Job Posting: Group Leader in Human Factors & Advanced System Testing at VTTI

Job Posting: Group Leader in Human Factors & Advanced System Testing at VTTI

Posting: SR0150010   http://listings.jobs.vt.edu/postings/54417

Leads the Human Factors and Advanced System Testing Group within the Center for Truck & Bus Safety.

Description:

Has full technical responsibility for interpreting, organizing, executing, and coordinating assignments for a growing research and support staff. Plans and develops a rapidly expanding number of grants and engineering projects concerned with unique or controversial problems which have an important effect on major organization programs in the private and government sectors. This involves exploration of subject area, definition of scope, selection of problems for investigation, and development of novel concepts and approaches. Maintain liaison with individuals and units within, and a growing number of sponsors outside the organization with responsibility for acting independently on technical matters pertaining to the field. Work at this level requires extensive progressive experience. The ideal candidate should a proven track record of extramural funding, publications, professional presentations.

Responsibilities:

-In a supervisory capacity plans, develops, coordinates, and directs a number of large and important projects or a project of major scope and importance.
-As an individual researcher conceives, plans, and conducts research in problem areas of considerable scope and complexity.
-It is expected that this researcher will encounter problems that must be approached through a series of complete and conceptually related studies, are difficult to define, require unconventional or novel approaches, and require sophisticated research techniques. Available guides and precedents contain critical gaps, are only partially related to the problem or may be largely lacking due to the novel character of the project. At this level, the individual researcher generally will have contributed inventions, new designs, or techniques which are of material significance in the solution of important problems.
-As a staff specialist serves as the technical specialist for the organization in the application of advanced theories, concepts, principles, and processes for an assigned area of responsibility (i.e., subject matter expert, evaluation of a function, facility, equipment, or product).
-Keeps abreast of new scientific methods and developments affecting the organization for the purpose of recommending changes in emphasis of programs or new programs warranted by such developments.
-Interacts with current and future clients and obtains new points of contact for future research.

Education and Requirements:
-Advanced degree in related field such as Human Factors Engineering and significant experience in transportation human factors research/engineering or equivalent with emphasis on experimental aspects. Candidates with a lesser degree and significant experience in lieu of Ph.D. degree will also be considered. 

-In depth knowledge of the transportation human factors/engineering field, experimental design, data reduction, and statistical analysis techniques. 

-Experience in transportation human factors pertaining to heavy/commercial vehicles is a plus. -Experience running empirical studies with human subjects and using statistical program packages (e.g., SAS, MatLab, R).  

-Candidate should be a skilled writer, able to clearly and concisely document findings in technical reports, present results to clients, present results at conferences, and publish in scientific journals.

-Previous expertise in heavy truck, commercial vehicle and transportation research.  

-Experience with responding to RFPs, writing proposals, developing budgets, and project/staff management.

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