Cat Lab – deputy Director

The Deputy Director will build Citizens and Technology Lab (CAT) Lab alongside the PI, focusing on strategy, organisation building, management, and administration. CAT Lab are seeking a creative institution-builder who is energised to imagine and establish a public-interest research organisation within one of the world’s leading universities.

Primary responsibilities will include but not limited to;

• Create and maintain a strategic plan for CAT Lab, in collaboration with the PI:

• Refine CAT Lab’s mission and activities as a public-interest citizen science endeavor within a research and teaching university
• Recruit and establish the lab’s advisory board, working with the PI to envision its purpose and structure.  The advisory board will help with: scientific advice, policy advice, managing corporate relations, connecting us with donors, and represent communities on decisions about research ethics
• Develop and test models for sustainable, industry-independent funding

• Manage CAT Lab’s organizational processes and team of 3 staff / contractors, who will report directly to the Deputy Director:
  • Oversee CAT Lab’s activities and team members responsible for public engagement, research, data science, and software engineering
  • Manage and mentor team members to be effective leaders, communicators, and contributors
  • Foster a supportive, inclusive culture that values collaboration and excellence in a distributed, remote team
  • Establish practices for organizational learning and improvement
• Manage CAT Lab’s programmatic relationship to funders and partners, together with the PI, the Department of Communication, and Cornell University
  • Create budgets and managing finances, working closely with the Department Business Administration Manager
  • Support the PI on grant applications
  • Manage reporting requirements, collecting relevant information, and collaborating with the PI to satisfy reporting requirements in a timely manner
  • Oversee content design and conceptualization for the project website
• Orchestrate CAT Lab’s coordination within Cornell University offices Administrative Manager, HR, contracts, public relations, legal questions, and other administrative areas
• Support and maintain the lab’s culture/climate by cultivating and facilitating effective internal and external working relationships

The Deputy Director will play a central role in developing and growing CAT Lab. Since you will coordinate strategy, manage staff, and orchestrate administrative operations, we are seeking an experienced, efficient leader who can create a positive working culture and bring out the best in others.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant work experience 3 to 5 years.
• A passion for public participation in research and action
• A commitment to the truth, scientific rigor, and the public interest
• Demonstrated experience with strategy and organization-building in academia, nonprofits, or other small, growing endeavors
• 3 or more years leadership or management experience in projects involving at least some software engineering
• Strong communicator in writing, meetings, and presentations, with the demonstrated ability to communicate with a broad range of people
• Ability to foster and develop a team, promoting cooperation and collaboration among team members.
• Meaningful experience with fully-remote or partially-distributed teams
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects while accomplishing tasks that are urgent or of a sensitive or confidential nature as well as meeting competing deadlines and priorities.
• Comfortable working in an environment where changes in process / procedures are the norm
• Able to exercise sound and ethical judgment when acting on behalf of CAT Lab and the University

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a leadership or administrative capacity, preferably but not limited to a university research group, department, or center
• Familiarity with project management and planning for projects that involve designing software; engineering skills or experience are not required
• Experience with public engagement or citizen science in any field

Please, find more information and apply here.