Supply Chain and Economics Research Professional

Job Description Summary

• Organization's Summary Statement:
• The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland is a University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and technology transition to improve decision making for U.S. national security. ARLIS combines deep scientific expertise with operational insight to address challenges in intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence / machine learning, quantum science, and human-machine teaming. Researchers, scientists, engineers, and analysts at ARLIS collaborate with government agencies, industry partners, and academic institutions to deliver actionable insights and transformative solutions through research and development. Employees at ARLIS work on projects of critical importance, contribute directly to the nation’s security, and are supported by a culture that values integrity, collaboration, and professional growth.

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland, College Park, is seeking qualified candidates with expertise in supply chain and economics and their implications for national and economic security. Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, applying systems thinking to evaluate complex national security problems through supply chain resilience, industrial base, and economic lenses. Candidates should be comfortable working in collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams and communicating complex analytic findings through technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders.

Successful candidates will contribute to a portfolio of government-sponsored projects addressing emerging challenges in areas such as supply chain risk and resilience, industrial base and production capacity, technology and manufacturing ecosystems, economic security, and policy and governance shaping markets and adoption. Work may include research development, rapid analytic sprints, stakeholder engagement, and the production of actionable insights that inform decision-making across technology strategy, acquisition, contingency planning, and operational risk management. Positions may include a focus on applied research, systems-level analysis, policy-relevant assessment, and/or field-informed studies of how organizations and institutions respond to supply chain and economic constraints. Final appointment title and responsibilities will be based on qualifications and matched to programmatic needs.

Positions may include a focus on applied research, systems-level analysis, policy-relevant technical assessment, and/or field-informed studies of how technologies are used in real-world contexts. Final appointment title and responsibilities will be based on qualifications and matched to programmatic needs.

• Roles and Responsibilities
• Roles and Responsibilities will vary by project and candidate expertise and may include:

• •Conducting interdisciplinary research on supply chain and economic security challenges at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with an emphasis on national security relevance
• •Applying systems thinking approaches to frame and evaluate national security problems, including mapping interdependencies across suppliers, production stages, logistics, markets, and institutions
• •Assessing supply chain vulnerabilities and resilience, including chokepoints, single points of failure, concentration risk, substitution constraints, lead times, and surge capacity
• •Analyzing industrial base and production ecosystems, including R&D-to-production pathways, scaling dynamics, and the role of standards, regulation, and incentives in shaping outcomes
• •Evaluating economic drivers and constraints affecting supply chain behavior (e.g., pricing, market structure, investment incentives, tradeoffs between efficiency and resilience) and their implications for policy and strategy
• •Contributing to research proposals and technical work plans, including scoping research questions, defining methods, and supporting sponsor engagement as needed
• •Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams including engineers, data scientists, domain experts, behavioral and social scientists, and policy analysts to integrate methods and findings
• •Preparing technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders, translating complex analyses into clear, decision-relevant products (e.g., reports, slide briefings, memos, and research summaries)

Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance. If selected, you must meet the requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to a government security clearance investigation that includes criminal and credit history checks, as well as verification of U.S. citizenship, birth, education, employment, and military history.

Final offer is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to successfully obtain the necessary interim Secret security clearance, as determined by the U.S. Government, prior to commencing employment.

• Qualifications:
• ARLIS is hiring at all levels in two complementary tracks: Research Specialist and Research Engineer.

• Research Specialist Qualifications:
• Entry Level:
• •Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as industrial engineering, economics, operations research or operations management, science and technology policy, international affairs, supply chain, management science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience.
• •~2 years of demonstrated experience in organizing and managing projects through volunteer, extracurricular, or work activities
• •Demonstrated potential for excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs
• •Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary opportunity team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team-centric culture
• •Strong oral and written communication skills
• •Excellent analytical and deep-dive skills

• Mid-Level:
• •Master’s degree in a relevant field such as industrial engineering, economics, operations research or operations management, science and technology policy, international affairs, supply chain, management science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience and 3+ years of experience in a technical role or project management position for defense or intelligence R&D programs with experience in technology assessment, systems design, system analysis, executing on multiple technical programs with scheduled deliverables, and communicating and interfacing with government customers; or Bachelor’s Degree and 5+ years of relevant experience in a role of equivalent responsibility

• •Superior ability to deliver excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs
• •Interact with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders
• •Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary opportunity capture team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team-centric culture
• •Strong oral and written communication skills
• •Excellent analytical and deep-dive skills

• Senior-Level:
• •Master’s degree in a relevant field such as industrial engineering, economics, operations research or operations management, science and technology policy, international affairs, supply chain, management science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience and 7+ years of experience in a technical role or project management position for defense or intelligence R&D programs with experience in technology assessment, systems design, system analysis, executing on multiple technical programs with scheduled deliverables, and communicating and interfacing with government customers; or Bachelor’s Degree and 10+ years of relevant experience in a role of equivalent responsibility
• •Superior ability to deliver excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of r