The newly established Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE) invites applications for a Program Manager (PM) to advance its mission in accelerating socioeconomic and technological innovation for sustainable and climate-smart nitrogen management. NICCEE, spearheaded by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) with key partners in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, seeks to harness the technological innovation of green ammonia production to bolster clean energy initiatives, combat climate change, and secure food supplies for the future, while minimizing risks of unintended consequences.

NICCEE will serve as an Information Hub with state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure to monitor the lifecycle and effects of nitrogen in agriculture-food-energy systems, as an Innovation Platform to facilitate the co-development of technological and socioeconomic solutions with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, and as an Education Center to nurture the next generation of scientists and innovators championing sustainable and climate-smart nitrogen management.

Role Overview:  As the Program Manager, you will be instrumental in shaping the trajectory and impact of this global initiative. You will be immersed in a diverse environment, collaborating with multiple stakeholders ranging from academic institutions, NGOs, international organizations, governments, to private enterprises.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities:

• Program Management: Oversee NICCEE’s operations, including planning, budgeting, contracting, reporting, and publishing. Ensure compliance with guidelines set by the funding organizations and facilitate inter-institutional collaboration for project completion.
• Major Event Planning: Lead the planning and execution of NICCEE’s annual meetings (i.e., Nitrogen Summer Institute) and other significant events, enhancing its visibility on the global stage.
• Strategic Planning and Communications: Assist NICCEE’s leadership in organizing committee and team meetings. Collaborate with communications personnel to amplify NICCEE’s achievements and mission. Work with the director and the executive committee to develop business and marketing plans for sustainable growth of the Center.
• Business Development: Cultivate partnerships with collaborators across countries, explore research and development opportunities, and support proposal writing to attract diverse funding sources.
• Leadership: Foster relationships within and outside NICCEE, and engage with various stakeholders.
• Internship Program: Coordinate an internship program with partners such as International Fertilizer Association and The Nature Conservancy.
• Research: Work with project participants to contribute to and occasionally lead publication efforts, especially where the program manager’s expertise can contribute to the work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:  

• PhD Degree.
• Experience in an academic or research setting.
• Three years of related experience.

Post-doctoral candidates are welcome to apply. There will be opportunities to participate in research efforts and to publish papers, although the primary duties will be project coordination and management.

Special Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Strong oral and written English communication skills.
• Capacity to handle multiple managerial tasks simultaneously with competing deadlines.
• Demonstrated management capabilities.
• Proficiency in standard software tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and excellent presentation skills.
• Experience with supporting grant writing, budget management, data analytics, and publishing research papers and reviews is desirable but not required.
• Basic understanding of nitrogen issues in agriculture-food-energy systems is desirable but not required.