Senior Director, Energy Technologies Initiative

Department Institute for Climate & Sustainable Growth Administration About the Department The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) was established in May 2019 and evolved from the Institute for Molecular Engineering, founded in 2011. The PME integrates science and engineering to address global challenges from the molecular level up. The PME’s rigorous academic and research programs are made possible through the University of Chicago’s unique partnership with Argonne National Laboratory. The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering is the first new school at the University of Chicago in three decades and the first school in the nation dedicated to molecular engineering. In the next phase of growth as a School, the PME will continue to expand its team of world-class faculty researchers and empower students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate with faculty in cutting-edge facilities. The PME aims to bring solutions for urgent societal problems to the forefront, while training the next generation of scientific leaders and entrepreneurs. The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) integrates science and engineering to address global challenges from the molecular level up, made possible through the University of Chicago's unique partnership with Argonne National Laboratory. In collaboration with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth (ICSG), PME launched the Energy Technologies Initiative (ETI) to advance next-generation technologies for energy conversion, storage, and distribution. A key component of ETI is the Energy Transition Network (ETN), an affiliate network that provides a pre-competitive forum for companies and researchers to share insights, identify opportunities, and translate innovations from basic research to commercial impact. Job Summary The Senior Director of ETI is the senior-most administrative and strategic leader of the Energy Technologies Initiative, with full accountability for defining ETI's vision, owning its portfolio of programs and partnerships, and driving organizational impact in collaboration with ICSG and external partners. Reporting to the ETI Faculty Director and serving as a strategic peer to ICSG leadership, the [Senior Director] defines and drives the joint strategic agenda across ETI's programs, partnerships, and communications. The Senior Director also builds and leads ETI's internal team, setting direction, developing talent, and establishing the organizational capacity needed to execute at scale. The Senior Director is the accountable owner of the Energy Transition Network (ETN), overseeing its strategy, operations, and member engagement. This position demands visionary leadership, sophisticated stakeholder influence, and the ability to translate scientific opportunity into institutional and industry impact. Responsibilities Serves as ETI's primary organizational and strategic leader and partners with the ETI Faculty Director to define ETI's long-term vision, set institutional priorities, and drive enterprise-wide alignment across PME, ICSG, and external stakeholders. Works to integrate and highlight ETI initiatives within the broader strategic goals of PME, ICSG, and the Corporate Engagement Office. Owns end-to-end strategy, execution, and impact evaluation for ETI's initiatives, partnerships, and events. Leads the development and implementation of multi-year strategic plans for ETI. Owns ETI's program budgets and financial planning processes, making strategic resource allocation decisions to maximize program impact and organizational sustainability. Builds, leads, and develops a high-performing ETI team, establishing a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration; recruits, mentors, and retains talent aligned with ETI's mission and growth ambitions. Sets clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations for direct reports; provides ongoing coaching and development to build organizational capacity and program excellence. Serves as a senior institutional voice for ETI, representing the initiative at the highest levels of University leadership, national convenings, and industry forums. Cultivates and stewards a high-value portfolio of relationships with senior leaders across University offices, faculty, industry, and the broader energy innovation ecosystem to advance ETI's strategic objectives. Conducts strategic market and landscape intelligence; translates emerging trends in energy technology, policy, and investment into actionable program opportunities and positions ETI at the forefront of new engagement areas and network expansion. Supports proposal development and fundraising activities to sustain and grow ETI. Owns and negotiates ETN partnership and member agreements in close coordination with the Corporate Engagement Office, ensuring terms reflect ETI's strategic value and priorities. Directs ETN member engagement, communications, and community-building strategy to deepen member value, expand the network's reach, and strengthen pre-competitive collaboration. Accountable for membership agreement compliance and a high-quality stakeholder onboarding experience, in partnership with the Corporate Engagement Office. Owns and drives ETI and ETN’s integrated communications strategy in partnership with ICSG and PME Communications, setting the narrative direction and ensuring consistent, high-impact messaging across digital platforms, publications, event announcements, research highlights, and media amplification. Drives the vision, programming strategy, and execution for high-impact ETI and ETN flagship events and initiatives, including agenda development, speaker recruitment, and audience cultivation that reflect ETI's strategic priorities. Owns the strategic alignment of ETN programming with ETI and ICSG institutional goals, continuously refining program direction based on member needs, market dynamics, and research priorities. Serves as ETI's primary liaison to ICSG leadership,