Associate Division Director, APS Engineering Support (AES)

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory seeks an Associate Division Director (ADD) to provide leadership for a major science and technology area within the APS Engineering Support Division (AES). Reporting to the AES Division Director, the ADD provides strategic, operational, and technical leadership across a portfolio comprising the Information Solutions, Information Technology, and Mechanical Design and Drafting groups. The ADD serves on the AES senior leadership team, contributes to Photon Sciences Directorate initiatives, and is accountable for the division’s success across a broad range of strategic and tactical performance requirements.

Organizational Context

The APS is one of the world’s most productive hard X-ray light sources and a national scientific resource operated by Argonne National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. The APS Engineering Support Division delivers the mechanical, electrical, controls, safety, information technology, and information solutions capabilities required to operate the accelerator complex and the associated beamlines and provides engineering services to the broader APS scientific enterprise. AES is a large, multidisciplinary organization operating in an environment that requires strong safety culture, disciplined engineering practice, and continuous coordination with the Accelerator Division, the X-ray Science Division, and Argonne’s central services.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Personnel:

• Provide senior leadership, direction, mentorship, and performance management to the leaders of the Information Solutions, Information Technology, and Mechanical Design and Drafting groups, and, through them, to the staff of those groups.

• Serve as a member of the AES senior leadership team, contributing to division-wide strategy, workforce planning, budget development, and operational decision-making.

• Foster a culture of safety, technical excellence, professional development, inclusion, and cross-group collaboration; act as a role model for the Argonne Core Values.

• Recruit, retain, and develop a functionally diverse and high-performing workforce; oversee succession planning for key technical and leadership positions within the portfolio.

Strategic Direction and Execution:

• Set the strategic direction for the assigned groups in alignment with AES and APS priorities and translate that direction into an actionable roadmap with clear phases, milestones, deliverables, and measurable outcomes.

• Develop the tactical implementation plans required to deliver on the roadmap: define scope, sequencing, resource commitments, dependencies, decision gates, and risk mitigations; validate that plans are executable within the available capacity and budget; and secure commitment from the responsible group leaders and stakeholders.

• Drive the successful execution of those plans through active operational leadership: hold groups accountable to committed milestones and outcomes; anticipate and address risks and blockers early; adjust the plan when circumstances change without losing sight of strategic intent; and personally intervene when a critical initiative is at risk.

• Lead the AES contribution to enterprise digital initiatives — modernization of the digital infrastructure, integration and rationalization of engineering business systems, and establishment of a unified engineering data thread across the organization — from mission need definition through detailed implementation to sustained operation.

• Champion and personally own the modernization of mechanical design and drafting capabilities, including CAD, PLM, and digital engineering workflows; ensure that the transition from current state to modernized capability is delivered on schedule and produces measurable improvements in productivity, quality, and traceability.

• Establish and monitor implementation metrics — milestone completion, budget adherence, service-level performance, and customer outcomes — and report progress transparently to the AES Division Director, division leadership, and stakeholders; use the resulting data to drive continuous improvement in how the portfolio delivers.

• Partner with peer leaders across AES, the Accelerator Division, the X-ray Science Division, and Argonne central services to align priorities, resolve cross-division dependencies during implementation, and secure the stakeholder engagement necessary for change to be adopted and sustained.

• Build and sustain the internal capacity — talent, processes, tools, and culture — required for the portfolio to execute complex, multi-year initiatives reliably, and institutionalize successful practices so that improvements outlast individual projects.

Operational and Technical Oversight:

• Ensure the safe, compliant, and reliable operation of the groups within the portfolio, including compliance with Argonne, DOE, and other applicable requirements.

• Oversee the operational planning and delivery of information technology, information solutions, and mechanical design and drafting services in support of APS operations, projects, and scientific user programs.

• Manage annual operating budgets and long-term capital planning for the portfolio; establish and monitor performance measures for service delivery, reliability, and cost effectiveness.

• Ensure that engineering design and drafting output meets applicable standards for quality, configuration control, and long-term maintainability.

External and Cross-Divisional Representation:

• Represent AES to Argonne senior leadership, DOE program offices, external review committees, and the user community as appropriate.

• Participate in laboratory-wide committees, working groups, and initiatives, particularly those affecting information technology, digital engineering, or engineering design across Argonne.

• Support the AES Division Director on strategic initiatives, including organization efforts intended to consolidate and modernize the engineering enterprise supporting the APS.

Position Requirements

• Master’s degree in engineering, computer science, mechanical systems engineering, engineering physics, or a related technical discipline; equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively increasing responsibility in engineering or a closely related technical discipline, including at least ten (10) years of experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams or organizations, with a proven history of delivering strategic initiatives, complex engineering programs, and organizational results.

• Demonstrated experience managing managers, i.e., leading an organization through group leaders responsible for their own staff and technical scope.

• Demonstrated experience developing and executing organizational strategy, managing budgets, and leading through organizational change.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to represent the organization effectively to senior laboratory leadership, external stakeholders, technical staff, and users.

• Demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, and a positive, inclusive work culture.

• Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork.

• Interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and ability to interact with people at all levels both within and outside the laboratory.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Doctoral degree in engineering, physics, computer science, or related discipline.

• Experience in a national laboratory, major research facility, or scientific user facility environment, including familiarity with 24/7 operations, safety programs, and Department of Energy requirements.

• Experience with digital transformation programs, including product lifecycle management (PLM), MBSE, AI for operations and engineering, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), digital thread implementations, or equivalent enterprise engineering data platforms.

• Experience with engineering design and drafting tools and processes, including CAD systems and configuration management practices for engineered assets.

• Familiarity with EPICS-based control systems and scientific computing environments.

• Experience leading organizational transitions, including matrixed working arrangements across scientific and engineering divisions.

• Familiarity with DOE Order 413.3B or equivalent project management frameworks.

Working Conditions and Location

This position is based at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois. On-site presence is expected during the work week. Occasional domestic and international travel may be required for conferences, program reviews, and coordination with partner facilities.

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Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

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