Director of Human Performance Optimization

The University of Southern California (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) seeks a Director of Human Performance Optimization to lead applied research programs that improve service member and unit readiness, performance, training effectiveness, and decision superiority.

The Director will provide scientific and technical leadership for a portfolio of Department of War (DoW)-sponsored research spanning human performance, physiological and behavioral monitoring, technology-enabled training, performance assessment, adaptive learning, and operational decision-making. The successful candidate will translate rigorous basic and applied research into practical tools, measures, and training approaches that address sponsor needs across Navy, Marine Corps, and other DoW organizations.

The ideal candidate will have a distinguished record of leading multidisciplinary research teams; developing and transitioning applied science and technology solutions; managing complex research portfolios; and collaborating with government, academic, and industry partners. The candidate should bring demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Human performance, readiness, resilience, and physiological monitoring
• Wearable technologies, biometric sensing, sleep, fatigue, stress, and musculoskeletal health
• Training science, instructional design, adaptive learning, and learner modeling
• Decision-making, cognitive performance, expertise development, and performance assessment
• Virtual, simulated, or technology-mediated training environments
• Data-driven tools, artificial intelligence-enabled assessment, and human-system integration
• Military readiness, lethality, force development, and operational performance research

The Director will actively pursue research funding; develop high-quality proposals; oversee research planning, execution, analysis, and reporting; and lead the dissemination of findings through sponsor engagements, technical reports, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations at government, academic, and industry forums. The Director will also mentor researchers and technical staff and build productive partnerships across USC, government laboratories, operational communities, academia, and industry.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of applied research programs focused on human performance, readiness, training, assessment, and operational decision-making.
• Define technical strategy and research priorities in coordination with sponsors, ICT leadership, and external collaborators.
• Develop, submit, and manage research proposals and funded projects for DoW, federal, and related sponsors.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams of researchers, engineers, data scientists, developers, and external performers through all phases of project execution.
• Design and oversee rigorous studies involving physiological, cognitive, behavioral, and performance data.
• Guide the development and validation of wearable-monitoring approaches, performance measures, training technologies, and decision-support tools, as applicable to the project portfolio.
• Translate research findings into usable products, recommendations, prototypes, training interventions, and transition plans for operational stakeholders.
• Establish and sustain relationships with Navy, Marine Corps, and broader DoW research, acquisition, training, and operational communities.
• Produce peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, briefings, and other research products.
• Present research findings and demonstrate project capabilities at sponsor meetings, government installations, professional conferences, and other venues.
• Mentor junior staff, contribute to workforce development, and foster an interdisciplinary, mission-focused research environment.
• Ensure research activities are conducted in accordance with applicable institutional, sponsor, human-subjects, data-handling, and records-management requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, physiology, kinesiology, biomedical engineering, human factors, learning sciences, computer science, or a closely related discipline.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience leading basic, applied, or translational research programs.
• Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-year research projects involving government, academic, and/or industry partners.
• Demonstrated ability to develop research proposals and secure or support the acquisition of externally funded research.
• Substantial expertise in at least one core technical domain: human performance; physiological monitoring; training and education; cognitive performance; decision-making; performance assessment; human factors; or related fields.
• Experience designing, conducting, analyzing, and reporting human-subjects research or operationally relevant performance research.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or other recognized research products.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical findings clearly to scientific, technical, and senior government audiences.
• Demonstrated team leadership, mentorship, project-management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of DoW research priorities, organizations, acquisition or transition processes, and operational customer requirements related to readiness, training, human performance, or force development.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Navy, Marine Corps, or other DoW human-performance, training, readiness, or operational communities.
• Experience integrating wearable, physiological, behavioral, cognitive, or performance data to assess readiness or predict performance outcomes.
• Experience developing or evaluating adaptive training, artificial intelligence-enabled learning tools, simulations, serious games, virtual reality, or other technology-based training systems.
• Experience with decision-making research, expertise development, performance feedback, or assessment of individuals and teams in complex operational settings.
• Experience transitioning research products, measures, training systems, or decision-support capabilities to government sponsors or operational users.
• Experience serving as a principal investigator, research program manager, technical integration lead, or equivalent senior technical leader.
• Experience leading portfolios that include multiple performers across government, academia, and industry.
• Familiarity with research governance requirements, including human-subjects protections and data-management practices.
• Active security clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain a clearance, as required by assigned projects. U.S. citizenship is required for security-clearance eligibility.

The annual base salary range for this position is $145,000 to $185,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Why work at ICT:

• Work on exciting and engaging projects that have real-life impact.
• Small project team environment allows for involvement across entire project lifecycle.
• A quality work-life balance.
• Meet interesting people from all walks of life – technologists, social scientists, military, writers.
• Opportunities for free, top-tier university education for you and your children.
• Located in the heart of Silicon Beach.
• Great benefits - medical to matched retirement http://benefits.usc.edu/

Minimum Education: Doctorate, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: Over 10 years, Combined education/experience as substitute for minimum experience
Minimum Field of Expertise: Education and experience directly related to field of research. Expert knowledge of field, statistical research, and fundraising.

                                                  

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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