Technical Director, Texas Open-Source Initiative (TOSI)

Job Details

General Notes

About The University of Texas at Austin

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 , and .

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 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 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

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.