Project Manager, Operations Management, Project & Program Management

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

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 work streams. 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.

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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 Proposition
and 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.

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 work streams. 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.

• 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.

• 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,…