Operations Research and Development Engineer

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 Skill Bridge 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
*…