Operations Research and Development Engineer

The Pennsylvania State University; State College (Centre County); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 231,000; Full time

Job summary

The Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State seeks an Operations Research and Development Engineer to lead sponsor engagement and advance ground vehicle sustainment, analytics, and cyber-secure maintenance capabilities. You will help align research with military priorities and supervise multidiscipline teams in a secure environment.

This senior role requires extensive U.S. military logistics and DoD acquisition experience, a engineering degree, and a track record of developing long-term

Qualifications

• Senior officer experience in U.S. military engineer, motor transport, or ordnance communities.
• Understanding of DoD acquisition and sustainment integration.
• Clear communication of complex sustainment challenges to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development and sponsor engagement for vehicle sustainment and cybersecurity research portfolios.
• Maintain and expand strategic relationships with military stakeholders, especially within the USMC, Army, and joint logistics communities.
• Provide subject-matter expertise on military ground vehicle operations, sustainment processes, and enabling IT systems.
• Shape research directions by translating operational sustainment challenges into actionable research and development objectives.
• Support and guide project teams in vehicle investigation, readiness analytics, cyber-secure maintenance operations, and related technologies.
• Mentor staff in sponsor engagement, program execution, and operational sustainment concepts.
• Serve as an advisor on DoD acquisition pathways and requirements processes relevant to sustainment technologies.
• Contribute to proposal development, program planning, and strategic road-mapping for ASTD.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with sponsor requirements, engineering standards, quality requirements, cybersecurity policies, export control regulations, information assurance requirements, and laboratory security procedures.
• Support research conducted within Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified environments while safeguarding sensitive technical information and government-furnished data.
• Participate in technology transition activities, including system integration, operational demonstrations, customer evaluations, manufacturing support, and field implementation.
• Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies to improve program execution, system performance, reliability, maintainability, and mission effectiveness.
• Initiate and contribute to business development activities through technical concept development, customer engagement, proposal preparation, Independent Research and Development (IRAD) initiatives, and strategic technology planning.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior engineers, engineering technologists, engineering support personnel, interns, and students.
• Maintain technical expertise through continued professional development, participation in technical working groups, awareness of emerging technologies, and engagement with the defense research community.

Skills

Senior military logistics officer

Sponsor engagement

Ground vehicle operations

Cybersecurity maintenance

Leadership and mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Science

Job description

Your working location will befully on-site, located in State College, a hybrid on-site/work from home, or fully remote, dependent on skillset and location, within the U.S. This role requires periodic travel to remote locations. We are searching for an Operations Research and Development Engineer to join The Vehicle Investigation & Cybersecurity Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State . In this role you will serve as a senior technical and operational leader to drive sponsor engagement, guide ground vehicle sustainment research, and strengthen ARL’s relationships across the military. This role will support the division’s mission to advance next‐generation sustainment technologies, readiness analytics, vehicle systems resilience, and cyber‐secure maintenance capabilities. This position plays a critical leadership role in sustaining ARL’s institutional knowledge of vehicle sustainment operations and sponsor engagement. The successful candidate will help anchor ARL’s understanding of real‐world vehicle logistics, readiness challenges, and fleet sustainment needs, ensuring our research remains aligned with operational priorities across the Services. The ideal candidate brings deep operational expertise in military ground vehicle operations, direct experience with sustainment engineering, and a track record of shaping, growing, and maintaining sponsor relationships in defense research and development. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply. **You Will:** * Lead business development and sponsor engagement for vehicle sustainment and cybersecurity research portfolios* Maintain and expand strategic relationships with military stakeholders, especially within the USMC, Army, and joint logistics communities* Provide subject‐matter expertise on military ground vehicle operations, sustainment processes, and enabling IT systems* Shape research directions by translating operational sustainment challenges into actionable research and development objectives* Support and guide project teams in vehicle investigation, readiness analytics, cyber‐secure maintenance operations, and related technologies* Mentor staff in sponsor engagement, program execution, and operational sustainment concepts* Serve as an advisor on DoD acquisition pathways and requirements processes relevant to sustainment technologies* Contribute to proposal development, program planning, and strategic road‐mapping for ASTD **Additional responsibilities for higher-level position includes:** * Ensure engineering activities comply with applicable sponsor requirements, engineering standards, quality requirements, cybersecurity policies, export control regulations, information assurance requirements, and laboratory security procedures* Support research conducted within Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified environments while safeguarding sensitive technical information and government-furnished data* Participate in technology transition activities, including system integration, operational demonstrations, customer evaluations, manufacturing support, and field implementation* Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies to improve program execution, system performance, reliability, maintainability, and mission effectiveness* Initiate and contribute to business development activities through technical concept development, customer engagement, proposal preparation, Independent Research and Development (IRAD) initiatives, and strategic technology planning* Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior engineers, engineering technologists, engineering support personnel, interns, and students* Maintain technical expertise through continued professional development, participation in technical working groups, awareness of emerging technologies, and engagement with the defense research community**Required Skills/Experience areas include:** * Senior NCO, Warrant Officer, or Commissioned Officer experience within U.S. military Engineer, Motor Transport, or Ordnance communities* Previous service as a U.S. Marine Corps logistics officer or comparable operational logistics role* Demonstrated understanding of the DoD acquisition process, including requirements development and sustainment integration* Comprehensive knowledge of ground vehicle operations, including both vehicle systems and associated IT/logistics support systems* Past success in automotive maintenance, sustainment engineering, or vehicle lifecycle management* Proven track record of developing and maintaining sponsor relationships in defense R&D environments* Ability to clearly communicate complex sustainment challenges and technical concepts to both technical and non‐technical audiences **Preferred Skills/Experience areas include:** * Past success supporting or advising R&D organizations on vehicle sustainment technologies.* Cyber considerations for vehicle systems, maintenance processes, or diagnostic tools* Past success leading multidisciplinary teams and guiding research portfolios8* Bachelor’s degree in engineering, logistics, or related field (military equivalent experience also considered)* Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher and may be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required **MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS**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 Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers. **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at****www.arl.psu.edu****.** **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 $140,004.00 - $231,000.00.