Assistant Director, ngVLA Project Director

Position Description:

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is aprestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

The NRAO is continuing the design and construction of a Next-Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA). This future large area array of radio antennas is optimized to perform imaging of thermal emission down to milli-arcsecond scales and will open up new discovery space from proto-planetary disks to distant galaxies. It is envisioned to have ten times the sensitivity and spatial resolution of the Very Large Array (VLA) and Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). It will operate from 1.2 GHz to 116 GHz, and include a dense core of antennas on kilometer scales for high surface brightness sensitivity and imaging. The ngVLA will be located in the southwest USA, centered near the present location of the current VLA site.

Recently, a ngVLA pathfinder instrument – the High-Resolution Subarray (HRS) has been considered by the ngVLA partners. The HRS pathfinder instrument is being planned to implement several core ngVLA technologies at selected sites across the United States, with development/construction planned in parallel with ngVLA in coming years.

The NRAO is seeking an Assistant Director (AD) to lead all phases of ngVLA and HRS design, construction, scientific commissioning and transition to Operations, acting as Project Director (PD) for the ngVLA project. The PD is expected to provide scientific and management leadership for the ngVLA/HRS project, assuring that the scientific, technical, and programmatic activities are of the highest quality. The PD will work closely with NRAO, NSF and AUI management in the development of overall policy and strategic and annual planning and management to ensure the success of the project. The Assistant Directorwill be highly visible to the scientific community, and interact continuously with key project stakeholders including the NSF and the US Naval Observatory (USNO). The successful candidate will report directly to the NRAO Director.

The location for the position will be based at the NRAO facility in Albuquerque, NM.

What You Will be Doing:

• Provide leadership to the Project, overseeing the Project Office and recruitment of the senior project office personnel;
• Oversee all project design and prototyping activities and major NSF-MREFC gate reviews (final design review); assume responsibility for the setting of project priorities and resource planning, and execution of activities;
• Lead ngVLA’s International Development Consortium (IDC) to position international partners to participate in ngVLA;
• Provide regular information and status reports to internal and external stakeholders.

Work Environment

Work is typically performed in a research and development environment, but work outdoors may occasionally be required. Must be able to travel both domestically and internationally by air carrier.

Who You Are:

Education

• Advanced degree in engineering (mechanical or electrical preferred), astronomy, physical science, or a closely related field. A demonstrated record of project completion and scientific infrastructure delivery is expected.

Experience

• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in leading and/or managing complex technical projects.
• A nationally and internationally recognized reputation in astronomy.

Skills and Competencies

• A demonstrated ability to maintain and motivate a strong and effective leadership team;
• A proven history of executive level administrative experience and a record of sound fiscal, organizational and management practices;
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability and a commitment to listening and problem solving
• Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing to both highly-technical and non-technical audiences.
• Must have a high level of competency in Microsoft software products and web-based systems, Visio, and SharePoint.
• Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred:
  • Astronomical telescopes; radio telescopes; RF, microwave or millimeter wave systems; photonics; high-speed digital electronics.

Additional Requirement

United States citizenship is required for this position.

Total Rewards:

Compensation

The starting salary rate of this position is between $225,000-$275,000 per year. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

Benefits:

Associated Universities, Inc (AUI) offers a comprehensive benefits package addressing the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements. AUI provides:

• Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)
• Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.
• AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution.
• Click Total Rewards for more information.

Application Instructions:

Select the “Apply” button above. Please combine your resume, a bibliography if applicable, and a cover letter into one PDF file and attach to your NRAO application. As part of the screening process, you should be prepared to provide the names and contact information of three individuals, who are familiar with your experience and abilities, for letters of reference.

For full consideration, applications must be received by June 30th 2026; however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please email inquiries to careers@nrao.edu, Human Resources.

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Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to

resumes@nrao.edu