Executive Director, STEER: Energy & Sustainability Leadership

SLAC; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

SLAC National Laboratory is seeking a Senior Academic Staff Researcher to lead STEER, guiding strategic research and partnerships across Stanford and external stakeholders. The role oversees a multi-PI team and a multi-million-dollar funding portfolio, reporting to STEER leadership.

The position anchors on Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability ecosystem, with a three-year fixed-term appointment and potential renewal based on program needs and budget.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience at the intersection of academia, industry and/or government.
• Experience leading complex scientific, engineering, or technical research programs.
• Ability to raise funds and manage multi-PI teams.
• Strong communication with non-technical stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the energy technology ecosystem.
• Experience in research institutes, think tanks, or tech commercialization environments desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute frontier research strategies to advance STEER's vision, directing public, private, and philanthropic capital toward scalable energy and sustainability solutions.
• Engage external stakeholders—industry practitioners, policymakers, and investors—to translate Stanford's analyses into actionable insights.
• Build and sustain partnerships across Stanford with other units, faculty, and trainees.
• Develop research questions, work plans, hypotheses, and milestones, delivering high-quality analyses and outputs on time.
• Raise funds from government, industry, and foundations to support STEER's growth and steward relationships with funders.
• Oversee day-to-day operations of STEER as a multi-PI research collaborative, including hiring and coordination.
• Ensure funded programs are executed successfully, managing risks and sponsor expectations.
• Manage staff, including recruiting, developing, evaluating, and setting priorities for managers and technical experts.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Fundraising

People management

Academic partnerships

Education

PhD in a technical field

Job description

SLAC National Laboratory is seeking a Senior Academic Staff Researcher to lead STEER, guiding strategic research and partnerships across Stanford and external stakeholders. The role oversees a multi-PI team and a multi-million-dollar funding portfolio, reporting to STEER leadership.

The position anchors on Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability ecosystem, with a three-year fixed-term appointment and potential renewal based on program needs and budget.