What starts here changes the world.
The University of Texas at Austin, founded in 1883, ranks among the 40 best universities in the world with top national programs across 19 colleges and schools. By creating educational opportunities for all and leading cutting-edge research at scale, the University fosters positive social change, technological advancement, and economic progress showing the world that change really does start here.
An organizational priority is to successfully make UT the world’s highest-impact public research university, unleashing knowledge, opportunity and innovation from the heart of Texas.
Learn more about UT’s mission and values, and leadership.
Benefits
UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
Retirement contributions
Paid vacation and sick time
Paid holidays
Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered
About The LBJ School of Public Affairs
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the nation’s premier public policy schools. As Texas’ top-ranked policy school for over five decades, the LBJ School provides unmatched opportunities for students to engage with policymakers, industry leaders and innovators in Austin and beyond. The school is committed to improving the quality of public service in the United States and abroad at all levels of governance and civic engagement. Our goals are to prepare students and professionals for leadership positions in public service, produce interdisciplinary research to advance our understanding of complex societal problems and create solutions, promote effective public policy and management practice and foster civic engagement on issues of public concern.
Committed to advancing the quality of public service, the LBJ School continues to drive education, research and civic engagement at all levels of governance.
Purpose
The Technical Director will teach courses in the Masters of National Security curriculum while leading the technical operations and strategic development of the university's Texas Open-Source Initiative (TOSI), a new component of the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project. This role combines hands-on technical expertise with teaching and leadership responsibilities, advancing the initiative’s mission to conduct ethical, rigorous open-source research while training students in the skills and ethics of open-source collection.
Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Operations
Ability to translate complex technical concepts for variable audiences, think strategically about technology adoption and implementation and able to project manage for multi-stakeholder initiatives
Oversee and maintain the initiative’s technical infrastructure, including secure research environments, data storage systems, and specialized OSINT tools
Develop, implement, and socialize technical standards and best practices for research and digital investigations
Ensure compliance with university data governance, privacy, and security policies
Manage relationships with open-source communities and government partners
Research & Project Management
Ability to translate complex technical concepts for variable audiences, strategic thinking about technology adoption and implementation, project management skills for multi-stakeholder initiatives
Collaborate with faculty on complex technical investigations requiring advanced OSINT methodologies
Provide technical guidance and support for student research projects across disciplines
Develop methodologies for reproducible, ethically conducted digital research
Coordinate with the broader UT community and external partners including NGOs, academic institutions, and government agencies
Educational & Training Leadership
Teach two courses in the Masters of National Security curriculum, such as Intelligence Analysis and Digital Investigations, Emerging Technologies and National Security
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, experience presenting to academic, governmental, and public audiences and ability to work effectively with interdisciplinary teams
Design and deliver technical workshops and training programs for students and faculty
Mentor graduate students and postdocs conducting technical research
Organize public engagement events
Create educational resources and SOPs
Strategic Development
Strong commitment to research ethics and responsible disclosure practices, understanding of academic integrity and publication standards, awareness of legal and ethical constraints in digital investigations
Contribute to grant writing and fundraising efforts for initiative expansion
Identify emerging technologies and methodologies relevant to open-source intelligence
Build partnerships with industry, government, and academic institutions
Represent the initiative at conferences and professional meetings
Advise on ethical frameworks for digital investigations
Required Qualifications
PhD in Computer Science, Information Science, Digital Forensics, Political Science with heavy quantitative background, or related technical field, OR Master's degree with 5+ years of relevant professional experience
Demonstrated experience with open-source intelligence tools and methodologies
Preferred Qualifications
Proficiency in Python, R, or similar languages for data analysis and tool development
Experience with forensic analysis tools and methodologies for digital evidence
Knowledge of GIS software, satellite imagery analysis, location intelligence
Advanced skills in statistical analysis, data visualization, metadata analysis, and large dataset manipulation
Understanding of web scraping, API development, and database management
Knowledge of operational security, anonymization techniques, and secure research practices
Deep understanding of social media platforms, their APIs, and data collection methodologies, experience with image and video analysis tools for verification and forensic analysis, knowledge of network analysis and relationship mapping techniques, understanding of information warfare, disinformation, and content manipulation detection
Salary Range
$100,000 + depending on qualifications
Working Conditions
Hybrid work arrangement with flexibility for remote work
Occasional travel for conferences, training, and collaborative projects
Typical office environment.
Repetitive use of keyboard
Required Materials
Resume/CV
3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
Letter of interest
Optional: Portfolio of OSINT-related projects or tools developed
Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.
Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above
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