The director of CEROC provides vision and leadership to the university in all aspects of cybersecurity, including education, research, and outreach. The director is responsible for leading the growth and sustainability of cybersecurity initiatives, including workforce development across all domains and fields, as charged to CEROC by the state, and growing cybersecurity research at Tennessee Tech. The director represents Tennessee Tech and Tennessee, as appropriate, in industry, state, and national forums in cybersecurity. The director supervises and leads in ensuring CEROC’s continued designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C). The director also provides team leadership in developing cyber-related curriculum and disciplines across the university as well as across Tennessee.

Increase CEROC’s research and education stature and funding by developing and implementing strategies such as: leading university-wide efforts in cybersecurity, research and education; developing strong external and internal partnerships that lead to funding for larger strategic initiatives, especially multi-million, multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary grants  and contracts; working with the Vice President for Research, the Associate Dean for Research, and other appropriate partners in interacting with funding agencies, and other  external constituents; coordinating programs to promote and recognize cybersecurity research and teaching activities across the university; providing leadership and supervision to CEROC’s staff, faculty, and partners in such matters as budget preparation and expenditures, staff development, proposal writing, and research and educational collaborations and initiatives;  coordinating CEROC’s cost-sharing research investments with department chairs, the dean, and other stakeholders with accountability from the investees; assisting the departments in recruiting outstanding faculty in the area of cybersecurity and related areas, develop competitive start-up packages and facilities; assisting new faculty through engagement and mentorship to establish successful research programs and  significant research proposals.  

The director is specifically tasked with growing additional accreditations, such as CAE-CD, CAE-R, and CAE-CO. the CyberCorps program, the cybersecurity-related enrollment, and graduates in the university, and the cybersecurity-related workforce across the state in alignment with university and state objectives.

The director is responsible for identifying and developing potential funding sources and strategic research initiatives in response to emerging opportunities and supporting faculty in leveraging these resources. 

Earned doctorate in computer engineering or computer science; qualify for a faculty appointment at the rank of professor in Computer Science or Computer Engineering; experience in supervising the research of graduate students through a Ph.D.; proven track record of externally-funded research and nationally-recognized scholarly achievement; working knowledge of government and industrial funding sources; proven ability to put together successful research teams and commitment to working collaboratively with people from a diverse range of disciplines and groups; demonstrated commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity in alignment with state and Federal regulations and laws; and superior communication skills and strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with students, faculty, staff and administrators of the university and external constituents.

Preferred: Knowledge of, and experience in, fiscal management and compliance with oversight of grants, contracts and major research programs; success as a leader of a department, college, or university level initiative;  experience in identifying funding opportunities, establish priorities, and lead innovative strategic efforts critical to the success of the college's research programs; experience  in planning, implementing, or sustaining comprehensive research centers or programs; experience in leading major research thrust areas including  obtaining resources and building teams; experience in obtaining funding from multiple federal sources such as NSF, DoE, DoD, industry, and state programs; willingness to engage in an appropriate level of teaching and externally funded research activity.

The CEROC Project Manager position will provide support for all grant functions and grant-related activities for CEROC.  It is important to note that many of the outreach efforts conducted by CEROC on behalf of the center, CS department, college, and university are grant-funded and require coordination of efforts in both financial and operational areas.  This position will provide pre and post grant support for center-aligned grant activities.  The position will provide comprehensive financial reporting for active indexes within the center's grant portfolio.  In regards to coordination, this role will be responsible for all contractual and procurement workflows related to grant-funded work.  The position will also serve as a backup to the CEROC Cyber Outreach Coordinator position in regards to event logistics and production.  The position reports to the Center Director.  

1.       Provide project management support for all grant-funded projects in the center including, but not limited to: agency compliance, procurement activities, budgetary support functions, agency and university archiving and reporting compliance, and coordination of services provided via grant activities

2.       Management and processing of project budgetary documents as directed by CEROC leadership

3.       Provide comprehensive reporting on all project budgetary efforts on a quarterly basis

4.       Manage financial and reporting elements of the CyberCorps SFS and DoD CySP scholarship programs

5.       Provide support for data collection and reporting activities related to the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program

6.       Assist CEROC faculty affiliates in preparing and assembling grants proposals in compliance with sponsor, university, and federal guidelines and deadlines

7.       Collaborate with the Office of Sponsored Research and Grant Accounting to ensure that grant management efforts align with university policies and procedures

8.       Collaborate with other research centers on campus to ensure that grant management “body of common knowledge” is shared with all grant management employees

9.       Manage subaward / subcontract relationship with other institutions where CEROC is the lead unit

10.   Manage supporting materials relating to undergraduate student workers, graduate student appointments, and student scholarship portfolios (includes local and federal document management for CyberCorps Scholarship for Service and Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship students) (grant related)

11.   Provide backup logistical support to the CEROC Outreach Coordinator for all CEROC events

1.       High school diploma

2.       Two or more years’ experience with bookkeeping and general office management in a dynamic working environment where multiple, competing workflows are commonplace

3.       Proficiency with the Microsoft Office (particularly advanced skills in Microsoft Excel)

4.       Ability to use web-based systems for financial transactions and forms processing

5.       Excellent communication skills – written and verbal

6.       Ability to handle deadline-oriented tasks

1.       Associates’ degree

2.       Prior experience with federal grant application, management, and reporting processes

3.       Prior project management experience  

4.       Four or more years’ experience in a dynamic working environment where multiple, competing workflows are commonplace

The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) is seeking current students interested in working as a member of a six-person team focused on the development cybersecurity challenges for middle and high school students.  These challenges will be delivered via the Discord platform.  Experience with Discord bot development and Python is a plus, but not required. 

Selected students will be employed for up to 10 hours/wk.  Compensation begins at $10/hr.  Interested students should send their resume and statement of interest to ceroc@tntech.edu.  Please include the phrase "Cyber Challenge Developer" in the subject line.  Screening will begin on January 9, 2023 until the positions are filled. 

The Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) is seeking current students interested in working as a member of a center workflow development team focused on automation of center project workflows.  Students will be required to obtain a student worker AD account to use the Dynamic Forms / Office 365 development environment.

Selected students will be employed for up to 10 hours/wk.  Compensation begins at $10/hr.  Interested students should send their resume and statement of interest to ceroc@tntech.edu.  Please include the phrase "Dynamic Forms Student Developer" in the subject line.  Screening will begin on January 9, 2023 until the positions are filled.