Deputy Senior Director of Research

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $170,000-$200,000

Position Summary

The Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) seeks an energy policy expert to serve as Deputy Director of Research, reporting to the Sr. Director of Research. The Deputy Director will help to execute the overall research vision for the Center, working closely with the Sr. Director of Research, research scholars, and teams within Research Operations, Publications, and Events.

This is a key role in driving cross-functional research initiatives and overall research strategy, while maintaining CGEP’s reputation as a high-impact, leading energy policy research center. They are the key party responsible for quality control of center-wide research outputs across ~12 research areas with ~50 scholars. They will maintain their own research and awareness of CGEP’s research activities, identifying and pursuing opportunities for collaboration. They will assist in aspects of Research Operations processes related to research team hiring, waivering, and managing conflicts of interest and will contribute to fundraising and donor cultivation.

The incumbent should be a strong leader, manager, and communicator with an aptitude for executing strategy. They will leverage their subject matter expertise and knowledge of the energy policy ecosystem to identify growth areas for scholars that align with CGEP’s vision.

The Deputy Director will ensure the implementation and contribution of the team to culturally diverse and inclusive communications, which will be reflected across CGEP’s scholarship, work environment, and partnerships.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Director of Research, the Deputy Senior Director of Research will:

• Earn and maintain the trust of research staff by understanding the challenges, perspectives, and goals of individual researchers and research units.
• Work with the Senior Director of Research to manage and provide support to all research units, including:
  • Co-development of research program plans
  • Guiding scholars through milestones such as Major Review (tenure equivalent)
  • Nurturing researchers’ professional development
• Build and maintain their own research portfolio in area of subject expertise, including publishing peer-reviewed work and presenting at conferences. The person will spend about 20 percent of time on their own research pursuits.
• Lead quality control of all research publications, maintaining the highest standards of scholarly excellence:
  • Collaborate with the Publications team to ensure the publications’ outputs and pipeline processes meet CGEP’s standards and needs.
  • Escalate arbitration and co-branding issues to the Senior Director of Research.
• Lead quality control of all research events including providing subject matter expertise, scholarly content review, and advice as needed, e.g., agendas, speaker invites.
• Support cross-Columbia relationships with the various schools and colleges and faculty by identifying synergistic research areas and potential collaborations.
• Support donor/partner cultivation, with Founding Director and Senior Director of Research. Represent CGEP at external events as needed.
• Identify and match scholars to support coursework in executive education and graduate education.
• Establish and track research impact metrics and advise on long-term goals to improve research impact.
• Develop staffing models, job descriptions, and interviews for building capacity in research thematic areas.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s, business degree, JD or similar graduate degree and 8-10 years of directly related experience in energy policy research. Time spent pursuing graduate education may substitute for professional experience requirements.
• A track record of strong leadership and management skills, including experience managing complex research projects and teams with diverse internal and external contributors.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Superior leadership skills in building consensus, exhibiting business acumen, and driving stakeholder actions.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic thinking to solve complex problems with excellent judgment based on analysis of multiple sources of information.
• Ability to work under minimal supervision on complex assignments, with a high degree of initiative and independent judgment.
• A track record of fostering an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
• Established thought leadership and acknowledged expertise in a subject matter area in energy with a preference with a reservoir of applied research experience in decarbonization, finance and investment, and market design.
• Experience specific to academic publishing, editorial, or events management.
• Experience managing research teams with multiple direct reporting researchers.
• Success in managing funder relationships and writing grants.
• Experience in negotiating project outputs and outcomes and maximizing impact.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building, and communication skills. The person must possess the executive presence, gravitas, energy, and confidence to develop internal and external relationships with diverse constituencies, including faculty; staff; industry, nonprofit, and public sector partners; and colleagues across a complex institution.
• Ability to build strong and collaborative relationships and to communicate crisply and clearly in writing and orally are essential. Being able to tell a story in a persuasive manner is important.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and rapport with others authentically.
• A presence and the desire to engage with leaders and researchers from diverse fields within energy and energy policy.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.