Director, Northern Mesonet Project

at  Western University

CLASSIFICATION & REGULAR HOURS

Hours per Week: 35
Salary Grade: 18
Please note, this is a wholly grant funded position.

ABOUT US

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is one of four departments in the Faculty of Engineering. Faculty and staff in the department support and foster the educational and research pursuits of undergraduate and graduate engineering students, while providing the best student experience. The Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL) aims to advance the identification, assessment, understanding and prediction of severe convective storms (SCS) and their impacts across Canada. The CSSL shall become the authoritative source for SCS research and data in Canada, thereby improving the safety and wellbeing of Canadians. The NMP will operate under the larger umbrella of the CSSL, along with the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP), and Northern Hail Project (NHP).

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• PhD in Civil Engineering, Wind Engineering or related field
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registered in Canada preferred

Experience:

• 5 years’ experience managing large-scale research projects in a research-focused role in a university, government, or corporate setting
• Experience following severe weather events, conducting damage surveys, and analyzing meteorological data using radar and other methodology
• Experience managing research staff and leading a team to implement project outcomes
• Experience managing, initiating and cultivating relationships with a variety of internal/external partners, donors, sponsors and/or stakeholders

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• In-depth knowledge of engineering, instrumentation, and statistical methods
• In-depth knowledge of techniques for planning, managing and coordinating multiple projects, with competing priorities that involve a variety of stakeholders
• Knowledge of SCS processes and severe weather phenomena and of SCS-related monitoring instrumentation
• Familiarity with University research policies and practices
• Project management skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously from conception to completion within tightly prescribed timelines
• Ability to effectively lead revenue-generating strategies, develop proposals, and achieve targets
• Critical thinking and analytical skills to assess complex higher education issues of concern to stakeholders, including the media, the public, and prospective donors
• Openness to recognize when change is necessary, and to develop, implement and lead effective change management strategies
• Ability to maintain and develop an effective network of contacts that provide information regarding emergent opportunities and best practices
• Ability to establish effective routines for excellent communication with all members of the team to maximize productivity
• Communication skills with the ability to converse with, write reports for, and deliver presentations to all levels of the organization
• Ability to deal confidentially with information that has financial, political, regulatory and reputational implications
• Ability to provide solutions and ideas for improvement by using imaginative approaches where constructive thinking and innovation are required
• Ability to draw on diversity of skills, backgrounds and knowledge of people to achieve more effective results
• Ability to make decisions and recommendations that are clearly linked to the organization’s strategy and goals
• Ability to handle details with a high degree of accuracy and to organize and prioritize a high volume of work to meet deadlines
• Ability to promote individual growth by encouraging others to learn new skills and develop themselves
• Ambitious with the ability to identify opportunities, develop action plans and set challenging goals in order to achieve desired outcomes
• Ability to provide guidance to assist others in solving complex problems
• Computer skills with the ability to learn and use software programs (Advanced MS Office, experience with databases)
• Influential interpersonal skills that build positive and strong relationships at all levels of the organization
• Ability to handle complex, ambiguous situations with diplomacy, calmness and good judgment
• Results-oriented with the ability to motivate and coach employees to meet high performance standards, while working effectively as a member of the leadership team
• Ability to recommend controls to manage operational and legal risks
• Ability to evaluate issues, recognize potential problems and take action to proactively resolve issues
• Ability to identify opportunities for improvement, while being open to trying new ideas and working methods
• Proven ability to build both formal and informal professional relationships within, across, and external to organizational boundaries
• Capacity to think and act at a strategic level and achieve operational requirements

The Director provides leadership to the research team for the Northern Mesonet Project (NMP) and works in collaboration with the Principal Investigator and other leaders to develop, implement and monitor processes that ensure the success of the research project at Western and compliance with other agreements and regulations. The role is the key staff resource to the Principal Investigator, Dean, senior leaders and staff within the project with respect to operations and has a reputation as an expert in remote sensing, instrumentation, and full-scale experiments. The Director will reinforce and advance Western’s reputation for excellence in research and ensure that strategies are developed to sustain successful administration of research funds within a large diverse research community, ensuring efforts are focused and coordinated to meet the deliverables of the project and the progress is continual towards meeting multi-year goals.
The Director collaborates with the Principal Investigator in the development and implementation of long-term strategic plans and manages the allocation of human and physical resources related to the NMP. The role develops an extensive knowledge of local, regional and national revenue and funding opportunities, initiating and cultivating new and existing relationships with external partners and sponsors, and leading and participating in efforts to raise revenue streams to facilitate the achievement of strategic plans related to research, in collaboration with the Principal Investigator. The role identifies and develops opportunities for new technical approaches, process improvements, design and revision of practices, with appropriate controls, to ensure that risks are mitigated.