Director, National Security Institute

About this role

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, Argonne is committed to delivering substantive impacts to U.S. prosperity, competitiveness, and security through transformative science and technology from discovery to technology development to application. Argonne’s long-standing, world leading expertise in nuclear energy coupled with our unique, first-in-class capabilities in nonproliferation and infrastructure science enable us to tackle emerging energy and security challenges.

The Nuclear Technologies and National Security (NTNS) directorate seeks to advance nuclear energy and deliver innovative science- and engineering-based solutions for a secure and resilient society. We focus on enduring and emerging challenges in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles; nonproliferation; infrastructure science (risk and resilience analysis); intelligence and vulnerability analysis; and emergency and disaster preparedness and response. NTNS encompasses a diverse team of scientists, engineers, and technical support staff, all of whom are committed to developing and delivering innovative solutions to address our country’s most pressing energy and security challenges. We take a multidisciplinary approach to solving complex challenges and developing useful technologies that can transform the marketplace and change the world.

Job Description

The Director of the National Security Institute will work with Argonne leaders to develop and steward the laboratory-wide strategy for leveraging Argonne’s world-leading science expertise and unique suite of user facilities to provide impactful solutions to urgent national and international security science and technology challenges. The Director will formulate and lead cross-directorate collaborations, engaging with sponsors and sponsor relationship managers to understand research needs of the national security community. They will communicate Argonne’s capabilities to incubate and sustain research programs, bringing together a cross-disciplinary scientific coalition of personnel from across the Laboratory.

The Director will work closely with the Deputy Associate Laboratory Director (Deputy ALD) for Nuclear Technologies and National Security (NTNS) to define and facilitate discretionary investments needed to support strategic priorities. The Director will provide leadership, technical advice and analysis, guidance on program prioritization, and planning strategies on national, global, and national security programs to support laboratory, directorate and divisional program development efforts. Working with leaders at Argonne and outside of Argonne, the Director will cultivate and create new partnerships with industry, DOE, academia, and other stakeholders to build strategic collaborations, attract new funding, and develop an integrated research portfolio which will amplify the Laboratory’s impact in national security.

The Director will establish their own research portfolio in areas of national security aligned with their expertise and experience.

Responsibilities: Build Strategic External Partnerships Develop and sustain collaborative relationships with industry, academia, federal agencies, laboratories, and other mission partners to expand the laboratory’s national security impact and collaborative opportunities.

Connect Laboratory Capabilities to National Security Missions and Strategic Opportunities Identify and integrate laboratory expertise, research, and technical capabilities with emerging national security priorities, sponsor needs, and evolving strategic opportunities to position the laboratory for sustained mission impact and future collaboration.

Catalyze Multidisciplinary Research Teams Identify opportunities and connect complementary expertise across the laboratory to support the formation of multidisciplinary teams addressing complex sponsor and mission needs.

Represent Laboratory Capabilities Externally Serve as a strategic ambassador for the laboratory by communicating enterprise-wide S&T strengths, differentiators, and mission-relevant expertise to sponsors, partners, and stakeholders.

Strengthen Internal Coordination and Information Sharing Promote communication and awareness across organizational boundaries to break down silos, improve collaboration, and increase visibility into laboratory capabilities and initiatives.

Support Alignment with Laboratory Science Strategy Ensure national security initiatives and opportunities are developed in alignment with the strategic direction established by the Office of Science, while also leveraging national security work to advance and propel Argonne’s strategy and broader laboratory mission objectives.

Advance Laboratory Readiness for National Security Missions Identify and help address strategic readiness needs required to support current and future national security work, including workforce development, talent pipelines, infrastructure, partnerships, and enabling capabilities necessary for mission execution.

Position Requirements Required: • At least 15 years of relevant scientific/technical leadership experience with a demonstrated track record of cross-organizational program and strategy development for national and nuclear security impact/outcomes • Degree in a scientific, engineering, or technical field.  Advanced degree preferred. • Demonstrated success in the formulation, development, execution, and evaluation of new and innovative cross-organizational research, development, and deployment initiatives for large organizations. • Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with diverse sponsors. • Knowledge of the U.S. national security and intelligence communities and their R&D needs and requirements. • Ability to function as a member of a senior executive management team, to work effectively with all levels of internal and external personnel, and to gain consensus, build teams, and resolve conflicts. • Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to lead m

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