Description

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 ro l e 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.
• 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 relat i onships i ncluding 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 wi t h recruitment and engagement of Lab comm i ttees and work i ng groups .

• Serve on relevant un i versity committees and represent the Lab on issues related to coastal resilience and climate adaptation.
• Perform other duties as assigned .

Qualifications:

• Doctorate in related area and/or equivalent experience/training .

• Advanced knowledge of admin i strative , human resources, and budget management principles and prac t ices.

• Advanced ability to think creatively and independently on concepts requiring advanced analytical sk i lls .

• Advanced interpersonal skills and ability to work with a variety of groups to achieve results.

• Exceptional ability to work collaboratively with interna l and external peers and managers.

• Highly sk i lled fundraising experience.

• Experience designing and facilitating workshops to engage researchers and community members .

• Excellent written and o r al communication and organizational skills.
• This pos i tion is hybrid and requires a min i mum of two days i n the office per week . I t i s a 37.5 hrs/wk posit i on.

Supervision Received

Fo r administrative pu r poses, the position will report to Professor Katie Dafforn, Director of the Stone Living Lab.

Supervision Exercised

Pos i t i on 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 P r ofessional Unit Positions:

• Is this j ob r equired 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.

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link:

Grade: 34

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HR@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.

Applications close: 08 May 2026 Eastern Daylight Time