The increasing complexity of modern systems and enterprises demands a new generation of technical leaders whocan see and solve problems from multiple perspectives. Complex technical decision making, ubiquitous software,massive net-centricity, asynchronous clock speeds for the evolution of different technology and applicationelements, increasing legacy (systems and organizations), dissonant regulatory standards, decentralized governance,expanding applications and stakeholder expectations, global supply chains, and increased concerns about cyber andcyber-physical security are contributors to this complexity.The traditional career progression of technical leaders begins with domain specialists who grow to become systemsengineers, lead designers/architects, or team leads. However, very little formal training exists to prepare technicalleaders to reach the top level of leading complex technical organizations in roles such as Chief Engineer, ChiefArchitect, or Chief Technical Officer. The need for space technical leaders is becoming increasingly important asspace systems become more complex, the Apollo and Shuttle era workforce retires, and programs are cut or reduceddue to tight budgets, resulting in fewer opportunities for hands-on experiences.To meet this need, Stevens Institute of Technology, with its 140-year legacy of innovation in engineering andbusiness entrepreneurship, has developed a new Technical Leadership Program. The program results from twoyears of collaboration with senior technical leaders from industry and government in the U.S. and globally, andguidance from on-going research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense's Systems Engineering ResearchCenter (SERC), a University Affiliated Research Center that Stevens leads. These engagements have exploredcharacteristics of top technical leaders, common pitfalls and points of failure for technical leaders, skills needed atvarious career points, and how to leverage education and knowledge transfer to develop competencies of technicalleaders.The Technical Leadership Program is architected into three phases (lenses) - Systems, Business, and Enterprise -that align with a technical leader's career growth within an organization and enable an increasingly broader aperturefor problem solving and situational awareness. Communications, mentoring, ethics and technical integrity areemphasis themes that cut across all three lenses. Projects and coursework are presented in a dynamic experientiallearning environment ranging from case studies to simulation and are directly tied to participants' current and futurejob challenges.This paper will explore the research behind the Stevens Institute of Technology Technical Leadership Program,present details on the learning framework, and share initial observations from the inaugural class of master'sstudents that will begin in September 2011 in Washington DC.
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