Executive Director for Energy, Climate, and Environment

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

The Office of the Associate Provost for Energy, Climate, and Environment (APECE) provides strategic leadership and vision to harmonize and accelerate UC Berkeley's efforts in research, curriculum, and outreach on energy, climate, and sustainability; they will foster a vibrant climate community across campus in a manner consistent with Berkeley's commitment to a just and fair society and its desire to lift up all communities, especially those that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change. Additionally, the AP-ECE works with campus leaders to ensure that campus operations are environmentally sound and socially responsible. An overarching goal is to create an inclusive platform for collaboration among faculty, students, and staff dedicated to addressing climate challenges.

The Executive Director serves as the chief operating and administrative officer of the Office of the Associate Provost for Energy, Climate and the Environment and reports directly to the AP-ECE. They are responsible for operationalizing the AP-ECE's priorities; managing the day-to-day operations of the office; contributing substantively to fundraising strategy and prospect engagement (in partnership with the Associate Provost and the Chief Development Officer), proposal development, and external partnerships; coordinating ECE efforts across a highly decentralized campus; designing programs and infrastructure; and collaborating with a remarkably diverse range of internal and external stakeholders - from faculty and students to policymakers, philanthropists, industry leaders, community organizations, and national laboratories.

The First Review Date for this job is June 10, 2026. For full consideration, please submit application materials by June 31, 2026.

Research Support, Program Development, and Campus Coordination:

• Support the AP-ECE to ensure UC Berkeley is recognized as a world leader in energy, climate and sustainability research by promoting the campus's expertise and successes via targeted communications, conferences, symposia, workshops, and other programs - with particular emphasis on research-to-action impacts.
• Support campus capacity to pursue and deliver results from large grants, contracts, philanthropy, and other funding opportunities across the full breadth of climate and sustainability research - including mitigation, adaptation and resilience, environmental justice and equity, in both the natural and built environments.
• In collaboration with the Vice Chancellor for Research Office, serve as a key coordinator for large-scale, multi-investigator proposal efforts: identifying opportunities, building awareness, helping to build proposal teams, managing proposal development processes, and ensuring competitiveness.
• Foster innovative, interdisciplinary research collaborations as a critical member of the leadership team; assess needs and help establish necessary research capacity; provide guidance regarding funding, partnership development, and resource support.
• In collaboration with the Council of College Deans, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for the Graduate Division, promote efforts to curate and catalog existing courses and programs in climate and sustainability, making information more accessible to students and faculty.
• Support the development of experiential learning opportunities, leveraging programs such as Bakar Labs, Berkeley Discovery, the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program, external internship and apprenticeship partnerships, and programs at the UC centers in Sacramento and Washington, DC.

Strategic Leadership and Planning:

• As a key member of the AP-ECE leadership team, develop and manage the office's short - and long-term strategic plans for programs, operations, and campus-wide coordination.
• Create annual strategies and benchmarks, implement long-term objectives, track progress, and advise the AP-ECE on milestones and course corrections. This will include producing reports, program reviews, and impact assessments.
• With the Chief Development Officer (CDO), develop funding projections, staffing models, and financial sustainability plans.
• Co-design and develop fundraising strategies with the CDO to identify and pursue funding opportunities and revenue streams; produce reports, program reviews, and impact assessments, and co-lead proposal development.
• Represent the AP-ECE's office to internal UC Berkeley units, campus leadership, and external organizations.

Operational Leadership and Management:

• Develop business models, policies, procedures, and systems to ensure efficient and effective administrative and operational support across all office functions.
• Lead administrative operations, including financial management, human resources, oversight of office space and equipment, communications.
• Manage and cultivate a growing team, including professional staff, program managers, and non-faculty academic appointees, postdoctoral fellows, or student employees as the office scales.
• Supervise the Communication Specialist to ensure proper visibility of the AP-ECE's initiatives online, in print, and through media engagement.
• Supervise the Executive Assistant to ensure there is active administrative support for the AP-ECE team.
• Manage interactions with units across campus (e.g., University Development & Alumni Relations, deans and department chairs, the Vice Chancellor for Research, communications offices, Office of Sustainability and Carbon Solutions,) and with external partner institutions, especially Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other campuses across the University of California system.

Fundraising, Development, and Donor Stewardship:

• Collaborate with AP-ECE Chief Development Officer and the University Development & Alumni Relations (UDAR), campus administration, and deans and unit fundraisers to attract philanthropic, foundation, corporate and government funding for climate and sustainability initiatives for the ECE office and broader campus climate research enterprise.
• In coordination with the Chief Development Officer, Associate Provost, and other campus colleagues, steward relationships with donors and programmatic sponsors, including reporting on activities, accomplishments, spending, publications, media attention, and impact metrics.
• In partnership with the Berkeley Research Development Office, publicize relevant competitive research opportunities to the campus climate and sustainability community and assist with team formation and project management for major collaborative grant applications.

External Engagement, Policy Impact, and Partnerships:

• Support the AP-ECE in promoting UC Berkeley's research and curriculum efforts.
• Strengthen support for community-engaged research and build relationships and active partnerships with entrepreneurs, community leaders, and government leaders in the climate and sustainability space.
• Foster industry-academic collaborations that enhance intellectual and financial resources for UC Berkeley's research and societal impact, including support for climate incubators, accelerators, and collaborative research centers on campus.
• Develop partnerships with external organizations - including other universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and industry - that advance Berkeley's ECE's mission.
• Identify opportunities and develop workshops, conferences, and convenings for national and international audiences with participants from academia, industry, government, and community organizations.

Campus Community Building:

• Support the AP-ECE in collaborating with strategy leaders across campus - including deans, the Vice Chancellor for Research, research unit directors, and platforms such as the Berkeley Climate Change Network (BCCN) - to build and sustain an inclusive, vibrant campus community dedicated to addressing climate challenges.
• Facilitate seminars, events, networking opportunities, and professional development programming that connect researchers, students, staff, and external partners across disciplines.
• Support efforts to integrate climate and sustainability objectives into campus operations, including collaboration with the Vice Chancellor for Administration on initiatives such as the Clean Energy Campus.

Commercialization and Technology Translation:

• In partnership with UC Berkeley's Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, support entrepreneurial efforts and climate incubation on campus, in collaboration with relevant campus units (e.g., IPIRA/Office of Technology Licensing, Bakar Labs, SkyDeck, and others).
• Collaborate with faculty and campus leadership to incorporate translation - and commercialization-themed programming for the campus climate and sustainability research community.
• Oversee activities relating to intellectual property awareness, reporting, and patenting as relevant to the office's portfolio.

• Significant leadership experience in a research-oriented, mission-driven, or complex academic organization - such as a university office, research institute, national laboratory, foundation, government agency, or mission-aligned organization - with progressive responsibility for strategy, operations, and program development.
• Strong project management and collaborative leadership skills, with the ability to move complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives to timely completion while maintaining alignment with long-term strategic goals.
• Demonstrated ability to articulate a compelling narrative about an organization's mission and impact to diverse internal and external audiences, including the ability to translate complex scientific and policy topics accessibly.
• Expertise in building and sustaining partnerships across academia, industry, government, nonprofit organizations, and/or community groups.
• Expert organizational management skills, including administrative, budgetary, human resources, and/or financial management in complex, matrixed environments.
• Expert ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams, including administrative, programmatic, and/or scientific staff, in a collaborative and inclusive manner.

• Knowledge of fundraising, development, and/or grant writing experience, with the skills to lead the successful acquisition of philanthropic, foundation, corporate, and/or government funding.

• Demonstrated passion for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice within an organization and through programmatic work.
• Cultural fluency with academic institutions and a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a shared-governance, highly decentralized environment.
• Excellent communication skills - written, verbal, and interpersonal - with the ability to work effectively with faculty, students, staff, senior administrators, policymakers, donors, and community leaders.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience and training.

• An advanced degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., environmental science, energy, public policy, engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, business, or a related field) or a significant number of years in a position of strategic and executive importance in a high profile org

Required

Preferred

Job Industries

• Other