Cybersecurity Program Manager for National Security

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado, is the Nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Staff in NREL’s Cybersecurity Research Center (CRC) work to secure the energy transformation by leading cutting-edge, impactful cybersecurity research that enables scalable and quantifiable risk reduction for future energy systems. The CRC Cyber Program Manager for National Security (Cyber NatSec PM) will play a significant role in ensuring cybersecurity programs and related NREL laboratory capabilities effectively support the national security body of work executed within the CRC. Primary responsibilities include:

• Support the center’s cyber program strategy for national security portfolios, leading program planning activities to initiate, plan, and direct cyber program activities.
• Serve as the primary coordinator for communicating and representing cybersecurity equities across all lab-wide support organizations, including information technology, partnerships office, physical security, facility operations, general counsel, security organizations, energy security and resilience programs, etc.
• Codifying center-wide business processes and standardizing best practices for reporting and record keeping across all national security projects and teams within the CRC.

Responsibilities will require interactions with relevant stakeholders across NREL – including support organizations and other science and technology directorates – as well as DOE and/or other project managers and external stakeholder. The Cyber NatSec PM will also help manage risk across the cyber portfolio, ensuring tactical execution is in alignment with strategic objectives through execution of quarterly/annual deliverables related to the national security portfolio of cybersecurity R&D, including project reports, presentations, workshop summaries, etc. This position will also serve to support the integration of cross-project elements including but not limited to finance, procurement, funds-in, risk management, project and business management. Researches, assembles, and evaluates project information or data and recommends process improvement and solutions to project issues.

Responsibilities Include

• Leads strategic planning and coordination activities to ensure CRC national security program requirements and priorities are well communicated and executed across laboratory research support teams.
• Assists General Managers with strategic planning, reporting, and coordination related to the cyber national security portfolio.
• Participates in lab-wide working groups to develop new processes or services relevant to existing work in cybersecurity.
• Acts as the primary point of contact for CRC staff and managers to interface with the NREL security elements.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in Program Management principles, concepts, practices, and standards across the national security portfolio in cyber.
• Provides direction and mentoring to other CRC project managers and controllers supporting national security work.
• Responsible for providing and anticipating program security needs (e.g., facilities, IT systems, policies, procedures, etc.) for cyber national security programs, including long-range research support goals.
• Leads the establishment and management of baseline operational security controls unique to the cyber portfolio.
• Works independently to manage complex project(s) activities, deliverables, and problems.
• Implementing and managing project control systems and metrics and integrates project data across the national security portfolio in cyber.
• Leading and mentoring the project coordination of national security work within the CRC.
• Delegating programmatic objectives to other Project Managers.
• Providing training on new processes/best practices.
• Representing the CRC as its Program Manager in meetings at higher organizational levels.

Note: This position will require regular in-person job duties and is not eligible for 100% remote options.

Basic Qualifications

Relevant PhD and 9 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Expert understanding and application of project management principles, concepts, practices and standards. Expert knowledge of technical field and related disciplines. Exhibits an exceptional degree of ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness. Typically viewed as international expert within the field. Outstanding interpersonal, conflict resolution, teaming and communication skills.

• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Must have an active DOE Security Clearance.
• Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution, and teaming skills.
• Highly detail-orientated and thorough.
• Desire to continually develop program management skills, including learning how to use and apply new project management tools or using existing tools to meet program management needs.
• Strong interest in learning about technical and institutional aspects of NREL’s energy research projects and support organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusting relationships with team members, project leaders, and program leads across the laboratory.
• Knowledge and application of project management principles and practices.
• Skills in problem solving related to project challenges.
• Ability to prepare professional communications that are appropriate for internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Program Manager V / Annual Salary Range: $114,500 - $206,100

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

• Based on eligibility rules

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.