SPS CPAESS Program Specialist IV

Job Description Summary:UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the CPAESS Program Specialist IV role. This position is responsible for supervising matrixed staff members and early-career Fellows who are based at the CPAESS Strategic Partner laboratories and universities. This role also involves contributing to the overall leadership, planning, and direction related to the CPAESS Partnerships and Programs' strategic objectives.

The incumbent will carry out tasks and make decisions as delegated by the SPS CPAESS Center Deputy Director, assisting in engagement with CPAESS sponsors and collaborators.

CPAESS (Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science) serves the Earth System Science community in three distinct areas of service. We partner with federal agencies and businesses to hire critical scientific staff enabling a more robust workforce. Through our scientific programs we seek to edify new research with our postdoctoral programs, our visiting scientist and internship programs, along with our interagency support programs. We also help build the Earth system science community by convening and managing summer schools and institutes, conferences, and advisory committees.

Position Details:

Visa Sponsored Job:

No

Relocation Assistance Eligible:

Yes

Job Location:

Boulder, Colorado

Position Type & Term:

Full time, Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

Compensation Range:

Hiring Range: $109,097-$136,370

*Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.*

Application Notes

Application Deadline: This position will be posted until filled with priority given to applications submitted by 11:59 pm MT, August 1st. Applications will not be accepted past this date.

Required application materials (preferably in PDF Format): 

• Resume

• Cover Letter - In lieu of a traditional cover letter, the hiring team wants you to respond to the following prompts. Be sure to provide specific examples from your past experiences that best demonstrate your skills and experiences in these areas.

  • Team Supervision & Leadership

    • Please summarize your approach to building an inclusive and psychologically safe environment where your team feels valued, supported, and motivated. Also, discuss your approach to supervision and leadership in a hybrid/remote work environment.

  • Program Management

    • Discuss your approach to collaborating with leadership, finance, and communications teams to develop and manage program reports. What strategies do you use to ensure reports are comprehensive, timely, and effective in highlighting staff contributions?

  • Strategic Partnerships

    • Briefly share an experience where you built and maintained effective relationships with colleagues as well as internal and external stakeholders. What strategies do you use to foster strong, collaborative relationships? 

Federal screenings and background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire and must be cleared prior to the start date. Learn more.

Work Location:  This position is open to candidates seeking in-person and hybrid (combination of in-person and remote) opportunities. Regardless of flexible work arrangements, UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Position Term: This is a 2-year term position and is based on continued program funding with the potential for further extension.

What You Will Do

Here is a summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

Key Responsibilities

Supervision & Leadership

• Serves as the supervisor of record for matrixed staff and early-career Fellows located at CPAESS offsite locations, like federal partner laboratories and universities.

• Collaborate with CPAESS functional teams, UCAR HR Recruiting, as well as CPAESS strategic partners on the search and selection of new hires.

• Partner with CPAESS HRA, UCAR HR, and SPS CPAESS Deputy Director on modernizing internal hiring processes to ensure efficiency.

• Design and lead supervisor meetings to help develop a cohort that supports the distributed CPAESS matrix supervisory model.

• Develop training materials and modules for supervisors that address topics unique to the CPAESS matrix supervisory model; partner with UCAR Talent and Learning Development on supervisor training and development.

• Monitor the needs of UCAR staff working alongside Federal Sponsors and ensure onboarding and ongoing employee activities are developed to support employee success.

• Building connection and community within and across the distributed teams to ensure connection to one another, CPAESS, NSF NCAR, and UCAR

Program Management

Collaborate with CPAESS leadership and relevant teams (Finance, Communications, and HR) to advance strategic program efforts. 

• In coordination with CPAESS leadership, administers program strategic efforts to define, design, collect, and provide trend analysis of staff and supervisory metrics to capture the impact of program activities.

• In coordination with CPAESS leadership and CPAESS HRA team, develop and implement new annual performance evaluation processes and consistency reviews.

• In coordination with CPAESS leadership, the Financial and Communications teams develop and execute project management plans for bi-annual program reports that outline the activities and projects to which CPAESS Staff contribute. 

• In collaboration with the CPAESS Deputy Director and the Communications team, develop and implement a project management plan to collect and report the value of the early-career programs.

• In coordination with CPAESS leadership and the CPAESS HRA Team, develop plans to transition scientific staff from the current to the future job architecture structure, which includes, but is not limited to, implementation, including change management, staff mapping, salary recommendations, and position description development.

Who We’d Love To Join Our Team

Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria:

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in science, education, or public administration.

• At least six years of relevant program experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience (Including 2 years of supervisory experience)

Desired, but not required:

• Background in Earth System Science, environmental science, or atmospheric science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced ability to manage, prioritize, and implement elements of multi-faceted programs, including overseeing staff and multiple projects.

• Advanced ability to lead multiple project teams and allocate team resources effectively.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including demonstrated skill in working effectively with a diverse team of scientific, technical, and operational staff. 

• Advanced ability to establish scientific or technical projects, plans, and milestones.

• Advanced skill in directing the work of diverse scientific, technical, and administrative personnel.

• Ability to motivate teams and individuals.

• Knowledge of UCAR Policies and Procedures.

• Advanced ability to solve problems independently.

• Advanced skills in written and oral communication for a variety of audiences.

• Advanced knowledge of best practices associated with professional development.

• In-depth understanding of program management and team management/supervision.

• Ability to travel to sponsor sites, as needed.

Benefits Overview 

UCAR affirms its commitment to employees through competitive benefits. In addition to medical, dental, vision, retirement, and life insurance,  UCAR offers a variety of programs focused on work-life balance and professional, and personal development. These include:

• Tuition Assistance, time off allowance to attend classes, and other professional development opportunities

• UCAR contributes 10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one

• Starting minimum accrual of 20 days of personal time off each year (prorated for less than full-time positions)

• 10 paid holidays

• 10 days of sick leave each year

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave

• Short-term medical leave paid at 100% of your regular salary

• EcoPass for local Colorado residents to use the Denver and Boulder-area transit system at no cost

Commitment to Job Application Fairness

Applicants are not required to provide age or age-related information and may redact information related to age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution from any submissions during the initial application process.

Some Final Considerations

At UCAR|NCAR|UCP, you will work alongside a dedicated team of professionals conducting critical research and community outreach to solve complex Earth system science  problems including climate change, air pollution, extreme weather, floods, drought, wildfires, and space weather, all with the goal of improving human life and reducing economic loss. Each of us, from scientists to the professionals who support their work, serves the public and a collaborative community of scientists in our mission to understand the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun’s core.

Flexible Work

At UCAR, we are committed to supporting our mission by giving staff the flexibility to find the schedule and location that works best to maintain their own work-life circumstances and reach their full potential as professionals. Many positions within our organization are eligible for fully on-site, hybrid (three days per week) and/or flexible work hours.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UCAR is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy. Whatever your intersection of identities, you are welcome at UCAR.

Export Control

All positions are required to comply with U.S. export compliance regulations work location requirements regarding access to facilities and research systems.

Visa Wait Times

Please consider the length of visa procurement when applying for this posting, understanding that you will not be able to begin employment until you are able to get a visa and enter the U.S.

Work Location

UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

AI Software

ChatGPT and similar AI software are powerful tools that are changing the way society receives, processes, and leverages information promptly. While we acknowledge its benefits and do not restrict leveraging it with job applications, we highly encourage a majority of the applicant material to be original work.