Occupational Summary

As an integral member of Duke University’s Office of Climate and Sustainability (OCS), the Assistant Director of Climate and Sustainability Fluency (AD) serves as a central strategic leader responsible for advancing and operationalizing the educational goals of the Duke Climate Commitment. The position manages and coordinates climate and sustainability fluency initiatives driven by institutional strategy and funding, with the goal that every Duke student graduates with fluency and a sense of agency and hope to contribute to positive action regardless of academic discipline. Working collaboratively across schools, departments, and partners, the Assistant Director drives cross-university integration of climate and sustainability fluency into curricular and co-curricular educational pathways. They are guided by the Duke Climate and Sustainability Fluency Framework and aligned with the Duke Climate 2030 Strategy and future strategic guidance. The role coordinates faculty development, manages education-focused initiatives, supports assessment and reporting efforts, and ensures institutionally aligned execution, accountability, and measurable progress of climate and sustainability education integration across Duke’s academic ecosystem.

Roles and Responsibilities

Climate and Sustainability Fluency Strategy and Program Leadership (50%)

The role provides strategic leadership for advancing climate and sustainability fluency across Duke’s academic ecosystem by developing institutional partnerships, driving cross‑school integration, and executing Climate Commitment education priorities, while also leading governance management and program execution for climate and sustainability education initiatives university‑wide.

• Serve as a primary strategic leader advancing climate and sustainability fluency and guiding the education pillar of the Duke Climate Commitment.
• Serve as a strategic advisor and institutional partner to Duke’s schools and departments, advising school-led plans that advance Duke Climate Commitment educational goals while emphasizing each school’s unique academic mission, disciplinary strengths and priorities.
• Advance school- and department-level implementation strategies that embed climate and sustainability learning into curricular and co-curricular educational pathways.
• Provide strategic partnership and thought leadership with the faculty co-chairs of the Education Subcommittee of the Climate Commitment Advisory Council (CCAC)
  • Facilitate the subcommittee’s role and activities each academic year to help drive the implementation of the goals outlined in the 2030 Strategy
  • Lead strategic and operational management for the CCAC Education Subcommittee
    • Partner with faculty co-chairs to establish annual priorities, meeting strategy, and implementation goals.
    • Drive meeting preparation, documentation, implementation tracking, follow-through, and execution accountability.
    • Lead or support education-focused task forces and working groups as needed to advance Climate Commitment priorities.
• Oversee the Climate and Sustainability Education Innovation Fund, including RFP strategy, proposal development support, evaluation processes, funding recommendations, and implementation oversight.
• Manage programmatic opportunities that activate campus participation in climate and sustainability education, including other Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that support faculty, staff, and departmental initiatives aligned with the Duke Climate Commitment.
• Lead operational coordination, communications, documentation, scheduling, and event execution required to ensure climate and sustainability education initiatives are implemented effectively and at scale.

Faculty Development and Instructional Support (20%)

The role supports faculty through structured programs, consultations, and coordinated resources that enable the integration of climate and sustainability content into teaching and learning.

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous advancement of faculty development initiatives for climate and sustainability fluency, including:
  • Planning and execution of the Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows Program alongside the Assistant Director of Climate and Sustainability Applied Learning
    • Lead the development of the program inclusive of cohort selection, spring workshop planning and academic year follow through
    • The AD of C&S Applied Learning will partner on planning and take the lead on experiential and applied learning integration
  • Workshops, tours, guided discussions, and resource development to support instructional design
• Provide strategic consultation to faculty and academic leaders exploring innovative pedagogical approaches to climate and sustainability education.
• Collaborate with campus partners to identify, organize, and disseminate high-quality instructional materials, tools, and best practices that support climate and sustainability education.
• Provide individualized consultations to faculty to support the development of new courses and the enhancement of existing courses to include climate and sustainability content.
• Work closely with faculty, academic leadership, staff, students to interpret needs for Climate Commitment programming and to coordinate course, program, and proposal development.

Assessment, Reporting, and Metrics (15%)

The role ensures that climate and sustainability fluency efforts are tracked, assessed, and continuously improved through coordinated data management and reporting systems.

• Lead Duke’s climate and sustainability fluency assessment strategy, including institution-wide reporting, performance metrics, and progress evaluation tied to Climate Commitment education goals.
• Establish and oversee assessment frameworks, measurement systems, and school-level evaluation processes that drive accountability and continuous improvement in climate and sustainability education integration.
• Contribute to reporting, analysis, and continuous improvement related to climate and sustainability education initiatives.
• Support the development of assessment frameworks that measure learning outcomes, faculty engagement, cross-school collaboration and other metrics.
• Manage and maintain Duke’s centralized catalogue of climate and sustainability-related courses and educational assets, ensuring accuracy, visibility, and usability.
• Develop, curate, and continuously expand a centralized library of climate education resources for faculty, staff, and students.
• Maintain working knowledge of all education-related Climate Commitment programs to support unified communications across university channels, including newsletters, websites, listservs, social media, and reports.

Internal and External Engagement and Collaboration (10%)

The role functions as an internal and external connector and communicator to foster relationships and to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and climate and sustainability fluency outcomes.

• Build and advance climate and sustainability fluency collaborations across Duke, engaging faculty, administrators, alumni, and staff who support curricular and cocurricular learning.
• Design, convene, and manage cross-campus networking events, workshops, and communities of practice that foster a collaborative and inclusive climate and sustainability learning ecosystem by connecting academic units, educational support staff, and partner organizations.
• Support academic integration efforts within the portfolio of work, including coordinating class presentations, faculty partnerships, student projects or research, student internships, etc.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with staff, faculty, and alumni supporting Duke Climate Commitment goals, ensuring appropriate communication and alignment across stakeholders.
• Serve as the OCS team’s primary point of contact to Duke Kunshan University colleagues engaged in climate and sustainability fluency work.
• Represent Duke as a leader in climate and sustainability fluency internally, externally and within higher education networks. 
• Collaborate with regional and national sustainability peer groups in higher education focused on climate and sustainability education (ex. AASHE Sustainability Across the Curriculum)
• Present at professional meetings and conferences.

OCS Administration and Support (5%)

• Support other members of the Office of Climate and Sustainability team as needed in the strategy and/or execution of programs, initiatives and events.
• Complete administrative tasks including scheduling, purchasing, reservations, data entry, and student hiring.

Minimum Education/Training Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 5-6 years of relevant experience; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives and drive institutional collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong facilitation, strategic communication, and consensus-building skills in complex organizational environments.
• Strong organizational, time management, and project management skills, with the ability to manage and support multiple projects at different stages with an emphasis on accuracy and meeting milestones and deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to support a community of diverse perspectives and cultures in an inclusive environment.
• Inquisitive attitude, self-motivated, and self-driven approach with ability to work in a high-pace, collaborative environment.
• Professional writing experience and ability and comfort with public speaking and presentations.
• Proficiency in various software to collect and manage data, create reports that outline progress and impact, and maintain a database of past and current projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or higher degree preferred
• Experience in higher education program management or administration
• Experience with pedagogy, curriculum and/or academic strategy
• Experience collaborating with faculty
• Experience with environmental education and/or climate and sustainability education/pedagogy
• Experience with assessment

Additional Requirements

• Hybrid arrangement required (at least 2 days per week in office)
• Ability to travel to other buildings around campus for meetings and presentations
• Occasional work outside of normal business hours (9-5), e.g., nights and weekends for events and programming.

Helpful Links for applicants:

• Office of Climate and Sustainability
• The Duke Climate Commitment
• Climate and Sustainability Fluency Framework                                                                                                                        
• Duke Climate 2030 Strategy
• Climate and Sustainability Education Innovation Fund: Request for Faculty and Staff Proposals
• 2025 Duke Climate Commitment Annual Report

Job Code: 00002595 ASSIST DIR, CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY EDU
Job Level: 14