Rapid Prototyping Research Center (RPRC)Director of OperationsThe George Mason University Rapid Prototyping Research Center (RPRC), within the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), invites applications for a Director of Operations. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason's academic and culturally inclusive environment.About the Department:The Rapid Prototyping Research Center (RPRC) focuses on providing its Department of Defense (DOD) sponsors a unique perspective on rapid prototyping that aligns with Section 804 in the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act. Specifically, rather than developing a new system to satisfy intractable problems on the battlefield, the RPRC integrates new technology into existing infrastructure. This unique approach reduces acquisition costs since the sustainment tail is in place. It also reduces the time to field intractable solutions to the battlefield from 10-14 years down to 1-3 years, and provides assurance that the prototype involved is integrated with the latest technology, not dated technology due to lengthy acquisition delivery timelines.About the Position:The RPRC Director of Operations supports the Principal Investigator(s) in guiding key stakeholders in formulating requirements, advise alternative approaches, and conduct feasibility studies to support decision making. The Director of Operations will have the responsibility to lead RPRC in developing the technical strategy for RPRC's on and off-site team and help shape the future of cyber defense and architecture. The incumbent will be responsible to build a leading applied research and intelligence-driven organization to ensure solutions meet cybersecurity needs of RPRC's sponsors. In addition to the strategic development responsibilities, the candidate will build and direct a team of people, programs, operations, and financial resources; provide leadership and direction; and contribute to the overall development of RPRC's vast portfolio. In addition to performing an internal-facing operational role overseeing RPRC projects and staff, the candidate will have an external-facing role supporting the director in business development and sponsor relations.Responsibilities:The RPRC Director of Operations with delegated responsibility from the director will be responsible to:Lead and manage RPRC projects and staff and be the primary RPRC interface to RPRC sponsors. Develop operational policies and procedures for the RPRC in compliance with university and sponsored research requirements to ensure the efficient and effective operations of the RPRC;Direct organizational structure and processes to support technologies and rapid scaling to meet mission needs of sponsors;Act as the director when directed to interface and coordinate activities with the RPRC staff and sponsors;Support the director in business development, center strategy, and sponsor relations, including proposal development, sponsor briefings, and visits;Evaluate current technical capabilities and establish facets of the technical vision for an advanced and integrated intelligence-driven organization;Identifying gaps in existing customer's capabilities, products, and systems. Gaps may be entirely missing deadlines or features in existing capabilities. Must be able to document and propose solutions to gaps;Lead aspects of RPRC's technological development and oversight of cyber security technical roadmaps with its sponsors;Direct technical strategic direction for defendable architectures, development, and future growth. Act as an advisor of cybersecurity technologies that may improve their efficiency and effectiveness; andDefines, implements, and revises operational plans, policies, and guidelines.Required Qualifications:Master's degree or equivalent experience in an engineering or related field;US citizen with active Top Secret/SCI clearance;At least 10 years of experience in national security related research and development, including extensive knowledge of military communications and networking architectures and systems, systems of systems, and military doctrine;Proven ability to manage complex research and development projects, including those developed under contract to the US government;10+ years of experience with increasing leadership roles and responsibility in government;Demonstrated engineering experience and outstanding in-depth knowledge with IT, Cyber, Cloud Computing, Data and Application Security technologies;Strong program management background with the ability to oversee the development and execution of the project, ensuring program is completed on time and within budget;Ability to provide technical assistance in prototyping new solutions or implementation of development/production systems;Strong presentation and customer facing skills, especially regarding analyzing technologies and processes within organizations;Proven thought leadership, strategic thinking, and decision making;Experience advising and representing senior executives and business line leadership on technical related issues; andStrong sense of urgency and commitment, as well as sound business sense with a strategic, conceptual, and operational orientation.Preferred Qualifications:Strong awareness of technical trends in information technology, develops and maintains a strong awareness of on-going IT projects and business unit requirements;Demonstrated competencies with enterprise solutions architecture, technical leadership and strategy, enterprise data and analytic engineering, enterprise software development and Dev/Sec/Ops;Demonstrated engineering experience and outstanding in-depth knowledge of information security practices; andPrevious experience in a leadership position in a technical role. The experience should include designing, managing or testing systems, parceling out work to team members, and managing the entire process including team mentoring, schedules, and deliverables.Mason Engineering: The Future of Engineering is HereThe College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University is comprised of the Volgenau School of Engineering and (effective June 1, 2021) a new School of Computing. The College is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. It boasts more than 10,000 students in 39 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of the 280 full-time faculty who comprise the School, 91 are tenured, 75 are tenure-track, 80 are instructional faculty, and 35 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, its research teams expended more than $70 million in sponsored research awards last year and has projects with over $400 million in current and anticipated awards. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia's technology corridor, Mason Engineering stands out for its research in many leading areas including artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, community-based healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The School highly encourages multidisciplinary research and provides faculty with opportunities to work with other disciplines.George Mason University is the largest public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of over 39,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. Mason is located in the city of Fairfax in Northern Virginia at the doorstep of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, with unmatched geographical access to a number of federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. Fairfax is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country and has an outstanding local public school system.In conjunction with Amazon's decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing, and George Mason University has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the exciting initiatives being undertaken by the university are the launch of the Institute for Digital InnovAtion, a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy, and the expansion of its Arlington Campus with a planned 400,000 square foot Digital InnovAtion Building. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate Mason's already leading national position in computing and related areas.

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number F737AZ at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information. Full consideration will apply to applicants who submit their completed application by March 23, 2023; however, review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

"Great Careers Begin at Mason! George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason holds a top U.S. News and World Report "Up and Coming" spot for national universities and is recognized for its global appeal and excellence in higher education.Mason is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia with students and faculty from all 50 states and over 135 countries studying in over 200 degree programs at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William, as well as at learning locations across the commonwealth. Rooted in Mason's diversity is a campus culture that is both rewarding and exciting, work that is meaningful, and opportunities to both collaborate and create.If you are interested in joining the Mason family take a look at our current opportunities and catch some Mason spirit at jobs.gmu.edu/!George Mason University, Where Innovation is Tradition."