Job Opening: Director, Institute for Sustainable Solutions

Portland State University
Deadline for Applications: 13 October 2015

The position:
The Director is a key member of the ISS leadership team, which also includes the Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships and the ISS Assistant Director. This position will balance a demand to grow and deepen the ISS presence within the Portland State University and Portland communities with the need to make the Institute’s work relevant within the broader national and international sustainability movements.

The Director sets the strategic direction and budgetary framework for the Institute. She/he takes the lead in developing internal and external partnerships aimed at establishing a sustainable business model for the organization to thrive beyond the 2018 end of the 10-year, $25M grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. This will require the Director to provide leadership on the direction of the Institute’s programming—identifying how it should evolve and the new elements that should be introduced in order to build an internationally significant portfolio of work. To do this, the Director will also need to have a keen understanding of internal university dynamics and an ability to forge on- and off-campus collaborations that will enable ISS programming to root itself deeply within the culture of PSU and in the broader sustainability movement.

The Director position has a strong focus on external marketing within Portland and beyond—growing the brand and reputation of ISS programs and the broader sustainability community at Portland State University. The position reports to the Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships.

The position will be responsible for:

• Setting the strategic direction and budgetary framework for the Institute;

• Developing and implementing a sustainable business plan for the Institute, building a significant and diversified pool of resources that will enable ongoing support of the Institute’s mission;

• Growing sustainability partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and other universities;

• Enhancing the profile of the ISS’ work regionally, nationally, and internationally;

• Developing pathways for ISS programming to have national and international reach;

• Overseeing the work of the Assistant Director and collaborating with the Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships to shape and sharpen the Institute’s focus;

• Playing a leadership role across the sustainability community at PSU—sitting on critical committees, serving as a speaker at conferences, etc.;

• Cultivating cross-university partnerships with other units, faculty, and deans to leverage existing resources and embed ISS programming within existing PSU structures.

For more information and to apply, please see this listing. The deadline for applications is October 13. Questions about the position should be referred to sustainability@pdx.edu.

About Portland State University’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions:
The PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) is the central portal for sustainability at PSU, fostering innovative cross-disciplinary research, critical skill-building curriculum, and effective community engagement to solve sustainability challenges in Portland and beyond. ISS is currently seeking a new director who will lead the Institute in its collaborative and transformative work within the University and throughout the region, and serve as steward of the Institute’s goals for an exceptional student experience, groundbreaking and applicable research, and vital community partnerships.