Clinical Associate Professor & Executive Director, Abrams Climate Academy

Department: Management and Organization, Kellogg School of Management

About the Abrams Climate Academy

In 2025-2026, Kellogg will launch the Abrams Climate Academy. Housed at Kellogg, the Abrams Climate Academy will prepare leaders in business, science, engineering, product design, communication, law and public service to take meaningful action on climate problems. Multidisciplinary student teams would work with relevant corporate or public sector partners and mentors on co-generative plans as part of ongoing engagement between the Abrams Academy and broader community. Over the course of the yearlong experiential program, the student teams will develop a strategic blueprint for implementing a climate solution within a corporate setting.

The Academy will be designed to foster a growing community of sustainability leaders and change agents. The governance is envisioned to include a director to run the project-based experiential labs, a staff member to support and run the day-to-day operations and logistics of the student teams, and an advisory board that would consist of corporate partners, engaged alumni and industry experts, and faculty partners from each participating school.

The Opportunity - Executive Director, Abrams Climate Academy

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University invites applications for an open-rank clinical faculty position acting as Executive Director of the Abrams Climate Academy. Key to the Academy's success is recruiting a highly regarded world-class expert on sustainability to be the Executive Director. The ideal director will have broad experience with climate action and can demonstrate successful implementation of high impact climate action or carbon reduction programs in the private or public sector. The director should have high credibility in both the private sector and the academic community, including managing and developing complex programs.

This is an attractive role for sustainability experts, especially given the unique, high-impact vision of the Abrams Academy and because Northwestern and Kellogg provide a desirable platform for launching this ambitious initiative.

The responsibilities of the Executive Director will be to oversee the climate action projects in collaboration with the advisory board and partner organizations. They will manage the overall fellowship experience and lead the operation and growth of the Academy program. This position will also manage one staff member dedicated to supporting the program.

As a Clinical faculty member, in addition to running the Academy, this position will be responsible to teach three experiential learning courses with students from across Northwestern. The experiential courses will involve coaching students through their work with corporate partners to implement climate action solutions. The faculty member will also be expected to actively develop and manage corporate relationships and identify suitable projects.

Primary selection criteria include expertise with climate action in both the private or public sector and the academic community. Specifically, the ideal candidate will demonstrate:

The ability to work collaboratively in a complex environment and across multiple constituencies - students, faculty, corporate partners, and the university community

Ability to develop an academic program

An interest in working entrepreneurially to build the academy from the ground up

A high degree of executive presence and a passion for climate action

More information about the Abrams Academy can be found at this link. Inquires about the position can be directed to Kellogg Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@kellogg.northwestern.edu.

Applications can be submitted at Apply for Job and priority will be given to applicants who apply by December 30, 2024. You will be asked to submit a current CV and a 1-2 page cover letter summarizing your background, passion for and experience with climate action. You will also be asked to provide the name and contact information for three people who will act as references on your behalf.

Salary and Benefits

The expected base pay range for this position is $185,000-$215,000. This base pay range is for a twelve-month academic appointment and is subject to negotiation based on experience.

Northwestern University has provided a pay range representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for the position. The final pay and rank offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree, training, and field or discipline; departmental budget availability; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

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