Project Manager

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm (additional work outside of standard hours may be required due to business needs)

Job Location: Raleigh, NC

Department: Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs

About the Department

Overview/Introduction of the Organizational Unit The Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design (SPEED) Programmable Cloud Laboratory is a $20 million National Science Foundation-funded national user facility led by NC State University. SPEED enables remotely accessible autonomous robotic experimentation in chemistry and materials science through integrated automation, AI, data infrastructure, and scientific instrumentation.

Introduction to the Work—Primary Purpose The Project Manager manages execution of SPEED's NSF-funded program across scientific, engineering, facility, and administrative workstreams. The position owns the integrated project plan, NSF milestones and reporting, risk management, and cross-team accountability; directly supervises 1–2 program staff and exercises matrix project-management leadership across SPEED to keep sponsor commitments and user-facility deliverables on schedule.

Wolfpack Perks and Benefits

As a Pack member, you belong here, and can enjoy exclusive perks designed to enhance your personal and professional well-being. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Proposition and learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone.

What we offer:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Programs
• Disability Plans
• Life Insurance
• Accident Plan
• Paid Time Off and Other Leave Programs
• 12 Holidays Each Year
• Tuition and Academic Assistance
• And so much more!

Attain Work-life balance with our Childcare benefits, Wellness & Recreation Membership, and Wellness Programs that aim to build a thriving wolfpack community.

Disclaimer: Perks and Benefit eligibility is based on Part-Time or Full-Time Employment status. Eligibility and Employer Sponsored Plans can be found within each of the links offered.

Essential Job Duties

As the Project Manager for SPEED (Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design), an NSF-funded national user facility for remotely accessible autonomous robotic experimentation in chemistry and materials science, you will lead program-wide planning, coordination, and execution across SPEED's scientific, engineering, operational, and infrastructure workstreams. You will manage integrated schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables to ensure progress remains aligned with NSF award commitments, annual objectives, facility deployment, and user-program goals.

You will serve as the central project-management interface among SPEED leadership, scientists, engineers, operations staff, university offices, vendors, and partner institutions, ensuring responsibilities, deadlines, and decisions are clearly defined and followed through. You will also lead NSF reporting and program documentation, supervise program staff, and establish consistent project-management practices across the Center.

Primary Responsibilities

Project Planning and NSF Deliverables

• Develop and maintain SPEED's integrated project plan, including milestones, dependencies, responsible workstream leads, and due dates.
• Establish project timelines and priorities with SPEED leadership and ensure responsible teams follow through on agreed deliverables.
• Monitor progress against NSF award commitments, annual objectives, equipment deployment, facility readiness, and user-program milestones.
• Identify schedule, resource, and cross-workstream risks and lead development of corrective actions with responsible teams.
• Maintain executive dashboards summarizing project status, risks, delays, decisions, and upcoming critical milestones.
• Provide SPEED leadership with clear recommendations when project issues require prioritization, escalation, or resource decisions.

NSF Reporting and Program Documentation

• Manage the NSF reporting calendar and ensure required technical, operational, user, workforce, and performance inputs are complete and submitted on schedule.
• Coordinate and verify milestone evidence, annual-report inputs, site-visit materials, and sponsor-review documentation across SPEED teams.
• Track project metrics and deliverables against the Project Execution Plan and other NSF requirements.
• Maintain centralized records of decisions, action items, risks, completed milestones, and supporting documentation.
• Prepare program summaries, milestone reports, presentations, and review materials in coordination with SPEED leadership.
• Establish consistent documentation and reporting practices that support NSF reviews, site visits, annual reporting, and program accountability.

Team and Cross-Functional Program Management

• Supervise 1–2 program staff assigned to areas such as outreach/user engagement and program or administrative support.
• Set priorities, assign work, review deliverables, and provide regular performance feedback to direct reports.
• Lead project and working-group meetings and document decisions, owners, deadlines, and unresolved issues.
• Manage dependencies across scientists, engineers, operations staff, university offices, vendors, and partner institutions.
• Serve as the central project-management point of contact for SPEED leadership and collaborating teams.

Risk, Resource, and Sponsor Coordination

• Maintain the program risk register and require mitigation plans for significant technical, procurement, staffing, schedule, or administrative risks.
• Resolve or escalate resource conflicts and schedule delays with clear options and recommended actions.
• Manage cross-functional timelines for major equipment procurement, installation, commissioning, facilities, IT, safety, and contracting dependencies.
• Coordinate logistics and materials for NSF reviews, advisory-board meetings, site visits, and major program meetings.
• Standardize project-management templates, reporting practices, and accountability processes across SPEED.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by connecting people, timelines, resources, and deliverables to support SPEED's research and program goals and its commitments to NSF. If you are an organized and collaborative program leader who enjoys bringing structure to complex initiatives, coordinating teams, and keeping high-priority work moving forward, we welcome you to apply.

Other Responsibilities:

In addition to the core responsibilities of this role, there may be occasional opportunities to take on additional duties. This offers an opportunity to build on your skills, explore new areas, and gain a deeper understanding of the department's operations.

Minimum Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, project management, business administration, or a related field.

Other Required Qualifications:

• Five or more years of experience managing complex research, engineering, technical, or infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience owning project schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, deliverables, and executive reporting.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and driving accountability across multiple concurrent projects.
• Experience supervising staff or providing formal project leadership across matrixed teams.
• Strong organizational, analytical, written communication, and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Managed federally funded research programs, including NSF awards, research centers, or user facilities, with responsibility for milestones, deliverables, budgets, or sponsor requirements.
• Preparation of sponsor reports and milestone reviews, with coordination of deliverables across multi-institutional research programs and university research environments.
• Technical background in scientific research, engineering, laboratory automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, or research infrastructure.
• Management of major equipment, facility, procurement, or commissioning activities, including schedules, dependencies, vendors, and implementation milestones.
• Development and maintenance of executive dashboards, risk registers, milestone reports, and sponsor-review materials to track project status, risks, and deliverables.
• PMP, CAPM, Agile, or comparable project-management certification or training.

Required License(s) or Certification(s): N/A

Valid NC Driver's License required: No

Commercial Driver's License required: No

Job Open Date: 09/24/2026

Anticipated Close Date: 10/08/2026; if posting is still active we are accepting and reviewing applications.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Please include a resume, cover letter and contact information for at least three professional references.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Position Number: 00112347

Position Type: EPS/SAAO

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) (1.0 = 40 hours/week): 1.0

Appointment: 12 Month Recurring

Mandatory Designation - Adverse Weather: Non Mandatory - Adverse Weather

Mandatory Designation - Emergency Events: Non Mandatory - Emergency Event

Department ID: 230101 - Interdisciplinary Programs - SVP

EEO: NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

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Organization

NC State: Think and Do

NC State was founded with a purpose: to create economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina and the country. We began as a land-grant institution teaching the agricultural and mechanical arts. Today, we're a pre-eminent research enterprise with 12 colleges excelling in all major academic fields.

Our 34,000 high-performing students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world by conducting research, working in internships and co-ops, and performing acts of world-changing service. That experiential education ensures that they leave here ready to lead the workforce. NC State's 13:1 student-faculty ratio is one of the reasons why we're the best college for your money in North Carolina (Money) and the No. 5 best value among public universities nationally (U.S. News & World Report).

Overcoming Challenges, Improving Lives

NC State is one of only two universities in the nation leading two National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers — one developing wearable, self-powered health monitors, and the other researching smart-grid technology. We're also leading interdisciplinary efforts to curb nuclear proliferation, help farmers confront climate change and build a new American manufacturing sector.

Our research doesn't just get published in a journal or sit on a shelf; it makes an impact. NC State is No. 6 nationwide in commercialization agreements based on university research, and we're No. 2 among universities without a medical school. Our Cooperative Extension Service provides research-based information to citizens in all 100 North Carolina counties. In addition, our industrial extension unit — Industry Expansion Solutions — has created an economic benefit for the state's manufacturers averaging $149 million per year since 2005.

Bright Minds Creating a Bold Future

NC State's 9,000 faculty and staff are world leaders in their fields, bridging the divides between academic disciplines and training high-caliber students to meet tomorrow's challenges. NC State students won two Goldwater scholarships, five Fulbright scholarships, one Churchill scholarship and a record-breaking 25 National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships in the 2016-2017 academic year. In addition, 25 faculty are members of the National Academies.

Our Centennial Campus, an award-winning public-private research campus, is home to more than 70 partner organizations working alongside more than 70 NC State research and academic units. Centennial is also the location of the innovative Hunt Library, which Time magazine has dubbed “the library of the future.”

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It all happens in one of the best cities in America. A top spot for job-seekers and tech professionals, Raleigh is nationally recognized as a leading urban center:

• No. 2 hot spot for tech jobs (Forbes, 2016)
• No. 3 best city for young professionals (Forbes, 2016)
• No. 4 best city for jobs (Glassdoor.com, 2017)
• No. 4 best place to live (U.S. News & World Report, 2016)
• Best big city in the Southeast (Time, 2016)
• Selected as a Google Fiber expansion city

With Durham and Chapel Hill, Raleigh anchors the Research Triangle, a national hotspot for high-tech enterprise. The top companies in the region — including IBM, Cisco Systems, SAS Institute, Biogen Idec and GlaxoSmithKline — are among the country's best employers. They also lead the way in hiring new NC State graduates.

More than 130 years after its creation, NC State continues to make its founding purpose a reality. Every day, our career-ready graduates and world-leading faculty make the fruits of learning and discovery available to people across the state, throughout the nation and around the world.