Chemical Sciences Division Leader

Position Overview

Specific Responsibilities

Program and Capability Stewardship

Operational Excellence and Management Systems

Workforce, Culture & Talent Development

Integration, Communication & External Engagement

Qualifications

Skills

Benefits

Pay

Schedule

• Develop, execute, and evolve a division-level strategy aligned to the directorate strategic plan, SLAC-wide priorities as articulated in the annual lab plan, the synchronized brilliance lab strategy, and DOE mission needs.
• Provide clear direction, prioritization, and communication to ensure operational excellence, scientific and technical impact, and safe, reliable execution of all work.
• Build and manage a high-performing team ensuring clarity of roles, responsibilities, and expectations for managers and individual contributors.
• Sustain and grow the division's core capabilities (scientific, technical, operational, or infrastructure) that enable mission delivery within approved budget and mission scopes.
• Ensure effective operation of division-managed facilities, laboratories, testbeds, equipment, and critical systems.
• Ensure effective stewardship of division finances, including overseeing financial stewardship of program budgets.
• Ensure that all division activities are conducted in ways which exemplify disciplined operations including performing work safely, securely, and in compliance with DOE, Stanford, and SLAC requirements.
• Implement and maintain strong management systems, including performance feedback, ES&H, quality assurance, configuration control, cybersecurity, project management, and work planning and control.
• Identify risks proactively and institute effective mitigation and continuous improvement processes.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a world-class workforce across scientific, engineering, technical, and operational domains.
• Foster an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative culture that reflects SLAC and Stanford values.
• Promote career development, succession planning, and leadership growth.
• Set clear expectations and maintain high standards of performance, accountability, and professional conduct.
• Represent the division to external stakeholders, advisory committees, review panels, Stanford partners, national labs, and industry collaborators as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, physics, or a closely related scientific discipline relevant to the Chemical Sciences Division mission.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible research experience following the Ph.D., with demonstrated scientific leadership in chemical sciences, catalysis, ultrafast science, or closely related fields.
• An established record of scientific excellence and impact, demonstrated through high-quality publications, invited talks, and recognition within the chemical sciences community.
• Demonstrated experience leading research programs or organizational units (e.g., research groups, centers, divisions, or large collaborative efforts) in an academic, national laboratory, or equivalent research environment.
• Deep technical expertise in at least one core area aligned with the Chemical Sciences Division mission.
• (e.g. catalysis and chemical transformation science, ultrafast chemical dynamics or time-resolved spectroscopy, fundamental or use-inspired chemical sciences relevant to energy applications)
• Broad scientific understanding across chemical sciences sufficient to evaluate research quality across diverse subdisciplines, guide portfolio balance between fundamental discovery and mission-driven research, and enable interdisciplinary collaboration across SLAC and partner institutions.
• Demonstrated experience developing, managing, and growing a sponsored research portfolio, including interaction with federal research sponsors.
• Ability to represent research programs effectively to external stakeholders, including DOE program managers, advisory committees, and review panels.

Skills

• Strategic and Organizational Leadership
• Program and Capability Stewardship
• Operational Excellence and Management Systems
• Workforce, Culture & Talent Development
• Integration, Communication & External Engagement

Benefits

• Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.
• Given the nature of this position, SLAC will require onsite work.

Pay

• The expected pay range for this position is $200,000 to $274,608 per annum.

Schedule

• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory/Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire.