DEPUTY UNIVERSITY DIRECTOR

The University of Washington is located in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, with a dynamic, multicultural community of 3.7 million people and a range of ecosystems from mountains to ocean. The UW acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. The UW serves a diverse population of 80,000 students, faculty and staff, including 25% first-generation college students, over 25% Pell Grant students, and faculty from more than 70 countries.

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) at the University of Washington (UW) invites applications for a Deputy University Director. This is a full-time (100% FTE) appointment. The NW CASC is one of nine regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers dedicated to delivering science that helps wildlife, water, land and people adapt to a changing climate. Established by the Department of the Interior (DOI) in 2010 and administered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), this federal-university partnership is hosted by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group as part of a multi-university consortium, including Boise State University, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University, and Western Washington University. Key partners of the NW CASC are the Department of the Interior bureaus (especially National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation), Northwest tribes and Northwest state fish and wildlife and natural lands agencies.

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (CIG) supports the development of climate resilience by advancing understanding of climate risks & enabling science-based action to manage those risks. Since 1995, the Climate Impacts Group has linked cutting-edge scientific research with innovative approaches to community engagement to produce exceptional research products, develop strong relationships among resource managers, planners, and policy makers in the region and build regional capacity for addressing climate variability and change. The Climate Impacts Group is a member organization of EarthLab.

EarthLab is a visionary institute that pushes boundaries to address our most pressing environmental challenges, with a focus on climate and its intersection with social justice. EarthLab does this by connecting faculty, students, and researchers at the University of Washington to community collaborators in businesses, non-profits, public agencies, Tribal nations and others to co-produce actionable research that generates solutions and strategies for local and global impact. EarthLab’s vision, an equitable, just, and sustainable world where people and planet thrive, supports one of the University’s biggest goals. As a Carnegie-classified Community Engagement University, the UW aspires to be the #1 university in the world as measured by impact. EarthLab is inspired by and committed to this challenge.

Position Details:

Working closely with the NW CASC University Director at the University of Washington, the Deputy University Director will play a leading role in the NW CASC’s efforts to foster co-production of decision-relevant science across the Northwest. Specifically, the NW CASC Deputy University Director will advance transdisciplinary research that addresses complex socio-ecological problems by: 1) facilitating training in actionable science, science co-production and communication for NW CASC Research Fellows (i.e., graduate student and postdoctoral researchers funded by the NW CASC) at all consortium universities; leading an annual graduate seminar on the theory and practice of actionable science; and promoting synergistic opportunities among fellows’ projects and other regional research and management activities; 2) playing a leading role in NW CASC regional capacity-building and collaborative research activities, such as actionable science webinars and the annual Actionable Science Deep Dive workshop (including designing an agenda that supports engagement of diverse participants and ensuring timely development of workshop products, e.g., reports, fact sheets, manuscripts, actionable science agendas); and 3) evaluating the efficacy of NW CASC activities in advancing actionable climate science and regional communities of practice. Evaluation insights will be used to adjust NW CASC co-production activities over time, and to develop peer-reviewed publications. This position will work collegially to contribute to logistics, program management and integration for the NW CASC as a whole, which includes UW-based and distributed USGS staff, a University Leadership Team representing the NW CASC’s six consortium schools, and an Advisory Committee composed of federal, state and tribal resources management agencies. The Deputy University Director will also help support the NW CASC’s engagement with the national CASC network.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion:
EarthLab and the NW CASC acknowledge the systemic racism that exists in the environmental sector and within environmentalism. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by bringing a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. We are seeking candidates who are committed to creating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive work environment where all voices are considered and valued.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Training: Implement the NW CASC’s Fellows’ program, including teaching an annual graduate seminar on the theory and practice of connecting knowledge to action, developing and delivering training modules, tracking Fellows’ progress and outcomes, arranging mentoring and networking opportunities, and contributing to recruitment.

• Collaborative Research:: Play a leading role in planning and implementing the annual Actionable Science Deep Dive, a collaborative process for developing an actionable science agenda addressing emerging climate risks. Responsibilities include collaborative design and implementation of an agenda that supports participant engagement and timely development and completion of products.

• Scholarship on Co-Production: Research and publish on processes and outcomes of co-production, training and connecting knowledge and action.

• Evaluation: Working with NW CASC team members, evaluate the effectiveness of the NW CASC’s efforts to build actionable science capacity and regional communities of practice.

• Program Management: Contribute to logistics, program management and integration for the NW CASC as a whole (i.e., UW-based and distributed USGS staff, University Leadership Team, and an Advisory Committee). This could include developing and implementing project plans, tracking and reporting timelines, and contributing to program reporting.

• Communications: Work with the NW CASC communications manager and other team members to support NW CASC and cross-CASC science dialogue and information-sharing activities, such as the NW CASC’s actionable science webinars.

• Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A Ph.D. in an area of natural or social science related to climate change (e.g., earth science, atmospheric science, biology, forestry, hydrology, human geography, anthropology, political science).
• At least three years related experience.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrated experience conducting research, assessment, evaluation, or stakeholder engagement related to climate change impacts and/or adaptation.
• Demonstrated experience in the co-creation of knowledge, co-definition of research problems, and successfully linking science and decision-making.
• Demonstrated success in teaching and mentoring.
• Demonstrated cultural competence, leading with curiosity and humility to facilitate relationships across different perspectives, values, knowledge specializations, and geographies.
• Experience with oral and written communications in support of large partnerships with multiple participating entities.
• A commitment to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the NW CASC team and programs.

DESIRED:

• Experience working in or closely with boundary organizations.
• Experience engaging with Department of Interior bureaus, state natural resource agencies and tribes.
• Experience with policy, governance, and use of information in natural resource management.
• Experience in areas related to research coordination or project management.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.