Project Manager

North Carolina State University; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Flexible Spending Account

Retirement Programs

Paid Time Off

12 Holidays Each Year

Tuition and Academic Assistance

Wellness Programs

Job summary

NC State University seeks a Project Manager to lead SPEED, an NSF-funded national user facility for remotely accessible autonomous robotics experimentation in chemistry and materials science. You will own the integrated project plan, NSF milestones, and cross-team accountability, while supervising 1-2 staff and coordinating across SPEED leadership.

You will manage NSF reporting, risk, and resource coordination, ensuring deliverables align with sponsor commitments and annual objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, project management, business administration, or a related field.
• Five+ years of experience managing complex research, engineering, technical, or infrastructure projects.
• Experience owning project schedules, milestones, risks, deliverables, and executive reporting.
• Experience supervising staff or providing formal project leadership across matrixed teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain SPEED's integrated project plan, including milestones, dependencies, responsible workstream leads, and due dates.
• Manage NSF reporting calendar and ensure required technical, operational, user, workforce, and performance inputs are complete and submitted on schedule.
• Supervise 1-2 program staff and provide regular performance feedback.
• Lead project and working-group meetings and document decisions, owners, deadlines, and unresolved issues.
• Coordinate dependencies across scientists, engineers, operations, and partner institutions.

Skills

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Written communication

Decision-making

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Project Manager

Anticipated Hiring Range: $85,000-$95,000

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm (additional work outside of standard hours may be required due to business needs)

Job Location: Raleigh, NC

Department: Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs

About the Department

The Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design (SPEED) Programmable Cloud Laboratory is a $20 million National Science Foundation-funded national user facility led by NC State University. SPEED enables remotely accessible autonomous robotic experimentation in chemistry and materials science through integrated automation, AI, data infrastructure, and scientific instrumentation.

The Project Manager manages execution of SPEED's NSF-funded program across scientific, engineering, facility, and administrative workstreams. The position owns the integrated project plan, NSF milestones and reporting, risk management, and cross-team accountability; directly supervises 1-2 program staff and exercises matrix project-management leadership across SPEED to keep sponsor commitments and user-facility deliverables on schedule.

Wolfpack Perks and Benefits

As a Pack member, you belong here, and can enjoy exclusive perks designed to enhance your personal and professional well-being. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Propositionand learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone.

What we offer:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Programs
• Disability Plans
• Life Insurance
• Accident Plan
• Paid Time Off and Other Leave Programs
• 12 Holidays Each Year
• Tuition and Academic Assistance
• And so much more!

Attain Work-life balance with our Childcare benefits, Wellness & Recreation Membership, and Wellness Programs that aim to build a thriving wolfpack community.

Essential Job Duties

As the Project Manager for SPEED (Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design), an NSF-funded national user facility for remotely accessible autonomous robotic experimentation in chemistry and materials science, you will lead program-wide planning, coordination, and execution across SPEED's scientific, engineering, operational, and infrastructure workstreams. You will manage integrated schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables to ensure progress remains aligned with NSF award commitments, annual objectives, facility deployment, and user-program goals.

You will serve as the central project-management interface among SPEED leadership, scientists, engineers, operations staff, university offices, vendors, and partner institutions, ensuring responsibilities, deadlines, and decisions are clearly defined and followed through. You will also lead NSF reporting and program documentation, supervise program staff, and establish consistent project-management practices across the Center.

Primary Responsibilities

Project Planning and NSF Deliverables

• Develop and maintain SPEED's integrated project plan, including milestones, dependencies, responsible workstream leads, and due dates.
• Establish project timelines and priorities with SPEED leadership and ensure responsible teams follow through on agreed deliverables.
• Monitor progress against NSF award commitments, annual objectives, equipment deployment, facility readiness, and user-program milestones.
• Identify schedule, resource, and cross-workstream risks and lead development of corrective actions with responsible teams.
• Maintain executive dashboards summarizing project status, risks, delays, decisions, and upcoming critical milestones.
• Provide SPEED leadership with clear recommendations when project issues require prioritization, escalation, or resource decisions.

NSF Reporting and Program Documentation

• Manage the NSF reporting calendar and ensure required technical, operational, user, workforce, and performance inputs are complete and submitted on schedule.
• Coordinate and verify milestone evidence, annual-report inputs, site-visit materials, and sponsor-review documentation across SPEED teams.
• Track project metrics and deliverables against the Project Execution Plan and other NSF requirements.
• Maintain centralized records of decisions, action items, risks, completed milestones, and supporting documentation.
• Prepare program summaries, milestone reports, presentations, and review materials in coordination with SPEED leadership.
• Establish consistent documentation and reporting practices that support NSF reviews, site visits, annual reporting, and program accountability.

Team and Cross-Functional Program Management

• Supervise 1-2 program staff assigned to areas such as outreach/user engagement and program or administrative support.
• Set priorities, assign work, review deliverables, and provide regular performance feedback to direct reports.
• Lead project and working-group meetings and document decisions, owners, deadlines, and unresolved issues.
• Manage dependencies across scientists, engineers, operations staff, university offices, vendors, and partner institutions.
• Serve as the central project-management point of contact for SPEED leadership and collaborating teams.

Risk, Resource, and Sponsor Coordination

• Maintain the program risk register and require mitigation plans for significant technical, procurement, staffing, schedule, or administrative risks.
• Resolve or escape resource conflicts and schedule delays with clear options and recommended actions.
• Manage cross-functional timelines for major equipment procurement, installation, commissioning, facilities, IT, safety, and contracting dependencies.
• Coordinate logistics and materials for NSF reviews, advisory-board meetings, site visits, and major program meetings.
• Standardize project-management templates, reporting practices, and accountability processes across SPEED.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by connecting people, timelines, resources, and deliverables to support SPEED's research and program goals and its commitments to NSF. If you are an organized and collaborative program leader who enjoys bringing structure to complex initiatives, coordinating teams, and keeping high-priority work moving forward, we welcome you to apply.

Other Responsibilities

In addition to the core responsibilities of this role, there may be occasional opportunities to take on additional duties. This offers an opportunity to build on your skills, explore new areas, and gain a deeper understanding of the department's operations.

Qualifications

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, project management, business administration, or a related field.

Other Required Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience managing complex research, engineering, technical, or infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience owning project schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, deliverables, and executive reporting.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and driving accountability across multiple concurrent projects.
• Experience supervising staff or providing formal project leadership across matrixed teams.
• Strong organizational, analytical, written communication, and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Managed federally funded research programs, including NSF awards, research centers, or user facilities, with responsibility for milestones, deliverables, budgets, or sponsor requirements.
• Preparation of sponsor reports and milestone reviews, with coordination of deliverables across multi-institutional research programs and university research environments.
• Technical background in scientific research, engineering, laboratory automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, or research infrastructure.
• Management of major equipment, facility, procurement, or commissioning activities, including schedules, dependencies, vendors, and implementation milestones.
• Development and maintenance of executive dashboards, risk registers, milestone reports, and sponsor-review materials to track project status, risks, and deliverables.
• PMP, CAPM, Agile, or comparable project-management certification or training.

Required License(s) or Certification(s)

N/A

Valid NC Driver's License required

No

Commercial Driver's License required

No

Recruitment Dates and Special Instructions

Job Open Date: 09/24/2026

Anticipated Close Date: 10/08/2026; if posting is still active we are accepting and reviewing applications.

Please include a resume, cover letter and contact information for at least three professional references.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Position Details

Position Number: 00112347

Position Type: EPS/SAAO

Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0

Appointment: 12 Month Recurring

Mandatory Designation - Adverse Weather: Non Mandatory - Adverse Weather

Mandatory Designation - Emergency Events: Non Mandatory - Emergency Event

Department ID: 230101 - Interdisciplinary Programs - SVP

EEO

NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.