Position Summary

Florida Atlantic University seeks a visionary and dynamic leader to serve as the Executive Director of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI-FAU). The Executive Director will provide strategic vision and leadership for the development of HBOI-FAU research programs in marine science, engineering, and technology and will be responsible for cultivating marine programs by diversifying and expanding FAU’s funding sources to include a mix of federal, state, and regional public agencies, as well as corporations, foundations, and private individuals. The Executive Director will have leadership responsibility for the development and execution of FAU’s university-wide initiative for marine sciences and related areas.

The ideal director will bring an entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach to planning and implementing programs that support HBOI and FAU faculty as they expand their research activities in marine science, engineering, and technology, as well as participate in the development of graduate and postdoctoral programs in these areas in collaboration with FAU’s colleges.

The director will also:

• Lead a diverse and effective team to manage the research, educational, administrative, and budgetary policies and functions for which HBOI-FAU is responsible;
• Promote a collegial, diverse, equitable, and safe workplace that supports excellence and creativity;
• Ensure excellence through recruitment, development, and productive merit evaluation of staff members;
• Establish effective communication channels that enhance the productivity of all faculty and staff;
• Serve as the HBOI-FAU liaison to the Office of Academic Affairs as well as the college deans, and as a representative to university policy and advisory committees,
• Serve on the FAU Marine Science, Engineering, and Technology Advisory Council that supports marine research throughout the university
• Function as a representative of FAU to national and international marine and ocean science agencies and organizations;
• Serve as an ex officio member of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation Board to foster and enhance the collaboration necessary to support HBOI-FAU initiatives through funding and development efforts

About HBOI-FAU

Harbor Branch is in an era of growth and renewal marked by a $44.6 million campus revitalization project that includes a new 40,000-ft² laboratory building that will house a significantly expanded research faculty. Further support of a growing research portfolio will result from the re-establishment of postdoctoral and graduate student programs, as well as a recapitalized direct support foundation.

HBOI-FAU’s 28 principal investigators and program managers conduct research in the areas of ocean exploration and technology development; marine ecosystem ecology and health; aquaculture; marine drug discovery; and marine sensor development. In addition, over 50 FAU faculty members at other campus locations conduct wide-ranging research in areas such as marine biology, natural products chemistry, biotechnology; environmental science, and ocean engineering and exploration. The university’s existing centers and collaborations offer exciting opportunities for synergistic growth. These include the Center for Ocean Energy Technology; Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology; Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering (SeaTech); Florida Center for Environmental Studies; and the Environmental Sciences Initiative focused on Everglades health and restoration. FAU also partners with the University of Miami in its Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Science.

The State of Florida has proactively undertaken the creation of a new global center of innovation and excellence in biotechnology that extends throughout South and Central Florida. Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Oregon Health & Science University’s Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute, Stanford Research Institute, Scripps Florida, and Max Planck Florida Institute are among the institutions establishing a Florida presence, the last two are located on FAU’s Jupiter campus. HBOI-FAU and FAU faculty have existing collaborations with several of these institutions and are aggressively pursuing active relationships with the others. Florida Atlantic President, M. J. Saunders said, “We are looking for an individual who will accelerate Harbor Branch and FAU’s advances in marine biology, marine biotechnology and oceanography.”

FAU was established as the fifth university in the state system in 1961. It has 28,000 students, 140 degree programs, and $50 million in annual research expenditures. It is classified as a “Doctoral/High Research Activity” institution. FAU has seven campuses located along 150 miles of Florida’s southeastern coast, from Ft. Pierce to Ft. Lauderdale, with the main campus in Boca Raton. Marine science activities bracket this expanse of Florida coastline with HBOI-FAU in Ft. Pierce on the Indian River at the northern end and the ocean engineering program at Sea Tech at the southern end in Dania Beach just south of Ft. Lauderdale. To learn more about FAU and HBOI-FAU, please visit www.fau.edu and www.hboi.fau.edu.

Qualifications

For consideration, candidates must possess a doctoral degree in a discipline related to science or engineering. Degrees in the areas of oceanography, biology, marine science, biotechnology, chemistry, or ocean engineering are preferred. Candidates must also have at least five years of high level administrative and management experience (preferably in an academic or research environment) in program development, acquisition and management of public and/or private research funding, and operations. Experience in the management of large multi-researcher, multi-disciplinary, or multi-institutional programs, with demonstrated skills of team building and effective delegation is highly desired, as is sufficient professional stature to serve as an effective advocate for and respected representative of FAU in the national and international scientific and engineering community.

This position is a full-time, 12 month administrative faculty appointment that reports to FAU’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer. The salary will be competitive and includes excellent fringe benefits. FAU is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access institution.

To Apply

A complete job description and application instructions may be found at https://jobs.fau.edu. Please reference job number 980252. The applicant selected for the position must complete a background check prior to employment.

For more information about the position and the opportunity, please visit /hboi/execdirectorsearch_main.php

For more information about Harbor Branch: http://www.hboi.fau.edu

The application deadline is September 15, 2010.

FAU Links

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Center for Ocean Energy Technology

SeaTech, The Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Environmental Science Program

Integrative Biology Ph.D. Program

Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex

The Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology

Florida Center for Environmental Studies

Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science