What are the responsibilities and job description for the Associate Director position at University of Massachusetts Boston?
Job no: 529702
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: SFE - Dean's Office
Pay Grade: 34
Date opened: 09 Apr 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 08 May 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: SFE - Dean's Office
Pay Grade: 34
Date opened: 09 Apr 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 08 May 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
General Summary:
The Stone Living Lab (SLL) is an innovative and collaborative initiative focused on testing and scaling up nature-based approaches to climate adaptation in Boston Harbor and beyond. We are a unique partnership between government agencies and nonprofits: UMass Boston School for the Environment, Boston Harbor Now, the City of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, the National Park Service, and the Massachusetts Tribe at Ponkapoag. As a "Living Lab," we bring research into the real world by engaging scientists and the community in collaborativedesign and exploration. Our work brings us not only along the coastline of Boston Harbor, but into the water itself and out among the Boston Harbor Islands and other locations. Our areas of focus are research and monitoring, education and engagement, policy innovation, and climate preparedness.
Information about the Lab is available at www.stonelivinglab.org.
The Stone Living Lab seeks an Associate Director to play a strategic role in attracting funding, developing research partnerships, and implementing a research agenda focused on coastal resilience and nature-based solutions. The Associate Director will apply strategic thinking to align research priorities with long-term goals and increase Lab capacity for growth and new projects. This multi-year role requires someone who is passionate about building research programs from the ground up, fostering trust-based research partnerships, managing complex projects and teams, and driving measurable outcomes in climate adaptation and nature-based solutions.This role will be housed within the School for the Environment and will work on SLL projects.
This position is grant-funded and will be assessed on an annual basis to confirm the availability of funding.
Example of duties:
Research leadership and innovation
Lead research projects and research proposals to expand Lab capacity for research on nature-based solutions.
Present research and program outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.
Write and review research presentations, reports and other scientific outputs such as peer-reviewed journals.
Support other researchers in developing proposals aligned with the Lab's priorities.
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Strategic program and operations management
- . Oversee planning and implementation of workshops, and other research dissemination
- . Attend Lab committee/working group meetings to monitor progress and coordination
- . Manage consultant and vendor relationships including RFPs
- . Oversee financial aspects of partnerships and research projects, including budgets. Develop and implement operational systems to streamline and professionalize Lab workflows. Ensure that the Lab's research, policy, and education activities align with the Lab's guiding principles, directional visions, and internal processes.
Engagement
Build strategic collaborations with community partners, public agencies, and private sector leaders.
Assist with recruitment and engagement of Lab committees and working groups.
Serve on relevant university committees and represent the Lab on issues related to coastal resilience and climate adaptation.
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Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Doctorate in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
Advanced knowledge of administrative, human resources, and budget management principles and practices.
Advanced ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical skills.
Advanced interpersonal skills and ability to work with a variety of groups to achieve results.
Exceptional ability to work collaboratively with internal and external peers and managers.
Highly skilled fundraising experience.
Experience designing and facilitating workshops to engage researchers and community members.
Excellent written and oral communication and organizational skills.
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This position is hybrid and requires a minimum of two days in the office per week. It is a 37.5 hrs/wk position.
Supervision Received
For administrative purposes, the position will report to Professor Katie Dafforn, Director of the Stone Living Lab.
Supervision Exercised
Position may at times supervise undergraduate and graduate student interns and volunteers.
Number of non-student employees directly supervised: 0
Number of non-student employees indirectly supervised: 0
Average number of student employees supervised at any given time: 0-10
For Professional Unit Positions:
Is this job required to be on-call? No.
Application Instructions:
Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.
Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.
Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.