastructure, and deep partnerships with industry and government sponsors to execute impactful research and development.

Today VTNSI encompasses three research divisions - Intelligent Systems, Mission Systems, and Spectrum Dominance - as well as the Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology, which aims to cultivate the next generation of national security leaders by developing and executing research and experiential learning opportunities to engage students.

The Director of the Spectrum Dominance Division is responsible for overall leadership of division personnel, students, programs, and research direction, and is a member of VTNSI’s executive leadership team. The position is principally responsible for sustaining current research and experiential learning programs, and growing additional programs in coordination with institute leadership, division researchers, and partners from industry and government.

Responsibilities

• (1) identify and impact new funding opportunities as early in the program development cycle as possible


• (2) work with institute faculty and the executive leadership team to develop strategies for sustainment and growth of research and experiential learning programs, along with agency specific engagement strategies


• (3) serve as principal and co-principal investigator on proposals and awarded grants and contracts


• (4) support student mentorship and research on awarded programs by conducting basic and applied research, authoring technical documents and presentations, and publishing peer-reviewed papers


• (5) support faculty mentorship on business development and program execution


• (6) have ultimate responsibility for the division budget, to include ensuring that overhead labor expenditures and operating costs are within budget


• (7) manage research activities of undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other research faculty for which the individual serves as principal investigator; and


• (8) serve as the line supervisor for researchers in the division

Required Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.


• Demonstrated record of research leadership, excellence, and impact in areas relevant to radio frequency communications.


• Track record of building and growing research portfolios, establishing long-term sponsor partnerships, and securing competitive funding.


• Proven success leading sponsored research programs as Principal Investigator, including delivery of results to defense, intelligence, or other national security sponsors.


• U.S. citizenship and active secret clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI Clearance.


• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive, progressively responsible, research leadership experience in government, industry, academia, or non-profit settings.


• Experience mentoring and developing faculty, researchers, and students in interdisciplinary environments.


• Recognized reputation for integrity, innovation, and thought leadership within the national security research community.


• Experience managing budgets, employee levels of effort, and managing adequate staffing across multiple programs.


• Strong connections across the national security research community, including government agencies (e.g., defense and intelligence), industry, and academia.


• Capability to perform hands‑on mentorship for both students and faculty and execution of programs and leading by example.


• Experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in technical disciplines.


• Experience working with graduate students in completing their degree requirements.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

Starting at $250,000; Commensurate with Experience

Hours per week

40 hours per week

Review Date

7/27/2026

Additional Information

Due to the nature of the Institute's work, candidates must be US citizens. They must also have the ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land‑grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

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