Operations Research and Development Engineer

The Pennsylvania State University’s Applied Research Laboratory is hiring an Operations Research and Development Engineer to lead sponsor engagement and ground-vehicle sustainment research. The role guides research portfolios and teams, strengthens military stakeholder relationships, and advances readiness analytics, vehicle resilience, and cyber-secure maintenance capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• 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
• 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
• Maintain technical expertise through continued professional development, participation in technical working groups, awareness of emerging technologies, and engagement with the defense research community

Requirements:

• Senior NCO, Warrant Officer, or Commissioned Officer experience within U.S. military Engineer, Motor Transport, or Ordnance communities
• Previous service as a U.S. Marine Corps logistics officer or comparable operational logistics role
• Demonstrated understanding of the DoD acquisition process, including requirements development and sustainment integration
• Comprehensive knowledge of ground vehicle operations, including both vehicle systems and associated IT/logistics support systems
• Past success in automotive maintenance, sustainment engineering, or vehicle lifecycle management
• Proven track record of developing and maintaining sponsor relationships in defense R&D environments
• Ability to clearly communicate complex sustainment challenges and technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science
• 14+ years of relevant experience
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply
• Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance
• Past success supporting or advising R&D organizations on vehicle sustainment technologies
• Cyber considerations for vehicle systems, maintenance processes, or diagnostic tools
• Past success leading multidisciplinary teams and guiding research portfolios8
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, logistics, or related field (military equivalent experience also considered)
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher