Division Head, Guidance and Control Technology

Position Specifics

We are seeking a Division Head for the Guidance and Control Technologies (GCT) Division of the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at the Penn State University Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). The GCT Division is a research center of excellence in autonomous guidance systems for undersea weapons and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), focusing on advancements in sensing, tactical decision‑making technologies, and efficient integration of these technologies in real‑time systems.

The Division is organized into four departments:
Signal Processing, Tactical & Autonomous Processing, Applications Software, and Embedded Software. The Division Head reports directly to the Head of the Undersea Systems Office and may be filled as either a non‑tenure Research Faculty or a Research & Development Engineer, commensurate with education and experience.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

• Lead a team of fifty scientists and engineers across four departments engaged in the research, development, implementation, integration, and testing of complex undersea guidance systems, including acoustic signal processing, tracking, classification, data fusion, vehicle autonomy and tactics design, and embedded real‑time software implementation and testing.
• Develop and maintain division‑wide technical expertise in core disciplines from early development through transition to sponsors.
• Work closely with the Office leadership team to build and maintain trusted relationships with key sponsors and stakeholders, ensure delivery of superior research products to sponsors, and develop and execute strategic initiatives.
• Lead the development of proposals and projects that advance our knowledge and expertise in autonomous guidance systems.
• Provide project updates to sponsors and stakeholders, and lead the development of new business for potential sponsors.
• Collaborate with engineers in technical areas across USO and ARL.
• Oversee the planning, staffing, and execution of programs to ensure all divisional staff and faculty are appropriately and sufficiently tasked at all times.
• Provide a mix of high‑level project management, engineering oversight, and technical expertise related to acoustic signal processing, vehicle autonomy/tactics, and embedded real‑time software.
• Coordinate research and development activities between disciplines involving exploration, definition of scope, and identification of problems for investigation.
• Recruit, develop, and retain extraordinary R&D engineering staff.

• Principal investigator, technical lead, or senior contributor on applied research efforts with a record of securing and sustaining external funding in underwater acoustics, signal processing, autonomous decision‑making, and software development.
• Experience leading individual and multi‑disciplinary portfolios of research projects, including developing technical concepts, writing winning proposals, staffing, conducting research, managing budgets, and delivering high‑quality results.
• Experience leading a research organization, including planning and managing labor across projects, managing research budgets, and hiring, coaching, and mentoring employees.
• Ability to coordinate across units to ensure rigorous execution, sound research and engineering practices, and the highest standards of technical work.
• Superior written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with DoD, Navy, and industrial research funding activities.
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher; candidates may also be subject to a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required.

Your work location will be fully on‑site in State College, PA. The position requires periodic travel to remote locations for testing as part of a small team of researchers, engineers, and technologists.

• Research and Development Engineer – Principal Professional:
  Bachelor’s degree in…