Director, Data Stewardship

The New York Climate Exchange (The Exchange) is a new nonprofit that unlocks climate solutions at speed and scale by activating a broad, multi‑stakeholder model. Our diverse coalition of partners incorporates local and global perspectives on climate change from academia, the private sector, and community‑level organizations, speaking to the collaboration necessary to unlock integrated and scalable approaches to climate change. While The Exchange will be headquartered at a dedicated campus on Governors Island, its spirit and influence extend beyond the Island into New York City, the country, and the world.

Full‑time Director of Data Stewardship will lead The Exchange’s newly launched Climate Data Stewardship initiative, a flagship program focused on activating climate data to power climate solutions. The initiative will collaborate with partners in hosting, curating, and using climate and environmental data, and will build a framework for open data governance and access. The role will lay groundwork for a more resilient and accessible climate data ecosystem, from collection to access, for a range of stakeholders generating climate solutions.

Applicants should feel comfortable working in a fast‑paced, start‑up environment with changing tasks. The position requires in‑person work at The Exchange’s New York office, with occasional remote work allowed with prior approval. The Director reports to the Chief Executive Officer and joins a multidisciplinary team of climate data specialists, data architects, software engineers, staff associates, and Research Fellows.

Salary for the Director of Data Stewardship is between $210,000 and $250,000 per year. The position includes eligibility for generous health and retirement benefits, and paid time off/sick leave. Salary will be set based on qualifications, experience, education, licenses, and specialized training, and is contingent on the availability of funds.

• Provide senior‑level expertise with a strong focus on technical implementation priorities for the data stewardship initiative.
• Assess the current landscape of public climate data, including data infrastructure and key stakeholders across sectors, and lead the development of innovative and more resilient approaches to preserve and improve access to critical climate datasets.
• Conduct technical assessments of infrastructure needs, risks, and opportunities; map user workflows; coordinate stakeholders; and develop new infrastructure and access methodologies at The Exchange and with external collaborators.
• Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and users of climate data across academia, government, nonprofits, and the private sector, coordinating with stakeholders engaged in data preservation and access to minimize gaps or duplication of efforts.
• Work with stakeholders to shape guiding principles for climate data categorization and prioritization, and identify experts required to maintain curation and usability of prioritized data.
• Oversee the development of a data storage strategy and protocols, including storage managed by The Exchange and coordination of roles across institutions, leveraging cloud and physical storage providers and emerging technologies such as AI.
• Lead the identification and procurement of The Exchange’s owned data storage, including capacity and performance needs, pricing structures, long‑term partnership models, staffing, and other infrastructure considerations.
• Define best practices and actionable recommendations for enabling ethical, equitable, and scalable public access to climate data.
• Scope, lead the hiring and/or contracting of, and manage additional technical staff and consultants, including data management and platform development experts, while building on existing tools and open‑source approaches.
• Collaborate with program leaders to build relationships across Exchange partners and stakeholders, positioning The Exchange as a global thought leader and go‑to resource on climate data issues.
• Partner with The Exchange’s Advancement team, fellow program leaders, and partners to identify and pursue fundraising opportunities for data initiatives.
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