Science Director

Background Information

Homeworld Collective is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to fostering the growth of climate biotech and strengthening its interconnections with other climate tech fields. Our ethos is action-oriented optimism about climate change: we believe that if we take action, we will get better outcomes. Our core method is to synthesize actionable knowledge through community engagement, communicate that knowledge to lift all boats, and empower practitioners to pursue solutions toward a thriving biosphere.

At Homeworld, we have laid organizational foundations through our 2023 scientific program in protein engineering, inaugural Garden Grants funding round, Problem Statement Repository knowledge resource, and ongoing 2024 scientific program in greenhouse gas removal. As we enter a new phase of growth, we are seeking an experienced scientific leader to spearhead expansion of the capacity and strategic vision of our scientific work.

Role Summary

The Science Director will lead all scientific activities at Homeworld and will help shape Homeworld’s overall strategy in partnership with the rest of the Leadership Team. They will be at the forefront of identifying the highest-leverage opportunities for biotech to support planetary health and building scientific programs that empower practitioners toward solutions. They will develop Homeworld’s scientific vision and grow a rigorous Science Team to implement it. 

We’re looking for a scientific leader who is energized by community engagement and able to both build and manage. As a young organization, our ideal fit is someone who is eager to invest in organization- and team-building efforts, and is also excited to get their hands dirty with the details of scientific programs and pick up operational work as needed. The right candidate will be an interdisciplinary scientist with technical fluency across climate tech, exceptional first-principles thinking, and a history of leading ambitious projects who is driven to advance planetary health through practitioner empowerment. 

Responsibilities

Strategic leadership and management

• Develop Homeworld’s scientific strategy and execute it through management of the Science Team and hiring.
• Ensure scientific integrity and excellence across all Homeworld activities.
• Serve as Homeworld’s lead scientific representative at events and cultivate strategic relationships with scientific leaders and stakeholders.
• Maintain awareness of open problems and developments in climate biotech.
• Lead Homeworld’s scientific programs, which span technical roadmapping, community engagement, and issuing funding.
• Oversee the development and implementation of methods to collect and synthesize community insights into actionable knowledge, and to share that knowledge with the practitioner community.
• Scope calls for proposals and lead proposal review.
• Oversee creation and incubation of research projects within Homeworld.

Requirements

Necessary Qualifications

• PhD or non-academic equivalent in a biotechnology-related field
• 5+ years relevant experience (excluding PhD), including 2+ years in a managerial capacity
• Demonstrated ability to drive scientific vision and strategy.
• Strong leadership and project management skills.
• Track record of cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration.
• Exceptional general knowledge across climate tech and challenges to scaling.
• Exceptional first-principles thinking.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in early-stage organizations or non-profits.
• Experience with foundational technology development.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with experience in high-value external interactions.

Reporting Structure

The Science Director is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and reports to the Executive Director.

Compensation + Additional Information

This is a full-time, fully-remote position, with ~3-5 potential travel days per quarter. It is preferred that the candidate has at least 4 hours overlap with both PST and EST time zones in a standard 9am-5pm working day. 

Salary range is $170,000-$200,000 depending on experience. Homeworld Collective provides exceptional benefits, including flexible PTO, sick time, holidays, generous health insurance coverage (medical/vision/dental), and 401(k) with 5% employer match.

Diversity and Inclusion

Homeworld Collective is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can do their best work. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We seek people who share our drive to understand and solve complex challenges for the well-being of life on Earth.