Executive Director, Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment

This position is limited to the faculty at Virginia Tech. The successful candidate must have a doctoral degree in their discipline and be actively engaged in social science research with a record of recognized achievement in research scholarly and educational pursuits and service meriting appointment at the rank of Professor at Virginia Tech.

Job Description

About the position:
Virginia Tech is seeking a strategic and effective leader to serve as the Executive Director of the Institute for Society Culture and Environment (ISCE). As one of Virginia Techs four research investment institutes ISCE champions the fundamental role that the social sciences and humanities play in society. Its mission is to enhance Virginia Techs capacity and leadership in the social sciences and humanities by catalyzing innovative interdisciplinary and translational research and scholarship addressing critical individual and social concerns impacting people and places in Virginia nationally and globally.

The Executive Director position is an extraordinary opportunity to collaborate across Virginia Tech and work with stakeholders to further advance the universitys priorities as a senior member of the research and innovation leadership team. Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation and working closely with other institute directors the main focus of the Executive Director will be to shape the Institutes strategic direction and establish priorities that will leverage existing strengths and resources to address complex societal challenges through high-impact research and collaboration with faculty across departments schools institutes and colleges the Executive Director will create and lead a comprehensive interdisciplinary research strategy to elevate Virginia Techs national and international reputation as a leader in innovative solutionoriented social science research and humanities scholarship.

The Executive Director will communicate with stakeholders effectively and frequently be of the highest integrity act as an excellent and trustworthy steward of university resources and be transparent in resource allocation and decision making. The Executive Director must be a respected scholar (a tenured full professor) actively engaged in social science research with a clear record of success leading and supporting cross- inter- and transdisciplinary efforts. The successful candidate will be a visionary collaborator who designs strategies and executes plans to further elevate an active research enterprise in support of Virginia Techs Beyond Boundaries initiatives and its two presidential priorities Global Distinction and Virginia Tech Advantage.

As a member of Virginia Techs senior leadership the Executive Director collaborates closely with senior leaders of the University helping establish priorities and execute initiatives through regular engagements as a member of the Presidents Council Academic Affairs Council and Research and Innovation Executive Director of ISCE will have a calendar year appointment with at least 50% of their time committed to institute responsibilities. The successful candidate will be tenured at the rank of full professor. Contingent upon budgetary programmatic and operational needs alignment of executive director responsibilities may be adjusted according to university needs and strategic priorities. Manage an annual budget of $1 million in funds to advance the work of the institute designated to support interdisciplinary and strategically cross-disciplinary collaborations at a prominent R1 institution.

About the Institute for Society Culture and Environment:
As one of four investment institutes at Virginia Tech ISCEs collaborations and partnerships within and across colleges and other areas of the university are essential to the success of the Institute and its affiliated faculty. ISCE strategically invests in four thematic areas (global policies and practices; health and human development; risk and resilience; and community and environments) and other targeted research areas primarily supporting faculty activities that have the potential for extramural so doing ISCE makes available financial and tailored technical assistance that supports the development of individual faculty members and promotes participation in interdisciplinary teams. ISCE provides financial support to faculty through several funding mechanisms as well as through three ISCE centers and several associated addition to tailored technical assistance offered to faculty teams the institute also provides mentoring both to individuals and through structured programs; hosts speakers and seminars; and engages in activities to foster collaboration and teamwork.

The social science and humanities communities at Virginia Tech are broadly defined and inclusive of faculty in traditional social science and humanities disciplines and departments faculty in behavioral and cognitive science public health and policy sciences disciplines and departments and individual faculty embedded in departments not traditionally aligned with the social sciences but whose research addresses pressing social challenges. ISCE actively engages with faculty across STEM fields life sciences engineering architecture business and the arts and design recognizing that complex societal problems require collaborative interdisciplinary approaches.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development. Virginia Tech is an equal opportunity employer.

Responsibilities:
Advance Virginia Techs national and international reputation in the social sciences and humanities research and scholarship through opportunities for faculty investment and mentoring and promotion of interdisciplinary collaborations.
Develop a vision for supporting cutting-edge research that addresses complex societal challenges through high-impact research and scholarship.
Align research investments with funding opportunities and forge strategic partnerships with governmental agencies industry and other stakeholders to drive the institutes research agenda.
Promote interdisciplinary linkages within the University.
Manage Institute operations including supervising and mentoring staff and maintaining fiscal accountability through effective budget planning.
Provide interdisciplinary leadership and advocacy for faculty engagement and development including support for promotion and tenure.
Facilitate opportunities for faculty research and scholarship through internal funding opportunities technical assistance mentoring and proposal development programs.
Build and sustain relationships with key external stakeholders including alumni donors advisory board members and corporate and governmental partners.
Support fundraising advancement and visibility of Virginia Tech through strategic external engagement and communication efforts.
Provide ongoing mentorship professional development and leadership support to direct reports to foster a collaborative high-performing team culture.

Required Qualifications

Doctoral degree in their discipline and be actively engaged in social science research with a record of recognized achievement in research scholarly and educational pursuits and service meriting appointment at the rank of Professor at Virginia Tech.
Visionary inspirational and strategic leadership with knowledge and experience leading research organizations for example in academic institutions research institutes and/or centers or their equivalent.
Significant research record and reputation that includes strong external funding support and evidence of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Extensive knowledge expertise and vision for the connection of social science across disciplines and the application of those research outcomes in external settings.
Experience building and championing the work of others especially in a research setting.
Proven ability to work across organizational boundaries with a variety of stakeholders to build and maintain relationships.
High level of diplomacy discretion and problem-solving skills.
Proven track record in management and budgetary responsibility.
Demonstrated clear communication and negotiation skills.
Appreciation for and experience in faculty mentoring particularly supporting faculty in engaging in sponsored research.
Experience managing research resources including seed funding advocacy and faculty support.
Respect for shared governance and experience advocating for faculty staff and students.
Demonstrated leadership and development of direct reports and personnel management.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with experience

Hours per week

40

Review Date

May 15 2026

Additional Information

This position is limited to the faculty at Virginia Tech. The successful candidate must have a doctoral degree in their discipline and be actively engaged in social science research with a record of recognized achievement in research scholarly and educational pursuits and service meriting appointment at the rank of Professor at Virginia Tech.

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its mottoUt Prosim(That I May Serve) Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world Virginia Tech is aninclusive communitydedicated to knowledge discovery and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36000 undergraduate graduate and professional students in eightundergraduate colleges aschool of medicine aveterinary medicinecollegeGraduate School andHonors university has a significant presence across Virginia including Blacksburg the greater Washington D.C. area the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke sites in Newport News and Richmond and numerousExtension officesandresearch institutes.A leading global research institution Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.