Division Chief - Software Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Transformation - GTRI-ICL

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 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.
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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.

The Software Engineering and Analytics Division (SEAD) in the Information and Communications Laboratory (ICL) is seeking a Division Chief. The main research focus of SEAD is software systems engineering, novel and complex algorithm development, human-centered research, and digital transformation. The mission of SEAD is to grow a forward-looking capability in the data management life cycle that brings innovative cross-disciplinary methods and techniques to the laboratory's diverse information science portfolio. Some technical and domain areas that SEAD focuses on include: social service software systems, data management, global health, population or public health, data readiness, user-centered design, data and information visualization, statistics, applied math, knowledge-based artificial intelligence, natural language processing, analytics for social science, scalable DB design and search. These research areas support the analysis and development of systems for sponsors including the State of Georgia, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.

SEAD is located in Atlanta, GA but could have researchers located at various GTRI field offices and near sponsor facilities across the country. GTRI field offices provide the opportunity for a physical presence close to our sponsors, maintaining the ability to leverage the researcher base primarily located in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The Division Chief is a strategic leader who drives division-wide growth, innovation, and research excellence while maintaining a commitment to the Division's people-centered culture. The successful candidate possesses the vision, expertise, and leadership skills to advance the Division's research agenda, foster collaboration among multidisciplinary teams and manage all Division activities.

ICL offers a hybrid work environment seeking the right balance between individual flexibility and in-person opportunities for "creative collisions." Specific arrangements and schedules are reviewed annually to bring alignment across the unit.

The Division Chief is the principal leader and manager of all Division activities, while also maintaining a research role including contributions to sponsored research projects. The Division Chief sets the vision and strategy for the Division, provides oversight and direction for research projects in the Division, manages the personnel in the Division, and maintains ultimate responsibility for all of the financial and administrative operations of the Division. The Division Chief acts as liaison between the Division and Lab Leadership, other Divisions, and the rest of GTRI.

Research

• Spearhead research initiatives that foster new sponsor relationships, driving growth and strategic contributions to existing sponsored projects aimed at program expansion and new opportunity generation.
• Drive innovation within Division's core competencies to identify new opportunities for growth and impact.
• Initiate and guide internal research and development programs that support the Division's strategic vision and contribute to its overall mission.
• Oversee execution of Division's research portfolio to ensure projects deliver quality products on-time and within budget

Strategic Vision and Business Development

• Develop strategic vision and execution plan for the Division in conjunction with Laboratory and Directorate Leadership
• Advocate for organizational and/or resource changes required to accomplish the Division's strategic goals
• Lead contract development activities and interface with sponsors
• Develop research collaborations with other GTRI laboratories, Georgia Tech academic faculty, and outside organizations that further the SEAD mission
• Capture and lead new projects to further the data management life cycle bringing innovative cross-disciplinary methods and techniques to the laboratory's diverse information science portfolio
• Lead and/or contribute to proposals for new research efforts

Organizational Leadership

• Oversee the management of 20-40 personnel, primarily located in Atlanta but potentially located across the country, including hiring, performance, evaluations, staffing, career development, etc.
• Provide direct management oversight for Branch Management Teams and the Division staff
• Manage budgets, resources, and compliance with policies and procedures.

• Foster a culture of clarity around the Division's purpose, values, and objectives, ensuring that all Division members understand their role in advancing the SEAD mission and driving strategic growth.
• Support briefings to external visitors related to Division's core competencies and capabilities.
• Advance research on methodologies for safe, robust AI-enabled systems by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and securing funding to address critical challenges in AI and systems engineering.
• Provide project management support for specific research projects.
• Support ICL Lab Office in development and execution of Lab Strategy. This includes preparation in advance of and participation in regular cadence of strategy review workshops.

• Degree in a STEM field (e.g., computer science, engineering, mathematics, or statistics) with significant industry experience in software engineering, data analysis, or operations research,
  OR Degree in the Social Sciences and/or Management with experience leading large technical teams from concept to delivery.
• Experience as a Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Operations Research Analyst, Social Scientist and/or Research Program Manager.
• Experience leading project teams to include direct customer interaction; managing project budget, schedule, and deliverables; assigning tasks to team members and ensuring quality delivered artifacts.
• Demonstrated knowledge of one or more programming languages and/or data management technologies.

• Experience with Department of Defense or Intelligence Community, as service member, civilian, or contractor.
• Experience in organizational management with direct reports.
• Active Security Clearance, preferably TS/SCI.
• Experience with a variety of software languages including tiered web stacks.
  Experience developing software to solve engineering problems, as well as familiar with utilizing published APIs to integrate different software tools.
• Experience briefing senior Department of Defense leadership

The most competitive candidates will have:

• Proven track record of leadership and management experience, with a focus on driving strategic initiatives and achieving business outcomes.
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, specifically in the development and implementation of information technology systems to solve business needs, with a focus on delivering human-centered solutions.
• A technical background in computer science and software engineering, complemented by expertise in understanding user needsto design efficient workflows and processes enabled through technology adoption and/or software engineering efforts.
• Demonstrated organizational management experience, including personnel management, internal budget oversight, and strategic planning, to drive growth and achieve results.
• Experience working with the Department of Defense and/or Intelligence Community, holds a current security clearance, and possesses a deep understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities in these environments.
• Enjoy leading a diverse team to establish aspirational goals around a common mission theme, develop a tactical approach to pursue those goals, and understand the importance of resource management to align investments to achieve strategic objectives.

10% - 25% travel

Levels 4+5

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 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.
• 7 years of related experience with a Masters' degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.
• 4 years of related experience with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, MBA, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.

Levels 5+6

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

• 14 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.
• 12 years of related experience with a Masters' degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.
• 9 years of related experience with a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Analytics, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial and/or Systems Engineering, or related Science or Engineering field.

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

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

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

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