Spark is helping to accelerate field organization around transformative changes in nitrogen management in food production systems to increase efficiencies and decrease nitrogen pollution, including emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide and leaching of nitrate. These potential transformational solutions — collectively called Nitrogen 2.0 — include increased use of non-protein-nitrogen in livestock feed, breeding corn and other crops for improved nitrogen use efficiency, improved manureshed management to increase circularity of nutrient cycling, and anticipation of favorable and unintended consequences of the advent of green ammonia technology.
Spark is looking for a candidate who is deeply motivated by climate action, pollution abatement, and food security issues and is excited to engage with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders. This role is highly interdisciplinary, taking science, engineering, talent development, society, economics, and policy into account to holistically advance the field, and is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in defining and shaping a new set of agricultural approaches with climate and environmental benefit.
Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the development of Spark’s agricultural nitrogen management program which identifies and acts on the highest leverage potential solution areas and the critical intervention points, ranging from impactful research projects to policy changes and public communications, to accelerate the development and evaluation of new approaches.
- Coordinate an emergent collaboration of about 30 university, government, and NGO scientists, under the umbrella title of “Nitrogen2.0,” to develop preliminary modeling and life-cycle analysis studies, communication materials, and funding opportunities to advance the Nitrogen2.0 vision.
- Build relationships with science partners, policy makers, philanthropic partners, NGOs, and other field actors to collaborate on roadmaps, research agendas, and other efforts to accelerate the field.
- Serve as a subject matter expert and area advocate to other organizations, funders, and policymakers in this space, as needed.
- Identify key adjacent areas to support in order to most comprehensively address the climate and other pollution impacts of agriculture.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Graduate degree in agriculture, biology, biogeochemistry, biotechnology, biochemistry, physics, ecology, environmental science, or related field
- 7+ years of combined professional and research experience, including any graduate work; of which 4+ years are professional experience outside of graduate work. The ideal candidate has a combination of scientific/business/policy-related background in agriculture, biology, biogeochemistry, biotechnology, environmental science, or physics.
- Demonstrated ability to develop strategies and independently run projects and complex worktracks, particularly in research-heavy areas.
- Proven scientific literacy and comfort working with scientific material and collaborating with leading scientists in agricultural sciences, including proposal writing.
- Adept at system-level thinking – understanding how scientific research, policy, funding, industry, etc all play a role in the development of new critical climate fields.
- Demonstrated experience working collaboratively and effectively with external stakeholders to drive meaningful outcomes.
- Experience leading and mentoring in a manner that centers collaboration, empathy, and equity.
- Excellent written, speaking / presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Experience working with communication specialists to develop a variety of communication products targeted at specific audiences, such as funders, policy makers, and influencers.
- Self-motivated, proactive professional who works well independently and collaboratively with others.
- Insatiable curiosity about climate and food production issues; open-mindedness in exploring all possible solutions; and the flexibility, creativity, and tenacity to drive the necessary work forward
- Fluency in English.
Eligibility
- Able to work as a W2 employee for a US non-profit
- At least 4 overlapping work hours with US Pacific time work day (9am-5pm PT)
We encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications. The top candidates will bring their own unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds from a variety of industries along with many but not necessarily all the skills listed above.
Location
As with all positions at Spark Climate Solutions, this will be 100% remote. Employees can work anywhere within the United States, or internationally with approval.
Compensation
This is a all full-time positions with benefits. The starting salary range is $130,000-$180,000 / year, dependent on experience and location, and may be higher for more senior candidates. In addition, Spark Climate Solutions provides exceptional benefits including flexible PTO, sick time, holidays, a 401-k match, generous health insurance coverage, and full-covered dental/vision/life insurance, and parental leave.
