CIRES/CEEE Associate Director
Requisition Number:
Location:
City
State
Employment Type:
Schedule:
Posting Close Date:
Date Posted:
Job Summary
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder seeks to hire an Associate Director for the Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation (CEEE). This position will contribute to and support the overall leadership, planning and strategy of CEEE. The successful candidate will work closely with and assist the CEEE Director on central initiatives, and under guidance of the Director, will oversee part of the center’s project portfolio, center communication, operations and business development. The duties for this position are varied and require an interest and ability in learning new skills, working with multiple teams, and across fields. Creativity and flexibility in problem solving, project management experience, organizational skills and attention to detail, excellent communication, and good interpersonal skills are critical for this position. The successful candidate will be responsible for some grant writing to support the CEEE team.
The position requires the successful candidate to lead part of CEEE’s program portfolio. The project responsibilities will change with available funding, the candidate’s interest and experience. Initially, the CEEE Associate Director will take on the management of the ADVANCING FieldSafety (AFS) program. AFS provides field research teams with the training and tools to promote inclusive, supportive, welcoming, discrimination-free and productive environments, identify and respond to unsafe and harmful behaviors, support those impacted by the behaviors, and plan to reduce their likelihood and impact in the future. The program offers a tiered training approach to increase field team preparedness and change fieldwork team culture. The program management includes leading and broad dissemination of the trainings, coordination of the research aspect, and advancement of field safety in the Geosciences.
The successful candidate possesses a strong background in science education, public engagement, science career development or program evaluation, and excellent understanding of the national science education landscape. The successful candidate will also have experience in leadership, strategic planning, and demonstrated experience in working effectively with and bringing together students, educators and scientists in a variety of learning environments. The leadership role requires the CEEE Associate Director to be in the office 4 days per week.
Who We Are
At CIRES, more than 900 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more. Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.
CIRES Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation (CEEE) is home to a team of 24 outreach, education and evaluation professionals. CIRES CEEE is a national center for K-16 education, educator professional learning, public engagement, career development and training for students and scientists. CEEE is a well-known and trusted partner for connecting CIRES science with educators, learners and communities. We strive to make research data accessible, inspire environmental action and empower curiosity and scientific engagement. We provide accessible, inclusive, high-quality environmental science curriculum and informal learning experiences, as well as meaningful professional and career development opportunities.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
Lead and Manage CIRES CEEE Operations and Strategic Initiatives (40%)
Operations:
- Manage key operations and office management of the center, ensure that administrative needs of the team are met.
- Oversee all CEEE communication, marketing and website aspects including strategic partnership with communication teams from CIRES, NOAA, CU Boulder, and partner organizations.
- Lead internal communication across CEEE and across subteams.
- Organize team meetings and retreats together with the Director and the CEEE leadership team.
- Supervise 3-4 team members of the communication and administrative team.
CIRES CEEE Programs and Projects:
- Support strategic visioning, innovative programming and creative problem-solving for CEEE and work with the Director to implement and manage critical initiatives.
- Assist the CEEE Director with overseeing existing scope of work and deliverables and provide guidance for program management to ensure center and program goals are met and the work across CEEE subteams is integrated.
- Lead CEEE’s high-level reporting and impact assessment.
- Manage and foster strategic partnerships and forge connections with different partners, organizations and networks, represent CEEE in internal and external settings.
Manage the ADVANCEing FieldSafety (AFS) Program (40%)
- Provide overall program management and work closely with the AFS leadership team, the research team and the partners at the ADVANCE Geo partnership.
- Proactively disseminate the AFS Course, trainings, and AFS toolkit.
- Co-develop and co-lead synchronous reflection and training sessions.
- Incorporate feedback from field teams and field researchers into all AFS materials.
- Author newsletters and social media posts about field safety and risk management content, keep program website current and engaging.
- Build partnerships with field teams across the country to participate in the AFS research component and seek new participants.
- Support the AFS research and evaluation teams in data collection.
- Present program results at national conferences.
- Develop publications about the program and lead reporting for the program.
Contribute to CIRES CEEE Business Development (15%)
- Contribute to and eventually lead grant writing.
- Contribute to grants management and reporting about programs.
- Publish and present about CEEE projects, programs, and findings that advance the field of science and public engagement.
Other (5%)
- Encourage and ensure that standard methodologies of Belonging, Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (BAJEDI) are guiding all programs and partnerships.
- Additional tasks assigned by the Director.
What You Should Know
The position will be filled as a full-time (100%) research faculty position at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While we offer a hybrid work environment, the successful candidate will work 3 days/week in the Boulder office. Hybrid work arrangements will follow current CIRES and university guidance and policies.
What We Can Offer
- CIRES offers a generous compensation and benefits package.
- The annual hiring salary for this position ranges from $77,220-108,000. Salary is commensurate with education and experience and determined based on our CIRES internal career track classification.
- Associate Scientist III Career Track: $77,220 - $100,500
- Senior Associate Scientist Career Track: $82,985 - $108,000
- Some relocation funds are available to help off-set moving expenses, following CIRES and the University of Colorado’s relocation processes and procedures.
- Boulder is a vibrant community with access to mountain parks, dog parks, miles of trails, rivers, lakes, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, theaters, museums, and sports venues. Boulder was recently ranked as one of the top places to live in the U.S. by U.S. News.
- As an employee at CU Boulder, you will have free access to the regional public transit system, an outstanding network of buses, and light rail systems that service Boulder and connect to Denver, the Denver airport, and surrounding communities.
Benefits
Be Statements
What We Require
- Ph.D. degree in education, environmental science, geoscience or other relevant field is required.
- Masters degree plus 4 additional years of relevant experience can be substituted for this requirement.
- At least 4 years of demonstrated program management experience including hiring, grant management, event planning, and reporting.
- Work experience in an educational or research setting with federal grants and contracts.
- At least 4 years of experience in supervising and mentoring professionals regarding career goals, project goal setting and other relevant professional activities.
- Experience implementing standard processes in belonging, accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion (BAJEDI) in programs and initiatives.
- Ability to travel outside of Colorado occasionally (~3-5 trips/year).
What You Will Need
The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate independence and initiative as well as evidence of the ability to work collaboratively as a team member and pursue established project goals. Qualified candidates will also have:
- Demonstrated ability to lead multiple project teams and allocate team resources effectively to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
- Excellent interpersonal and team collaboration skills.
- Demonstrated organizational skills, including attention to detail and effective problem-solving skills with a positive, can-do attitude.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize, manage and plan multiple projects simultaneously.
- Demonstrated ability to develop grant proposals and success in securing funding.
- Demonstrated ability to solve problems independently and creatively.
- Demonstrated skill in written and oral communication for a variety of audiences.
- Comprehensive knowledge of science education, public engagement, and/or career development for students and scientists.
- Strong verbal and written communications skills.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people (educators, scientists, educational specialists, administrators) in accomplishing program goals.
- Ability to implement strategic initiatives.
- Ability and desire to work with a collaborative team of scientists and educators broadly and geographically dispersed.
- High proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and project management and communication tools.
What We Would Like You to Have
We invite applicants to apply even if they do not have the preferred skills and experience outlined in this section. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply. We encourage on-the-job training for any additional skills or knowledge that become relevant to the position.
- Experience in geoscience education, working with educators, learners, youth and public audiences.
- Prior experience working on sponsored research projects.
- Experience with education around field safety.
- Experience working with field researchers and experience in improving the culture and safety of science teams.
- Experience participating in field research or field experiences.
- Participation or prior experience with ADVANCEGeo workshops.
- Evidence of developing fresh, creative, and effective techniques or approaches for management, teaching and communication.
Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- Resume/CV.
- Cover letter briefly describing your qualifications, professional goals, and specific interest in this position.
- List of contact information for 3 professional references (name, title, professional relationship, email, and phone number) who may be contacted on your behalf for a professional reference [uploaded as a document at the time of application].
- Additionally, if you are selected as a finalist for this role, the search committee will request references through an online reference check provider. Please be prepared to submit a list of 5 professional references (2 of whom must be/must have been supervisors or professors). This information will be kept confidential and viewable only by the search committee.
If you are selected as the finalist, your degree will be verified by the CU Boulder Campus Human Resources department using an approved online vendor. If your degree was obtained outside of the United States, please submit a translated version as an optional attachment.
Please apply by 12/1/2024 to be considered for this position.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.
Posting Contact Information
Posting Contact Name: Anne Gold
Posting Contact Email: anne.u.gold@colorado.edu