Program Director - Methane Removal
July 12
Description
• Own and drive a strategy that supports the healthy development of the methane removal field as part of a larger climate solution ecosystem, with robust science, social license, responsible governance, and appropriate funding • Drive strategic and collaborative efforts in field building, including spinning up new programs internal to Spark, partnering with other organizations, and potentially seeding new organizations where needed • Lead and manage a small team to research and author roadmaps for the overall solutions ecosystems, including well-researched and supported recommendations for RD&D topics, policy changes, and public communication efforts • Build relationships with science, policy, and philanthropic partners to collaborate on roadmaps, research agendas, and granting opportunities • Serve as a subject matter expert with other organizations and funders getting involved in the space • Partner with Spark leadership to raise additional funding for the overall program, regranting, and any special initiatives • Identify key adjacent areas to support in order to most comprehensively address under-resourced, high-leverage approaches to near-term warming mitigation, and natural systems feedback avoidance and response
Requirements
• Scientific expertise — can quickly learn new scientific and technical topics to guide programmatic work, with high humility and clear communication about where their expertise starts and ends. Comfortable working with scientific material and collaborating with leading scientists in a given field. • Strategic, flexible systems-thinker — has deep respect for, and understands how various disciplines all fit together to support field development. Can identify cross-cutting and high-impact strategic priorities within a shifting field landscape. Can dig into the details of a specific science or policy proposal and zoom out to the big picture to see what’s missing in a field, moving comfortably among fundamental science, technological potentials/limits, and broader social and policy implications • Team and field leader — has experience supporting the development of a small team, while accelerating the overall output of a team, supporting strategic decision-making and execution, building team culture, and maintaining a high bar for output. Is ready to expand the “hometeam” to a field of colleagues and collaborators outside of any single organization. • Climate impact-motivated — strong climate mitigation motivation and understanding of the climate system and climate action to motivate work in the field. Can tie individual pieces of work to programmatic, field, and overall climate action progress. • Approach-agnostic innovation-minded — follows science and guiding principles for approach development to support research across different possible approach categories. Takes an innovation-forward view of the space to see where there might be high-potential opportunities and “big bets,” understanding not all of these will succeed. • Excellent communicator — strong written, speaking/presentation, and interpersonal communication skills and adept at communicating complex concepts (including technical ones) to various audiences • High bar for work quality — can produce high-caliber work, and work with team to do the same.
Benefits
• 11 paid holidays • Generous Accrued Time Off increasing with years of service • Generous paid sick time • Annual day of service
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