"Director Climate Action Accelerator"

The Climate Action Accelerator serves as a resource and partner to the full spectrum of stakeholders wrestling with the most difficult and divisive climate questions, building consensus for climate solutions grounded in Harvard’s research and expertise. The Director will have primary responsibility for facilitating the translation of the intellectual resources of the University into tangible solutions to address the climate crisis. The Director will identify ways in which Harvard’s research can make an impact in the effort to solve critical climate problems. The Director, working closely with faculty, helps to build consensus among stakeholders for solving these problems, homes in on promising solutions, and convenes decision-makers who have the authority and the resources to act. The Accelerator is nonpartisan, agile in dealing with emerging issues, and trusted by stakeholders to facilitate dialogue on high-stakes and sensitive climate topics.

The incumbent will have a deep understanding of climate change issues and a professional commitment to progress on climate change. They will have the ability to innovate, think strategically and conceptually, and collaborate across wide disciplines to influence and persuade others.

The Director will have the skills and experience to draw upon the University’s research strengths, global reach, and ability to convene stakeholders in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors to develop a platform for leadership like no other. The Climate Action Accelerator platform will identify critical climate problems, build consensus for solving them, home in on promising solutions, and convene decision-makers who have the authority and the resources to act. It will be nonpartisan, agile in dealing with emerging issues, and trusted by stakeholders to facilitate dialogue on high-stakes and sensitive climate topics.

The successful candidate will be knowledgeable about climate change issues, professionally committed to progress on climate change, well-connected in the climate change sphere, effective in conducting outreach to varied stakeholders to understand their needs, interests, and positions, strategic in building consensus for action, enterprising in seeking opportunities to turn Harvard’s research to action, and comfortable in the roles of facilitator and convener.

Reporting to the Salata Institute’s Executive Director and with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Institute’s Director on matters of vision and strategy, the Director of the Climate Action Accelerator leads a team of colleagues who forge working relationships with faculty, capitalize on opportunities to translate research findings, and deploy Harvard’s convening power for impact. The Director of the Climate Action Accelerator also works in regular consultation with the Chair and the members of the Climate Action Accelerator Steering Committee, who provide strategic guidance.

As part of the Institute’s leadership team, the Director will also be expected to contribute to the further development of the Institute by helping to develop efficient work processes, as well as to cultivate a mission-driven organizational culture of collaboration, creativity, and respect. It is essential that the person in this position have a strong work ethic, be collaborative and adaptive to change, and demonstrate professionalism and enthusiasm for the endeavor.

Job Specific Responsibilities:

• Ensure that the Climate Action Accelerator is a trusted source for evidence-based solutions to the climate change problem.
• Collaborate with Harvard faculty to identify opportunities to translate their research and scholarship into real-world action.
• Conduct outreach to stakeholders to understand their needs, interests, and positions around climate issues, and to build consensus for solving them.
• In collaboration with the Institute’s communications and events management colleagues, regularly convene stakeholders and facilitate dialogues among them that yield results.
• Lead the programming of the annual Harvard Climate Symposium, a high visibility event that attracts top-level decision-makers, faculty, students, and climate practitioners, including Harvard alumni, and which is gaining a reputation as a forum where visionary leaders and organizations make public commitments and unveil plans for climate action.
• Build and supervise a strong and diverse team.
• Develop a set of performance measures for the Climate Action Accelerator and use them to report on its impact.