Executive Director

Executive Director

Solar Geoengineering Research Program

Harvard University’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program (SGRP) is seeking an experienced leader and manager from the realm of environmental public policy to serve as its Executive Director and invites nominations and applications.

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. Harvard University also holds a record number of honors and awards with 161 Nobel Laureates, 23 heads of state, 8 U.S. presidents, and 132 Pulitzer Prize winners. In addition to Harvard College, there are twelve graduate and professional schools, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and the Harvard Division of Continuing Education. More than 30,000 students attend Harvard University, including 8,527 undergraduates and 21,864 graduate students in the academic year 2020-2021. 

The Solar Geoengineering Research Program at Harvard brings together 30 faculty and research affiliates from across many disciplines, including science, engineering, policy, business, economics, and others. Housed under the administrative umbrella of the Harvard University Center for the Environment, the program is led by David Keith, Faculty Director, and is further guided by an Advisory Committee composed of distinguished faculty from across the university. The Executive Director will work closely and collaboratively with the SGRP Faculty Director and Advisory Committee to further SGRP’s mission to: produce research that advances solar geoengineering’s science and technology frontier; employ Harvard’s convening power to bring together scientists, environmental leaders, and government officials to discuss the technology and its governance; and publish high-impact papers and disseminate ideas that engage other researchers, government research programs, and the U.S. policymaking community.

The Executive Director must possess a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 8 years of professional experience in environmental public policy. This may include work in a senior role at a major environmental group; similar work in government or legislative staff; or work in a university-based environmental research center that involved a substantial applied policy component. The incoming Executive Director must also possess excellent listening and communication skills and the ability to effectively engage and connect many different stakeholders from across the broad academic, scientific, and public policy communities.

Nominations and inquiries can be sent to the email address listed below. The long-format position profile is linked here. Applicants should upload a C.V. and cover letter at the Harvard Careers website linked here.

Jim Sirianni, Managing Director

Julia Patton, Senior Associate

Storbeck Search

HarvardEDSolar@storbecksearch.com

Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.