Branch Head - ATAS - Open Rank

Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Project/Unit Description

A full-time, permanent position is available as the Branch Chief for the Collaborative Autonomy Branch (CAB) within the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Division (RASD) of the Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). RASD/CAB has 15+ employees providing analysis, research and development supporting autonomous multi-agent systems and associated testing and development efforts. Capabilities provided by RASD/CAB include software development, simulation, and field testing of collaborative multi-agent systems. The development of autonomy behaviors and associated control of physical systems is a core area of responsibility for branch personnel.

GTRI is searching for a branch leader and engineer/scientist with experience in multi-agent autonomy development, simulation, test and evaluation. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in the evaluation of autonomous systems and their performance associated with simulated, surrogate and objective platforms. Program development and program management is required to develop and manage programs in the area of autonomy behavior development, performance evaluation, and testing. Personnel development is also required to execute staffing needs of individual programs within and outside of the branch.

The responsibilities of the branch leader are shared with the associate branch chief and split between the management of the branch and actively performing research programs. This position is expected to consume approximately 10%-25% time. The remaining time is anticipated to come from sponsored research. The branch is located in Smyrna, GA on the Georgia Tech’s Cobb County Research Facility (CCRF). Travel is required in conducting GTRI research, developing business, meeting with customers and demonstrating applied solutions.

Job Purpose

Lead multiple sponsored research projects. Manage Branch (7-15 FTE) administrative activities including hiring, appraisals and sponsored project success.

Additional Responsibilities

• Personnel management including student and full-time Research Faculty hiring, performance evaluations, staffing, early career development, etc., primarily for autonomy behavior development, test and evaluation.
• Management of budgets, resources, and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Communicate overall Branch health during RASD leadership meetings.
• Responsible for branch staffing, employee appraisals, timesheets.
• Oversight of branch programs and operational resources and activities.
• Maintaining the technical health of branch employees through professional development, training, and promoting publication of novel research in appropriate venues.
• Development of strategic vision and execution plan for the branch in conjunction with the Division and Laboratory Leadership.
• Development of research collaborations between other GTRI laboratories.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with state-of-the-art algorithms on real-world mobile robot