Executive Director for the Ecological Restoration Institute

Job Description

Northern Arizona University (NAU) seeks a dynamic leader to serve as Executive Director of the Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI). The Executive Director will be responsible for leading an interdisciplinary staff of professionals dedicated to advancing the restoration of forest ecosystems in order to regain natural ecological function, lower the risk of undesirable fire in forests and increase resiliency of our public lands and the human communities of the Intermountain West.

The Ecological Restoration Institute (ERI) is nationally recognized as an objective leader in primary and secondary ecological and social science, scholarship, information transfer, collaborative efforts, and policy analysis. Recently, the ERI expanded its focus to include forest operations and biomass utilization, and technical assistance to tribes. The ERI contributes to NAU’s vision to create a better Arizona and nation through its commitment to collaborative partnerships with communities, businesses, populations and decision makers that help lead the way to improving: the health and resiliency of forests and associated ecosystem services; forest ecosystem resiliency in the face of climate change; watershed function; and, the quality of life in rural communities.

The Executive Director will report to the Dean of the College of the Environment, Forestry and Natural Sciences (CEFNS) and must effectively represent the ERI to the university administration, diverse external constituents that include elected officials and government agencies, the public and the media. The ERI was established by Congress (PL108-317) as one of three state-based ecological restoration institutes in the Southwest directed to develop landscape scale solutions to reverse degraded forest health and the increasing risk of catastrophic fire. Half of the ERI budget comes from annual appropriations by Congress that pass through the United States Forest Service. In 2005, the Western Governors’ Association and the governors and presidents of the three universities signed a charter committing support for the mission of the institutes. To be successful the Executive Director must be: passionate about the mission of the ERI; eager to interact with funders (Congress, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribes); able to understand the need for producing relevant information for funders while also pursuing scholarly activities that anticipate information needs of all constituents in the future; and, able to inspire, lead, and manage staff. This will be a tenured appointment. Staff positions within ERI are subject to funding. Presently, the ERI employs 22 full and part time staff and approximately 6-10 students for summer research and lab work.

Minimum Qualifications

• An earned doctorate in forestry, natural resources, or related fields with advanced study.
• Professional credentials commensurate with a tenured appointment in the College of the Environment, Forestry and Natural Sciences.
• At least 10 years of experience following the completion of the Ph.D. that demonstrates facility with scholarship and application of results.
• At least five years of personnel supervision.

Minimum qualifications for the rank of Associate Professor include all of the above, and:

• Associate Professor rank and research experience in a university setting, or equivalent experience and rank in a non-university setting

Minimum qualifications for the rank of Professor include all of the above, and:

• Professor rank and research experience in a university setting, or equivalent experience and rank in a non-university setting

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional credentials commensurate with appointment as Professor at Northern Arizona University (please see http://www2.nau.edu/~provo-p/doc/COFS_5_11_09.pdf for requirements).
• A national / international reputation in forestry, ecological restoration, or natural resource conservation.
• Experience in obtaining and managing extramural funded projects. 
• Demonstrated performance in meeting production timelines and deliverables.
• Record of scholarship in forestry, ecological restoration, or natural resource conservation. 
• Record of communicating scholarly results to diverse audiences.
• Record of relevance. Examples of how scholarly results helped influence change of management, policy, or other natural resource related actions.
• Demonstrated understanding of federal land management agencies and policies. 
• Proof of leadership, including management of a team of staff members.
• A commitment to support the multicultural needs of Northern Arizona University and the surrounding area.

General Information

The Ecological Restoration Program was formally established by the Arizona Board of Regents in 1996 and renamed the Ecological Restoration Institute in 2000. Its founder, Dr. Wally Covington was an early leader and advocate for science-informed ecological restoration. The Institute is co-located with the School of Forestry in the Southwest Forest Science Complex.

Northern Arizona University has a student population of 31,073, including approximately 23,000 on its main campus in Flagstaff and the remainder at more than 20 locations statewide and online.

Committed to a diverse and civil working and learning environment, NAU has earned a solid reputation as a university with all the features of a large institution but with a personal touch, with a faculty and staff dedicated to each student’s success. All faculty members are expected to promote student learning and help students achieve academic outcomes.

While our emphasis is undergraduate education, we offer a wide range of graduate programs and research. Our institution has carefully integrated on-campus education with distance learning, forming seamless avenues for students to earn degrees.

Flagstaff has a population of about 70,000, rich in cultural diversity. Located at the base of the majestic San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff is 140 miles north of Phoenix at intersection of Interstate 17 and Interstate 40.

Special Information

This is a tenure-eligible, full-time, benefit-eligible, administrative faculty position located in Flagstaff, AZ. The administrative assignment will be to serve as Executive Director for the Ecological Restoration Institute. Rank, tenure status, and home unit for the faculty appointment will be determined based on the successful candidate's education, credentials, and experience. The academic tenure home of the position is expected to be the School of Forestry, but other academic affiliations will be considered. While the faculty appointment is ongoing, tenure-eligible or tenured academic year (9 month) appointment, the administrative assignment as Executive Director is a 12 month appointment renewable annually.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button at the end of the job description if viewing this position through the NAU HR website. Otherwise, to view the original post and to apply, proceed to nau.jobs, follow the 'Faculty and Administrator Openings' link, locate vacancy 604592, and then "Apply" at the bottom of the page.

For consideration for this position submit: (1) a letter of interest that clearly describes your qualifications for this position (reference minimum and preferred qualifications listed in the job description), (2) curriculum vitae, and (3) names and contact information for three to five professional references.

If you have problems submitting application attachments in the form of PDF documents or questions please contact us at Jamie.Baxter@nau.edu.

For questions regarding the position please contact Jason Wilder at Jason.Wilder@nau.edu. Please note that professional references will be contacted only for the most highly qualified applicants, and that both a letter and a phone interview will be requested from those individuals.

If you need assistance completing your application there are instructions available on the HR website  or in person in the Human Resources Department located in Building 91 on the NAU Campus - on the corner of Beaver and DuPont Streets.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process please contact the Office of Equity and Access at: 928-523-3312/TDD - 928-523-1006 or PO Box 4083, Flagstaff AZ 86011.