Job Title: Associate Director of Research, Missouri Institute for Defense and Energy, 79271
Location: UMKC Volker Campus
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 37468
Hiring Department

MIDE (Missouri Institute for Defense and Energy)

Job Description

MIDE is seeking an Associate Director of Research who has, and can demonstrate deep knowledge of, mature leadership experience in directing the detailed design, fabrication, validation, and analysis of pulsed-power electromagnetic generation solutions to support the high-power microwave development group. Experience in EW/cybersecurity, solid-state switching technologies, pulse forming networks, pulsed power electronics, computational electromagnetics, high-voltage and RF circuit design/layout architecture, and standalone/arrayed antenna design is a plus. This position requires a solid foundation in electromagnetic, power electronics theory and application. Hands-on experience is vital and required.

The ideal team member will demonstrate:

• A passion for solving high-impact, real-world problems;
• A hands-on, pragmatic problem-solving approach for mission-critical applied research;
• The ability to operate in agile and dynamic working environments as a core team player and independent individual;
• Creativity and versatility in designing, prototyping, and validating pulse power solutions for complex electrical and computational problems;
• A curiosity, openness, and willingness to learn new skills, methods, systems, and technologies;
• Effective verbal and written communication skills to inform and guide team-members; and,
• Excellent and efficient organizational/time-management skills to prioritize and execute on both long-term and short parallel assignments.

Nature of Work:

Directs and oversees the operational activities and technological development of a university research facility.

• Applies understanding of the organization and how own area integrates with others to achieve functional objectives;
• Advises employees, colleagues, and/or customers inside and outside the function;
• Liaises with department/functional head to accomplish functional goals and objectives;
• Assists other managers as necessary;
• Develops and administers policies and practices for the area, aligning with functional policies and practices;
• Adapts departmental plans and priorities to meet short- and/or long-term service and/or operational objectives and address any resource and operational challenges;
• Provides recommendations to policies, plans, programs, etc. that improve/enhance efficiencies;
• Assists in developing information to support academic administration, planning, and evaluation;
• Identifies and solves highly technical and operational problems;
• Understands and recognizes broader impact across the function and/or department;
• Impacts the team’s ability to achieve service, quality, and timeliness of objectives;
• Guides and influences others either internally or externally to adopt a different point of view;
• Collaborates with others outside of the function, both internally and externally.

Duties/ Responsibilities: • Work within the ONR PTERA Program’s PTERA-II Contract on RDT&E projects and develop technologies while acting as a pathfinder for resolving extreme technical challenges: o Lead and manage the PTERA-II Contract Project; o Serve as a managing member of the PTERA Program alongside other Project Managers of the PTERA-I Contract, PTERA-II Grant, and PTERA-III Contract wherein daily communication and weekly strategic planning and idea generation is required; o Develop roadmaps, Gantt charts and other instruments that communicate the technical, financial and administrative, decisions, downselects and resourcing needed to meet the PTERA-II technical, spending, marketing, security, deliverables and follow-on work objective; o Lead/execute team within the CUI bounds of NIST 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7020, and classified work up to the S-level, within the bounds of the NISPOM; o Meet all ONR PTERA-II Contract specified Contract Data Requirement Line-Items, including monthly, biannual, annual technical and other reports as requested, as well as briefings, quad charts, financial reports, and, arrangement/oversight/planning of all demonstration efforts and logistics thereof, and, program hardware deliverables; o Meet all security and administrative requirements of the PTERA-II contract (e.g., development of OPSEC documents, intellectual property reporting, government furnished property reporting, ACRN specific no-cost time extension submissions and justification, and more). Serve as a senior leadership member within MIDE to support the development and execution of a sustainable MIDE consistent with the Institute’s mission, vision, and values. • Executing, assisting, and mentoring students and staff in multiple R&D efforts including but not limited to EW/cybersecurity solutions and the aerial systems which they interface with and integrate into. • Serve as a contributing member to the nucleus of entrepreneurship and innovation required at MIDE— through being a thought leader, idea generator, and everyday problem owner— with the ability/passion to understand the technologies being managed to confidently allocate/reallocate/discontinue tangible resources to sub-efforts in the best interest of meeting the program objectives. • Where unclear, drive toward and coordinate the technical and transition requirements necessary to establish the program objectives, including clarification/discussion with the ONR program officer(s), transition program office(s) or stakeholders, and higher DoD authority. • Seek at least three funding opportunities annually that run parallel with PTERA and MIDE’s expertise to disperse and mitigate risk. • After 12 months, seek small funding opportunities that align with the ADR areas-of-interest. • Proactively identify organizational holes/gaps/inefficiencies with the senior leadership and means of addressing those toward creating a more resilient and efficient MIDE. • Maintain safety, security, and additional federal/UM-CRR compliance requirements. • Contribute to building and working within the MIDE Cooperative of Centers. • Documentation including but not limited to technical reports and briefings as required. • Work and communicate well within one or more teams; • Interface with multiple engineering and non-engineering cross-functional team member; • Generate and justify application driven requirements and illuminate tradeoffs to balance the mechanical, electrical, thermal, and radio frequency needs of the system(s) developed, including regulated compliance(s).

Minimum Qualifications

A Master's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience and at least 5 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

Ability to acquire and maintain a United States security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in Intelligence Management or closely related discipline.
• A Master’s degree in Business Administration.
• Three years of academic, industry, and/or military/government service as cybersecurity subject-matter-expert, and, team management thereof, including planning, scheduling, and execution of operations.

Full Time/Part Time

Full time & Benefit eligible

Salary

Minimum $71,900/annum, Midpoint $108,472/annum, Maximum $145,044/annum

UMKC offers a competitive salary, affordable medical and dental plans, 403(b) savings plan, and University paid long-term disability and life insurance benefits. Full benefit details may be found at: https://info.umkc.edu/hr/total-rewards/benefits/

Application Deadline

Open until filled. For best consideration apply by August 8th 2021

Application Instructions

Applicants must combine all application materials (cover letter, resume, and list of five references with contact information) into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment.

Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.).

If you are experiencing technical problems, please call (800) 488-5288.

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Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor - Human Resources at 816-235-1621.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties and functions of this job. If you believe you may have difficulty performing any of the duties or functions of this job, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (816) 235-1323.

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