Colleagues,

This is a notice of three open board director positions at that National Academies:

·         Board Director, Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

·         Board Director, Science and Technology for Sustainability

·         Board Director, Board on Higher Education and Workforce

Below I have included abbreviated descriptions of the boards and the director positions and links to the full descriptions and the application website.

Board Director, Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH04/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=NAS&cws=1&rid=7679

Description

The Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP), www.nationalacademies.org/step, is a standing committee of the Council established in 1992 and composed primarily of economists, industrial technology managers, technology investors, and members with high-level public policy experience.   STEP advises federal, state, and local governments and informs the public about policies to promote the creation, diffusion, and application of new scientific and technical knowledge to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the U.S. economy and foster economic prosperity for all Americans.  The STEP board and its project committees marshal research and the expertise of scholars, industrial managers, investors, and former public officials in a wide range of policy areas that affect the speed and direction of scientific and technological change and their contributions to the growth of the U.S. and global economies – research and development, intellectual property, tax, regulation, trade, human capital, statistical, and sectoral policies, among others.  Results are communicated through reports, conferences, workshops, briefings and electronic media subject to the procedures of the National Academy of Sciences to ensure their authoritativeness, independence, and objectivity.

In consultation with the Board chair and members and NRC executives, the director develops and sustains a diverse, high quality portfolio of consensus studies and convening activities.  The director’s responsibilities entail: Developing and maintaining relationships with sponsors, audiences, and other external contacts; Initiating proposals with potential sponsors and responding to requests for studies or other activities; Negotiating the terms, scope of work, and cost of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements; Raising funds from private (foundation, corporate, and individual) sponsors; Recruiting and advising  members of the STEP Board; Planning, conducting, and directing or overseeing work on projects; Assembling or  overseeing the assembly of project committees and providing guidance to the conduct of their work; Recruiting, training, and managing employees to successfully perform their responsibilities; Forming effective teams, cultivating a work environment that encourages teamwork, and encouraging staff to develop skills for future roles; Initiating personnel actions including performance and compensation reviews and disciplinary actions where necessary; Overseeing financial management of the unit; Ensuring consistent application of institutional policies in all phases of the work; Overseeing the report process including writing, review, publication, and release; Maintaining communication and productive relationships with other NRC program units; Overseeing outreach efforts, including report dissemination; and Public speaking, handling media relations, and participating in outside committees and events that enhance the mission and reputation of the STEP program and the NRC.

Board Director, Science and Technology for Sustainability

http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH04/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=NAS&cws=1&rid=7777

Description

The long-term goal of the National Academies’ Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS) Program is to contribute to sustainable improvements in human well-being by creating and strengthening the strategic connections between scientific research, technological development, and decision-making. The program examines issues at the intersection of the three sustainability pillars—social, economic, and environmental—and aims to strengthen science for decision-making related to sustainability. The program concentrates on activities that are crosscutting in nature; require expertise from multiple disciplines; are important in both the United States and internationally; and engage multiple sectors, including academia, government, industry, and non-governmental organizations. The program’s focus is on sustainability issues that have science and technology at their core, particularly those that would benefit substantially from more effective applications of science and technology.

This position will manage and grow the STS program, and coordinate the activities of the STS Roundtable. Develops program strategy and budget, staffing requirements and ensures the program meets its stated objectives.  Responsible for managing multiple and/or highly complex programs/projects.  Serves as liaison between Roundtable members, other external experts in sustainability and the National Academies. Independently supervises staff and provides training. Develops prospectuses and projects that have a high impact. 

Board Director, Board on Higher Education and Workforce

http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH04/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=NAS&cws=1&rid=7544

Description

The Board on Higher Education and Workforce is the focal point for activities of the National Academies concerned with graduate education, with national needs for graduates in various fields and sectors, and with ensuring the health of career tracks in sciences, engineering, and biomedicine. The Board brings a multidisciplinary and evidence-based perspective to bear on the effective application of the full range of social science tools to these issues.

The Board Director is responsible, firstly, for designing a forward-looking agenda of activities in collaboration with the distinguished members of the Board itself, to build a reputation for cutting-edge and influential work across this sector. He/she is also accountable for the ongoing management of the Board for Higher Education and Workforce's operations and for the development, implementation, and evaluation of its research and other programs. Develops the overall budget, including staffing requirements, and ensures that each study or activity meets its stated objectives and supports the mission of the organization. Maintains internal and external relations. Oversees the assembling of committees and provides guidance to those committees in the conduct of their work and may provide advice on the consensus committee process. Responds to requests for studies, negotiating scope of work and budget, and independently develops programs/projects and negotiates funding with sponsors. Seeks to communicate the findings and recommendations within reports. Works to expand the Board’s audiences and its sponsor base. Significantly impacts the advancement of science or policy through the successful conduct of National Academies’ programs and activities.