Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Project/Unit Description

A full-time, permanent position is available as a Research Program Manager, joining the leadership team of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Division (RASD) of the Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). RASD has 45+ employees providing analysis, research and development supporting autonomous multi-agent systems and associated testing and development efforts. Capabilities provided by RASD include software development, simulation, and field testing of collaborative multi-agent systems. The development and sustainment of new autonomy behaviors and associated control of physical systems is the core area of responsibility for division personnel. GTRI is searching for a Research Program Manager as an engineer/scientist with a master's or PhD degree and 8+ years of experience in multi-agent autonomy development, simulation, test and evaluation. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in the design, development and evaluation of low-cost autonomous systems and their performance associated with simulated and surrogate/objective platforms in operational (or representative) environments. Program development and program management is required to develop and manage programs in the area of autonomy behavior development, performance evaluation, and testing for mission-specific application areas such as kinetic strike, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Technical mentorship and personnel development is also required by this position to effectively execute staffing needs of individual programs within and outside of the division, in coordination with the division’s branch managers. The remaining time is expected to come from sponsored research. Travel is required in conducting GTRI research, developing business, meeting with customers and demonstrating applied solutions.

Job Purpose

The Research Program Manager directs and oversees a portfolio of research projects that includes internal and external sponsor and stakeholder engagement. The Research Program Manager is responsible both for the oversight of technical execution, schedule, and budget of assigned portfolios. Specifically, the Research Program Manager develops the planning of programs and future projects through routine interactions with stakeholders. The Research Program Manager develops trusted relationships with sponsors and also serves in an advisory capacity to critical stakeholders defining the technical direction of projects and technical thrusts.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee technical government programs which are of relatively medium-to-high risk and medium-to-high complexity.
• Ensure that all required resources such as engineering expertise, manpower, production, computer infrastructure, facilities, etc. are available for the program.
• Build multi-disciplinary teams across the organization.
• Plan, direct, and monitor program budgets and serve as primary sponsor contact for program information inquiries.
• Author and oversee delivery of project deliverables.
• Coordinate schedules, briefing materials, minutes and logistics associated with project meetings.
• Direct program growth by proposing new ideas to sponsors and marketing new technology or follow-on business opportunities.
• Understand and present GTRI core competencies and lab capabilities to external sponsors and stakeholders.
• Maintain an understanding of various sponsors interests in a given technical area - Coordinate with program development leads and GTRI support units on large proposals and training curriculum.
• Understand and present GTRI core competencies and lab capabilities to external sponsors and stakeholders.
• Understands various sponsors interested in a given technical area.
• Coordinate with program development leads and GTRI support units on large proposals and training curriculum.
• Understand sponsor portfolios of projects across labs in the Directorate.
• Maintain Directorate-level knowledge of strategic plans and complementary technical area or technology overlaps.
• Maintains knowledge of government and Institute regulations that govern GTRI projects.
• Communicate effectively to mediate between multiple stakeholders and converge on optimal solutions.

Additional Responsibilities

• Management of budgets, resources, and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Development of new growth areas through division internal research and development portfolio.
• Contribute to development of strategic vision and execution plan for the division in conjunction with the Division and Laboratory Leadership.
• Development of research collaborations between other GTRI laboratories.
• Experience with contributing to large programs and executing assigned tasking.
• Managing organization resources and evaluating personnel performance.
• Demonstrated record of managing personnel and resolving complex personnel issues.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ideal candidate will have external relationships with partner organizations and sponsors and a proven record of developing new business areas relevant to the division.
• The candidate will also have hands-on experience developing state-of-the-art algorithms on real-world mobile robot systems, including field test experimentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Clearance.
• Experience with C++, ROS, Git, Linux systems, and SCRIMMAGE or similar simulation architectures is a plus.
• Experience with avionics, flight sciences and control systems, vehicle dynamics and modeling is a plus.

Travel Requirements

• 10% - 25% travel.

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

• 9-14 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or any related field.
• 7-12 years of related experience with a Masters’ degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or any related field.
• 4-9 years of related experience with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or any related field.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https://benefits.hr.gatech.edu/.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia (“USG”) and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual’s race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.