Department Head, Autonomy and Emerging Technology

About the role

Position: Department Head for Autonomy and Emerging Technology (AET) in the Systems and Emerging Capabilities Division of the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), Penn State. Working location is fully on‑site in State College, PA with periodic travel to remote locations. The AET department serves as an innovation hub for the Systems Engineering Division, with a primary mission to develop, test, and evaluate emerging capabilities in the Subsea and Seabed (SSW) mission area and a secondary mission to rapidly evaluate and field‑test new and emerging capabilities applicable to SSW, including testing of systems, payloads, and software. Research areas include autonomy for unmanned vehicles (UxVs), payload/sensor integration, navigation, and related technologies. The role may be filled as either a Research and Development Engineer or a non‑tenure Research Faculty member. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes transitioning military members. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and eligible for a government security clearance (Top Secret or higher), participate in ARL’s drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements for federal contractors. ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intelligence Community, and other federal government customers.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership – Lead innovation in the SSW mission area, including autonomy for UxVs (adaptive mission behaviors, environmental awareness, distributed autonomy, multi‑vehicle coordination, integration of autonomy with UxV sensors and payloads); drive advancements in UxV simulation, field testing, and fleet‑relevant autonomy capabilities.
• Programmatic Leadership – Oversee SSW‑focused UxV programs and multidisciplinary teams working across undersea navigation, endurance optimization, acoustic communications, environmental modeling, and autonomy‑enabled CONOPS; collaborate closely with ARL’s SSW Portfolio Manager and sponsors to shape new SSW research directions.
• Resource Management – Align personnel and technical resources (UxV test assets, autonomy laboratories, software infrastructure, field test facilities) with program needs and strategic priorities.
• Personnel Management – Mentor engineers and researchers specializing in UxV autonomy, control systems, undersea sensing, navigation, and environmental modeling; foster growth in mission‑focused undersea autonomy competencies.
• Department Management – Ensure effective planning and execution of programs involving system integration, sea testing, autonomy software development, mission simulation and evaluation, and cross‑domain unmanned systems collaboration.
• Collaboration – Work across ARL departments to integrate autonomy with undersea vehicles, sensors, communications, and emerging technologies; partner with oceanography, acoustics, guidance & control, and materials experts to develop next‑generation UxV capabilities.
• New Business – Act entrepreneurially with the SSW Portfolio Manager to create and shape new UxV autonomy research opportunities; help develop seedling efforts in areas such as long‑duration UxV autonomy, autonomous behaviors for complex missions, resilient undersea communications autonomy, and cross‑domain unmanned vehicle coordination.
• Customer Interaction – Engage directly with Navy sponsors, DoD collaborators, and other stakeholders to present UxV autonomy advancements, field‑test results, and new capability concepts; represent ARL at autonomy and undersea systems conferences and technical reviews.

Requirements

• Past success managing technical teams and programs.
• Strong decision‑making skills in complex technical and operational environments.
• Autonomy for unmanned systems: autonomy architectures, behavior frameworks and mission planning for undersea missions; undersea navigation and perception autonomy behaviors; autonomy standards for UxVs (e.g., MOSA, A‑GRA, UMAA, PCX); UxV simulation, evaluation, and verification environments.
• DEVSECOPS approaches used for government autonomy and control software.
• Test and evaluation of maritime platforms.
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Top Secret level or higher, or ability to obtain such clearance via government background investigation.

Qualifications

• If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) – Principal Professional: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science; 19+ years of relevant experience; no required certifications.
• If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) – Advanced Professional: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science; 5+ years of relevant experience; no required certifications.
• If filled as R&D Engineer, Department Head (ARL) – Senior Professional: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Science; 14+ years of relevant experience; no required certifications.

Skills

• Preferred: UxV systems knowledge (platforms, mission payloads, launch and recovery, acoustic communications, energy management).
• Preferred: Oceanography, seabed features, and environmental data used for UxV autonomy.
• Preferred: Past success supporting Navy missions, operational training, or UxV fleet experimentation.
• Preferred: Development or use of UxV simulation frameworks (e.g., high‑fidelity hydrodynamic or environmental modeling).
• Preferred: Principal Investigator or business development experience in UxV or autonomy programs.
• Preferred: AI/ML methods applied to UxV navigation, perception, environmental characterization, mission planning, or anomaly detection.
• Preferred: Past success managing technical personnel in undersea systems or autonomy fields.

Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full‑time employees, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; robust retirement plans; substantial paid time off (holidays, vacation, sick time); and a generous 75% tuition discount available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

Pay

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $161,004.00 – $298,800.00.