Job Description

Position Introduction:

The Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) at OU has grown to be the largest academic research center in the nation focusing on solving challenging radar problems and preparing the next generation of students. The ARRC’s 20 faculty, approximately 40 staff (administrative and technical), and undergraduate and graduate students work collaboratively to tackle tough problems in radar systems, remote sensing, microwave engineering, and applied electromagnetics (EM). Applications include weather radar, atmospheric sensing, national security, and various other civilian applications. The ARRC’s home base is the state-of-the-art Radar Innovations Laboratory, which was designed specifically to support research and development in radar and applied EM.

The ARRC’s recent successes include several new and imminent large, complex projects, which require professional project management support. The ARRC seeks an experienced technical project manager to support complex, mission-driven R&D projects involving faculty, technical staff, students, and external collaboration partners. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating, and supporting execution of multidisciplinary research projects, often involving federal sponsors, classified or controlled information, and cross-institutional collaborators. The role applies project management processes and knowledge to integrate scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality, and stakeholder management. This role requires an understanding and application of PMBOK knowledge areas, project management processes, government contracting, and financial oversight ensuring the project’s successful completion. The Project Manager serves as a key partner to Principal Investigators (PIs) and project leadership to ensure projects are executed in alignment with technical objectives, contractual requirements, schedule commitments, and approved budgets.

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of the applicable background investigation and eligibility determination.

Support proposal and project initiation by tailoring the project management approach and delivery lifecycle based on the project context, contractual requirements, organizational environment, and applying appropriate planning and control levels to support project governance;
Develop, maintain, and control project artifacts and records, including project plans, WBS, integrated schedules, time-phased budgets, performance measurement baselines (including Earned Value Management methods as applicable),risk/issue logs, reporting, change control records, and governance documentation;
Partner with the Principal Investigator (PI) and project leadership to develop and execute the project communication approach, coordinating internal teams and subcontractors and supporting stakeholder engagement to achieve planned milestones and deliverables;
Coordinate shared resources in matrixed environments by influencing priorities, negotiating commitments, and aligning functional and technical contributors to project plans, schedules, and performance expectations;
Ensure requirements and acceptance criteria are defined and traceable, and lead readiness reviews, deliverable acceptance, and closeout/transition to operations;
Monitor and control project performance using integrated schedule and cost information; analyze variances, assess trends, ensure alignment between planned work, actual progress, and approved baselines;
Identify, analyze, and manage project risks, opportunities, and issues; integrate mitigation actions into plans and execution activities;
Perform integrated change management by evaluating impacts to scope, schedule, cost, risk, and delivery commitments, updating plans and maintaining configuration and baseline integrity;
Support compliance with applicable organizational, sponsor, contract, and regulatory requirements;
Performs other duties as assigned.
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Required Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Manufacturing, Management or related field.
Four (4) years of program or project management experience.
Equivalency/Substitution: Experience or a combination of education & related experience can be considered in lieu of degree. A one-to-one ratio is used to determine the number of years of experience required in place of a degree.

Required Certifications and Licenses:

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FAC P/PM), or equivalent.
Ability to obtain a Security Clearance.
Department Preferences:

Possess a current DoD security clearance or has the ability to obtain and maintain security clearance.
Experience managing complex, contract-driven projects in accordance with state and federal regulations (e.g. CFR, FAR, DFAR, etc.).
Experience coordinating subcontractors or multi-party delivery environments.
Proficient with project scheduling, cost tracking, performance reporting, and project management information systems (e.g. MS Project, Jira).