Program Director, Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations (IISO), Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD)

Job Type:

Program Overview 

Within RAND, the Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD) conducts research and analysis for the U.S. government; state, local, and tribal governments; and private foundations. HSRD operates the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), an FFRDC operated by RAND under contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). HSOAC conducts studies and analysis that provides the DHS with subject-matter expertise, analytic rigor, and timely analysis to support operations, policy development, and decision-making for DHS and its partners across the Homeland Security Enterprise as they address complex challenges in preventing terrorism, managing U.S. borders, enforcing and administering immigration laws, safeguarding cyberspace, and strengthening national preparedness and resilience.

Position Description

The Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations (IISO) program strives to be DHS’s preeminent source for rigorous and timely analysis to inform leaders on a diverse range of topics related to strategic planning, policy and program evaluation, and all manner of operational analyses, including: air and marine operations, risk analysis, threat analysis, decision analysis, cybersecurity operations, critical infrastructure protection and resilience, security operations, and immigration topics. IISO sponsors include most of DHS’s operational components: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration. Specifically, IISO assists component-level decision-makers by helping to develop strategy, policy, and operational capabilities for maintaining domain awareness; executing security, safety, and enforcement operations; and screening and vetting more effectively, efficiently, and equitably in operational settings, such as at airports, seaports, and borders, while preserving the civil liberties of citizens and residents. Research sponsors include all DHS operational components. To conduct this research, IISO draws on researchers from a wide range of technical and methodological disciplines.

Coverage for this position is up to 100%. This is a five-year term position, with an option to extend subject to management approval.

Responsibilities:

The IISO Director, reporting to the Vice President and Director of HSRD, will maintain the following research streams in the near-term; proactively adjust program emphasis to stay on the cutting edge of policy issues for DHS; recruit, retain, develop, and lead a diverse team of researchers; and work externally to enhance the policy impact of the program.

• Homeland security threat and opportunity studies

• Operational studies

• Regulatory, doctrine, and policy studies

As a leader within the HSRD management team, the IISO Director will also be responsible for:

• Providing intellectual leadership for program research;

• Championing the RAND culture of quality and be an active participant in the HSRD quality assurance process to ensure the program’s products are of high quality, relevant to client needs, and produced on time and within budget;

• Demonstrating excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, including a commitment to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion;

• Supporting and advocating for project leaders and other staff in order to facilitate their work for sponsors at DHS and across the Homeland Security Enterprise;

• Developing new business through direct contacts with key clients and other potential sponsors and shaping proposals for new avenues of research;

• Participating in ongoing HSRD activities (e.g., staff meetings an