Research Engineer II/Sr. - Division Chief (Open Rank)

at  Georgia Tech

JOB SUMMARY

The School of Aerospace Engineering (https://ae.gatech.edu/) at the Georgia Institute of Technology invites applications for a Research Engineer in aerospace engineering to support sponsored research projects in the aerospace domain, with specific emphasis on spacecraft optical navigation, astrodynamics, and space instrumentation.
The division chief research engineer will manage defense and/or space systems and technologies division sponsored research projects and personnel.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

This position vacancy is an open rank announcement. Final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook (https://www.policylibrary.gatech.edu/faculty-handbook/3.2.1-research-faculty-hiring-and-promotion-guidelines)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified candidates should have a strong background in aerospace engineering with a doctoral degree from an aerospace engineering program. Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in defense and/or space systems. Candidates should have experience programming in both MATLAB and Python, though knowledge of other programming languages is also valuable. Candidates should have export control knowledge as well as knowledge of Controlled Unclassified Information requirements.

• Discuss research projects that could be executed by the Division with principal investigators (PIs) including the Director, Associate Director, and ASDL affiliated academic faculty.
• Accept sponsored research projects (or portions of projects) for the Division from the PIs, and, in consultation with the PIs, determine the appropriate Direct report and/or Engineering Lead to whom the management of a specific project should be allocated. Specific projects may be allocated to the Division Chief when the project is of a critical or strategic nature or for staffing needs; however, the Division Chief should focus most efforts on the effective management of the Division and not on management of specific research projects, except under the request of the Director.
• In consultation with the PI, determine whether the Division Chief and/or the Direct report to whom a project is allocated will be Co-PI for the project. The status of Co-PI implies a contractual responsibility for the research effort, and it also indicates this responsibility formally in the Institute career advancement and promotion system. For this reason, the Division Chief is expected to judiciously balance Co-PI allocations among himself/herself and the Direct reports/Engineering Leads both to incentivize performance across the Division and to foster career development both of the Division Chief and of the Direct reports/Engineering Leads.
• Allocate each project to a relevant Direct report and/or Engineering Lead, and clearly articulate the research goals, deliverables, timelines, budget, and nature of customer and PI interaction for the project.
• Proactively manage an aggregate budget for the Division based on all of the funded projects. Ensure that all Direct reports, Engineering Leads, other Research Engineers, and students reporting to the Division have adequate funding to charge their time. In the event that the project base does not support the needed budget for the Division, discuss the situation with the Director and project PIs to determine a solution. Communicate frequently with Brach Chiefs/Engineering Leads to plan project budgets and to discuss staffing and high-level project budget decisions. Communicate with the Financial Manager to manage the Division-level budget plan and to intercept funding shortfalls or surpluses.
• Proactively manage an aggregate schedule for the projects assigned to the Division. This schedule shall include major milestones, deliverables, and customer review meetings for all projects. Communicate frequently with the Direct reports/Engineering Leads to determine these schedule milestones and to discuss progress toward the milestones. Inform the Director or other PI’s in a timely manner about important project schedule milestones and customer meetings. Intercept schedule shortfalls and discuss possible resolutions with the Direct reports/Engineering Leads.
• Determine and articulate mid-term and long-term strategic goals for the Division by investigating promising future research directions, assessing core Division capabilities and personnel, conducting competitive assessments of peer institutions in academia, industry, and government, attending professional society events (when funding/schedule allow), and monitoring government funding opportunities. Create and execute a plan to achieve these strategic goals by setting targets for Division personnel. Communicate these goals and progress in their implementation to the Director on a regular basis.
• Hold regular individual meetings with each Direct report to track progress on individual research projects and on activities within each Branch.
• Hold regular Division staff meetings with all Direct reports/Engineering Leads who manage research projects within the Division. At these meetings, articulate strategic goals and overall budget/schedule information. Inform the staff about Laboratory-wide initiatives and news.
• Identify potential sponsored research opportunities within the scope of the Division activities and communicate these to the Director as they emerge.
• Envision and implement formal and informal processes for effective and efficient management of the Division. Create tools, processes, and management best practices that reduce the overhead burden associated with Division management. Communicate these techniques both to Division personnel and to other Division Chiefs.
• Collaborate with other Division Chiefs to develop effective and efficient management plans and resource allocations for crosscutting research projects that span multiple Divisions. Communicate the plans for these crosscutting projects to the relevant Direct reports/Engineering Leads.
• Serve on the ASDL Leadership Board, comprised of the Division Chiefs, the Director, the Associate Director, and others designated by the Director. Communicate concerns and suggest solutions to problems faced by the organization. Present Division strategic plans, goals, and best practices.
• Foster the career development of Direct reports, Engineering Leads, and other Research Engineers within the Division. Create opportunities for the staff to serve as Co-PI’s on research projects, encourage and write scholarly publications, and provide career mentoring.
• Cultivate a strong esprit de corps of the Division staff. Promote a ‘can-do’ attitude at all levels of the Division organization. Operate the division as a meritocracy, and award excellent performance. Instill a culture of friendly competition among Divisions to achieve excellence. Inspire loyalty both to the Division and to ASDL by conscientious, caring, and effective leadership, e.g. ‘We are Propulsion. We are ASDL.’
• Conduct formal performance reviews of all professional staff in the Division on a scheduled basis, and at least once annually. Conduct the review using appropriate Georgia Tech human resources protocols in consultation with the Office/Personnel Manager. Provide direct and clear feedback on specific performance successes and shortfalls. Discuss general strengths and weaknesses and provide guidance for how performance may be improved. Document each performance review in accord with Georgia Tech protocols and provide the documents to the Office Manager for file. Discuss performance of staff members with the Director during the annual review cycle.
• Maintain an awareness of research activities and capabilities within the Division and in other Divisions. Communicate knowledge of these activities to the Division staff to prevent duplication of work or recreation of existing capabilities in multiple projects.
• Attend doctoral dissertation defenses, masters thesis defenses, colloquia, and symposia held within ASDL or the School of Aerospace Engineering in domain areas relevant to the Division when possible. Serve on thesis/dissertation committees as requested by students and the academic faculty.
• Provide informal guidance and mentoring to students in the Division research area as needed to foster their academic development.
• Perform other duties at the request of the Director.