Washington College's Center for Environment and Society seeks applicants for a Director of Sustainable Food Systems. This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position. This position is part of a cluster hire of research directorship at CES to build expertise and programming at the water-land-food-climate nexus. These three positions are endowed through the Maryland E-Novation Initiative Fund and private, philanthropic matches. They support applied research that will benefit Maryland and provide hands-on, collaborative experiences for Washington College students and faculty.

CES fosters innovative approaches to understand human-environment interactions and sustainable solutions to environmental problems through research, education, and professional development of the next generation of citizens and leaders. Operating from the new Semans-Griswold Environmental Hall, a Living Building Challenge structure on the College's waterfront campus, the Center provides an array of research and educational programs that combine civic engagement with experiential and place-based learning opportunities for students. These offerings include: the innovative and interdisciplinary Chesapeake Semester; a Watershed Innovation Lab, with remote sensing instruments, robotics, and water quality monitoring assets; the Chesapeake Places Initiative, which links natural and cultural resources and uses archaeology and landscape history to learn from the past; a powerful Geospatial Lab; two research vessels; and the River & Field Campus with its natural and restored habitats, venues for field research and teaching, and the Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory.

Reporting directly to the CES Director, the Director will be responsible for creating, developing, and managing innovative programs that can create effective solutions for real-world challenges related to food sustainability, equity and access. The ideal candidate will be a transdisciplinary thinker who fosters research and innovation around the creation and implementation of food systems that deliver food security, culturally appropriate foods, and nutrition for all. Candidates with interests that connect food and racial justice are encouraged, as are those with interests in the social determinants of health. The Director will be responsible for establishing a robust research program by establishing partnerships with local food system stakeholders, including but not limited to local producers, economic development groups, food service directors, the charitable food sector, farmers market managers, government officials, food retailers, and local businesses. The county has a newly established food council working to increase food security, decrease food waste, and localize food systems. The person in this position will continue to support this group and advance their efforts. We aim to develop a model farm to institution program for Washington College dining services that can serve as a catalyst for other area institutions. We are also in the planning stages for a student farm that can provide new research and educational opportunities associated with the Director's work.

Essential Functions:

• Develop an applied, community engaged and/or participatory action research agenda inclusive of undergraduate students and external partners that results in a variety of potential research products, such as scientific, scholarly and/or popular publications, data visualizations, briefs, reports, novel institutional practices, patents, or copyrights

• Collaborate closely with Washington College faculty, academic programs and departments, ensuring CES enjoys strong relationships across the institution and the greater community

• Participate in and foster a team-oriented, transdisciplinary, and collaborative culture at CES

• Mentor student projects and internships, and support students' professional development

• Represent CES and communicate research to multiple internal and external audiences

• Successfully seek external funding, individually and/or as a part of research teams

• Collaborate with appropriate partners to develop, commercialize or market innovations

• Work with CES Director to align with strategic goals of the Center and College

• Report annually on activities

• Manage the budget of their program

• Contribute to the larger mission of CES in service to the Center and the College

• Opportunity to teach through affiliation with an academic department to develop interest and capacity of students to engage in research and scholarship at CES

Education, Skills, Abilities, and Experience:

• A PhD in a relevant field, such as environmental studies or policy, sustainability studies, anthropology, sociology, public health or social work is required

• At least five years of professional experience in higher education or research in any sector, particularly transdisciplinary research, or team science

• Experience mentoring undergraduates in research

• Experience developing new initiatives that are transferable to the community

• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to interact with a wide range of people from different sectors

• Demonstrated experience earning extramural funding through grant writing

• Research productivity demonstrated by tangible outcomes

• Proven experience building interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary partnerships across private and public sector stakeholders

• Demonstrated teaching or teaching assistantship experience in an undergraduate setting is preferred

• Experience with philanthropic donations is preferred

Washington College is a small liberal-arts institution that emphasizes close student-faculty collaboration, civic engagement, and experiential learning. Established in 1782, it is the nation's tenth-oldest college and the first one chartered in the newly independent United States. The college is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a region rich in American history, outdoor recreation, conservation and farmland preservation, approximately 90 minutes from Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

To Apply:

Please submit the following materials through ouronline portal. Review of applications will begin on May 30 and will continue until the position is filled.

• a cover letter

• curriculum vitae

• research statement, inclusive of approach to undergraduate research mentorship

• example of a research product

• contact information of three professional references

EEO Statement & Title IX:

Washington College values diversity within our student body, faculty, and staff, and strives to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people. Washington College does not discriminate in employment on the bases of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and/or local laws. For information on Washington College's Title IX compliance, please visithttps://www.washcoll.edu/title-ix/.

Other Information:

Employment is contingent upon completion of a successful background check and establishment of identity and verification of employment eligibility as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. It is the policy of Washington College to provide reasonable accommodations. If you require any accommodations to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contacthr@washcoll.edu.