Associate Director

Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) is helping to solve one of the world’s greatest challenges: developing new sustainable technologies to meet society’s ever‑growing need for power, fuels, chemicals, and materials. WEI is committed to generating the knowledge and technologies that will speed up a more plentiful, resilient, and affordable energy future. The Institute assembles and supports cross-disciplinary teams that help expand foundational knowledge to address energy technology‑related challenges holistically.

This strategy leads to transformative innovations and can form the basis for low‑cost solutions that open new markets, create jobs, and generate new economic opportunities for communities nationwide, while reducing the harmful impacts of producing power, fuels, and chemicals. In addition, WEI leadership in multi‑disciplinary research, education, and outreach acts as a nexus between campus researchers, scholars, government officials, industry, and community stakeholders.

WEI taps expertise and resources at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to advance the principles of the Wisconsin Idea. Through its discovery, collaborative engagement, and technology development WEI moves society “Forward in Energy.” WEI is led by scientists and engineers committed to making major breakthroughs in the way we source and use energy. Specifically, WEI seeks to:
1) foster collaborative energy projects across sectors and disciplines,
2) prepare energy leaders of today and tomorrow, and
3) enhance public understanding of energy issues. The largest research program within WEI is the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).), one of four Department of Energy‑funded Bioenergy Research Centers led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison with partners in the U.S. and Canada. The mission of this Center is to create biofuels and bioproducts that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable while reducing society’s dependence on fossil fuels.

• Directs the development of large‑scale and high‑profile strategic planning initiatives and objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources and alignment with the strategic plan
• Develops operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and objectives
• Directs, plans, and implements efforts to build research teams and stakeholder networks, including workshops, meetings and other events and initiatives with internal and external participants
• Directs the implementation of participation in campaign and engagement efforts
• Serves as a liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups providing organizational information and representing the interests of the institution in the cultivation of industry and business partner relationships
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full‑time equivalent employees
• Maintains knowledge of significant developments in industry, stakeholders and stakeholder groups, science, public and private research funding, and regulations relevant to the research, education, and outreach mission of the center/institute
• Supervises and develops director‑level staff
• Develops and oversees the budget

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Wisconsin Energy Institute

This position is located at the Wisconsin Energy Institute (1552 University Ave, Madison).

This position is eligible for partial remote work, up to two days per week. Remote work requires an approved remote work agreement. An RWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high‑speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university‑provided computer. Transportation between home and assigned work location is not reimbursable and will be at the employee’s expense.

Starting salary will be based on experience and qualifications. Well‑qualified applicants can anticipate receiving a minimum offer of $140,000.

Employees in this position can expect…