Associate Director, AI for Weather & Climate Initiatives

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute seeks an Associate Director for the AI Weather initiative to oversee daily operations, program strategy, and staff coordination. You will guide research administration, stakeholder engagement, and budget oversight to ensure researchers and staff are well-supported.

Reporting to the Director of AI for Weather, you will translate strategy into concrete program plans, coordinate with multiple departments, and help advance grants and contracts while

Qualifications

• PhD in a scientific, environmental, policy, or related field.
• Progressive experience in program or research administration, science management, or a closely related field.
• Experience coordinating multi-institutional or interagency stakeholders, including funders, government partners, and/or collaborators.
• Experience managing or contributing to program or project budgets.
• Prior experience in an Associate Director or senior manager-level role in an academic, research, or science-policy environment.
• Experience with international program coordination or cross-sector partnership management.
• Familiarity with the grant lifecycle, from proposal development through reporting and closeout.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives independently in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with the Director of AI for Weather to coordinate and execute the initiative's daily operations and program portfolio, translating strategic goals into actionable work plans.
• Performs ongoing assessment of program organization and function; identifies operational gaps, recommends improvements, and implements solutions.
• Leads and manages special projects or functions related to the research of the initiative, as assigned by the Director.
• Oversees the initiative's communications and ensures senior-level continuity on administrative matters directly tied to active program work.
• Assists the Director in overseeing hiring, performance evaluation, and professional development for initiative staff, in coordination with DSI HR and administrative leadership.
• Supports and coordinates engagement with initiative sponsors, government partners, foundations, and international collaborators; serves as a programmatic point of contact for active projects.
• Acts as a liaison between the AI for Climate initiative and other University departments, the Physical Sciences Division, and relevant compliance and sponsored research offices.
• Monitors the AI for Climate initiative budget; provides the Director with regular financial updates, ensures spending is within approved limits, and makes budgetary recommendations.
• Supports proposal development for grants and contracts; assists in preparing reports for funders and tracks grant deliverable timelines.
• Coordinates action items and participants for scientific meetings; develops sufficient technical fluency in AI and climate topics to communicate effectively with researchers and external partners.
• Develops and communicates program priorities and performance standards and assesses operations using these criteria. Plans and conducts quality assurance reviews and recommends changes as appropriate.
• Has a deep understanding when interacting with faculty, researchers and staff for committee work or information.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

People management

Communication

Education

PhD in a scientific, environmental, policy, or related field

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Microsoft Office

Grants management tools

Job description

The University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute seeks an Associate Director for the AI Weather initiative to oversee daily operations, program strategy, and staff coordination. You will guide research administration, stakeholder engagement, and budget oversight to ensure researchers and staff are well-supported.

Reporting to the Director of AI for Weather, you will translate strategy into concrete program plans, coordinate with multiple departments, and help advance grants and contracts while