Director of Research and Engagement Strategy, Nicholas Institute

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Duke University :

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities.

Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live.

Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools.

With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Position Description : Director of Research and Engagement Strategy

Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability seeks to fill the newly created position of Director of Research and Engagement Strategy (DRES).

Reporting directly to the Nicholas Institute Director, the DRES will play a pivotal role in enhancing the Institute’s impact by fostering collaboration and integration across its portfolio of research and engagement programs, including climate and health, climate resilience, energy access, energy and climate policy and finance, energy data analytics, environmental justice, nature-based solutions, ocean sustainability, and water policy.

This position is instrumental in bridging actionable research in energy, environment, and sustainability to sustained engagement with key stakeholders whose decisions significantly influence these domains.

About the Nicholas Institute

The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University drives solutions to the world’s most important energy and environmental challenges, advancing a more just, resilient, and sustainable world.

Conducting actionable research and fostering enduring engagement with policymakers, businesses, and communities, the Institute also delivers transformative educational experiences to empower future leaders.

The Nicholas Institute’s work is aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites all schools at Duke and all aspects the university’s mission to address the deepening societal risks of climate change.

One of Duke’s signature interdisciplinary units, the Nicholas Institute was founded nearly 20 years ago as the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and merged with the Duke University Energy Initiative in 2021.

A diverse team of over 50 professionals advance the Institute’s goals and impact, and their work includes faculty, staff, and students across all ten schools at Duke to accelerate discovery and pursue solutions to global energy and environmental challenges.

Located on Duke's main campus in Durham, North Carolina, the Nicholas Institute also regularly partners with Duke in DC (Duke’s office in Washington, D.

C.), Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, North Carolina, and Duke Kunshan University in China.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of the Nicholas Institute. We believe that the educational environment is enhanced when diverse groups of people with diverse ideas come together to learn.

Applicants with a demonstrated commitment to issues of diversity in higher education are particularly encouraged to apply.

Position Responsibilities

The DRES will lead strategic planning and implementation to effectively integrate research and engagement activity across the Institute, aiming to elevate its profile and influence.

Key responsibilities include :

• Collaboratively working with program directors to support and promote their efforts to cultivate strategic partnerships that generate research funding and collaboration opportunities.
• Developing cross-program strategies to identify opportunities for building new projects and initiatives that draw on the expertise of multiple programs.
• Chairing team meetings and strategic sessions to foster collaboration and innovation across programs.
• Working with the Institute’s development team to identify and manage cross-program development opportunities and working with program directors to identify development opportunities between programs and non-Institute partners that may need additional support.
• Ensuring that research and engagement initiatives uphold the principles of the Institute’s strategic plan for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Coordinating and helping to prioritize strategic investments for central funding decisions by the Institute Director.
• Working with and as a liaison to the Institute’s operations director to address high-level functional needs in administration, financial reporting, and human resources.
• Advising Director on broader resource and capacity needs across the Institute.
• Serving on the Institute’s senior management team.
• Representing the institute at key meetings, events, and fora within the University to enhance visibility and expand partnerships.
• Facilitating engagement with university faculty and staff outside the Nicholas Institute, external stakeholders, and policymakers, including ongoing development of Nicholas Institute working groups.

Identify new opportunities to involve Duke students and faculty in the program.

Serving as a point of contact for foundation program officers and, as applicable, other external stakeholders, such as representatives from non-profits, corporations, and corporate philanthropies.

Responding to requests for information, including legislative drafting, from government officials.

• Working with program directors and research teams, faculty and stakeholders, and Institute events teams to ensure meetings, workshops, conferences, and events are strategically effective, well-planned, and conducted.
• Determining fiscal requirements for program area success and preparing budgetary recommendations.
• Serving as an advocate for the Institute’s programs, and in concert with Institute program directors, representing the Institute through travel to meetings, conferences, and donor solicitations.

Attending Institute staff and directors meetings, and serving as a liaison for research programs to the Institute Director, Director of Operations and Planning, and key stakeholders.

Ideally, the DRES will be a subject matter expert in one of the key domain areas of the Nicholas Institute. This full-time position allows for up to 20% of time dedicated to professional research interests, leveraging collaborative opportunities within the Institute, Duke University, and external partners.

Candidates with relevant expertise from outside the Nicholas Institute or Duke University are encouraged to apply, bringing complementary knowledge to areas of focus within the Institute.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess :

• A terminal degree (e.g., PhD, JD) in a field related to energy, natural resources, or the environment is strongly preferred, but a master’s degree with exceptional experience will be considered.
• Nationally / internationally recognized leadership in energy, environment, and sustainability with demonstrated experience in engaging diverse stakeholders.
• At least 7 years of experience at the intersection of research and engagement, with a proven track record in leadership roles within applied research settings.
• Experience in strategic planning, fundraising, and managing interdisciplinary teams.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to navigate a dynamic organizational environment effectively.

Measures of Success

We envision that the success of the Director of Research and Engagement Strategy will contribute to the following positive outcomes for the Institute :

• Enhanced strategic alignment and execution of the Institute’s research and engagement strategies.
• Strengthened interdisciplinary collaborations within the Institute and with external partners.
• Improved transfer of research products into actionable policy and practice recommendations.
• Advancement of ethical standards and inclusive practices across all research and engagement activity.
• Integration of innovative research methods and technologies to enhance project efficiency and impact.
• Increased success in securing funding for strategic initiatives.
• Effective communication of research impact through publications and other platforms.
• Improved awareness of the Institute’s role and capacities with key constituencies.
• Improved efficiencies between operations, development, communications and research, engagement, and education programs.

Duke is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes.

To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard.

All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions : Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and / or mental abilities.

Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

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