Vice President Of Applied Science

Applications:

Please submit a resume or CV (2 pages maximum) and cover letter (2 pages maximum)
About Vibrant Planet:
Our vision is to restore earth's climate and biosphere resilience. Our mission is to accelerate the regenerative economy.
Vibrant Planet (https://www.vibrantplanet.net/) harnesses data driven science and cloud-based technology to help make communities and ecosystems more resilient in the face of global change. Our team is a close-knit group of climate policy leaders, scientists, foresters, and tech leaders (formerly US Forest Service, US Department of the Interior, California State government, Netflix, MetaFB, Lyft, Guidewire). Our flagship platform,

Land Tender , helps prioritize land management and forest treatment finance based on risk to, and opportunities to improve critical ecosystems and communities.

Land Tender

also provides decision support and monitoring down to the tree level to protect and restore landscape resilience.

Land Tender

is in use across large parts of California and Oregon; rapid national and international expansion is on the horizon. In addition, Vibrant Planet is actively working in other business areas including climate change adaptation, Nature Based Solutions, and carbon management. Vibrant Planet is backed by climate solutions leaders, including Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Grantham Foundation, Earthshot, Elemental Excelerator, Chris Cox (CPO at FB), Neil Hunt (ex CPO of Netflix), and Halogen Ventures.
Job Description:
Vibrant Planet seeks a self-motivated, experienced, and knowledgeable Vice President of Applied Science to supervise and manage the Vibrant Planet Science, Data Science and Land Management Staff (Science Staff). The Science Staff includes applied scientists (currently 6 staff positions with two more anticipated this summer) who are engaged in (1) direct support to current Vibrant Planet product development and production; (2) longer-term and broader-scale thinking, scaling, and data development designed to expand VP's horizons, both technically and geographically; and (3) validation, publication, and science outreach. The VP for Applied Science will ensure the proper balance of Science Staff support to research and development, current product deployments, and other short-term needs..
The Science Staff's mission is to:
Lend scientific salience, credibility, and legitimacy to Vibrant Planet and its operations, support Vibrant Planet science information needs, and function as a world-class science delivery, outreach, and innovation organization.
Vibrant Planet staff work remotely allowing the VP of Applied Science to telework; some travel will be necessary. The majority of work currently occurs in the western United States, but applied science development opportunities are expected to develop around the world.
Roles/Responsibilities:
Work closely with the Vibrant Planet Chief Scientist and Chief Resilience Officer, to supervise and lead existing Science, Data Science and Land Management Staff and recruit additional team members as necessary to:
Develop and/or leverage established ecosystem function models (carbon, hydrology, biodiversity, etc.) and their responses to hazards (fire, drought, land use change, etc.) and interventions (range of relevant treatment activities).

Find and assess quality of data from national, regional, and/or local sources.

Transform and conform data and create prototypes of scalable code to implement models for optimization, visualization, monitoring, reporting, and collaboration tools.

Work with the Product, Engineering, and other staffs to create practical tools and systems for commercial use.

Secure extramural funding to provide support for Science Staff technical initiatives.

Liaise with Policy team to marry emerging science and policy advancements in land management and ecosystem services.

Collaborate with our non-profit arm (Vibrant Planet Data Commons) to serve as a public domain repository of data sets of scientific and academic value.

Work closely with the Chief Scientist to develop a portfolio of practices and strategies to create and maintain scientific credibility, e.g. by publishing, attending key conferences, and interacting with the media.

Work closely with the CEO on strategy and priorities.

Support the preparation of landscape-specific technical reports.

Support Vibrant Planet's expansion to serve international resilience, adaptation, and risk mitigation (etc.) needs.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Strong applied science background (PhD and evidence of professional engagement in scientific pursuits, including, e.g., project development and management, data collection and analysis, publication, outreach, client support)

Experience in executive or second level management, leading a team of professional scientists with diverse backgrounds

Experience in a startup or similarly small, fast paced, loosely structured environment

Experience recruiting and working with specialists in multiple applied scientific and land management disciplines including ecology, hydrology, wildlife, botany, heritage, fuels management, and silviculture

Able to balance competing short-term (delivering data and providing expertise on time and budget for product releases) and long-term (ideation, developing scientific models, publishing papers) priorities

Innovative spirit, with a track record of important findings and contributions that delivered value to an enterprise

Data-driven, statistically literate, comprehension of machine learning and AI techniques, with some level of expertise in remote sensing, satellite imagery, and GIS

Understanding of data and model validation and quality control practices

Reasonable familiarity with aspects of vegetation management programs of work including: planning (NEPA and State-level environmental regulations), project implementation, and project administration (contractual mechanisms and guidelines)

Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills; experience in managing remote staffs

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with a variety of people from diverse backgrounds

Excellent and adaptive communication skills, written and verbal

Experience with project management software (e.g. Monday) and billing software (e.g. Harvest) is advantageous

Experience engaging with clients using proprietary software is advantageous

Required Team & Collaboration Skills
Demonstrated ability to lead a team to produce timely and defensible deliverables

Strong organizational skills to ensure high-quality data and clear documentation of workflows

Ability to self-motivate, manage time, and work independently

Commitment to an inclusive and equitable work environment where diverse views and backgrounds are valued and supported

Desired Team & Collaboration Skills
Experience working in interdisciplinary teams

Experience in crafting co-produced publications and methodologies

Experience in project management

Experience mentoring junior analysts and Ph.D level scientists

Duty Requirements:
Full time, year-round employment

Remote position with an operational independent/home office with sufficient internet speeds

Working hours must substantially overlap with the US Pacific time zone

Travel (as often as 6-12 times/year) required

Compensation:
$200k - $250k (dependent on experience)
Benefits:
Health insurance

Unlimited PTO policy

401k w/ future match

Company equity

Home office set-up allowance (one time)

Cell phone stipend

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Vibrant Planet is committed to diversity. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, or other status protected by law to apply.
We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background, but have capacity to grow into and thrive in the position after some mentoring. We do not require that you have experience with every job description task. We will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. We encourage each candidate to think broadly about their unique background and skill set and how it may relate to the role.

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