Argonne National Laboratory is inviting applications for the position of Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for the Advanced Energy Technologies (AET) directorate. Located about 25 miles southwest of Chicago, Argonne is one of the preeminent multidisciplinary research facilities in the country and is operated by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As a U.S. DOE national laboratory, Argonne seeks to deliver substantive impacts to national prosperity, competitiveness, and security through transformative science and technology. Today we are in a ‘once-in-multiple-generations’ global energy system transition, motivated by climate change impacts and global goals to limit temperature rise resulting from anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG)  emissions.

Argonne’s Advanced Energy Technologies directorate seeks to enable a sustainable, secure, equitable, and prosperous energy future. We focus on solving the most pressing energy, mobility, materials, and manufacturing challenges through world-class scientific and engineering expertise and facilities to deliver solutions that benefit all Americans. With approximately $100 million in funding from primary sponsors DOE offices EERE, FECM, OE, and several offices under S3 (OCED, GDO, MESC), as well as other federal agencies such as DoT, AET executes cutting edge R&D collaboratively with internal and external partners and stakeholders to increase Argonne’s impact in enabling energy system decarbonization. Energy system decarbonization requires fresh thinking on science and interdependent systems as well as commercial technology that does not yet exist. With the broad vision to enable the future energy system, AET has identified a few specific grand challenges (“north stars”) associated with the clean energy transition that Argonne, and AET, are particularly well-positioned to address including future mobility and systems interdependencies, low-carbon energy carriers, energy materials manufacturing innovation and sustainability.

The AET ALD provides senior leadership for AET programs that span multiple scientific, engineering and technical disciplines and a variety of external sponsors. As a member of Argonne’s senior management team, the AET ALD will work with the laboratory director, deputy directors, and the other associate laboratory directors in setting laboratory strategies and goals and supporting their implementation. The AET ALD will build and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations among stakeholders including external scientific, academic and industrial entities as well as develop, enhance and manage funding for programs under their direction. They will identify emerging trends and analyze opportunities across the global research landscape to determine the potential impact of AET research. They will lead the building of capabilities to expand and leverage AET technology and talent and collaborate across institutions and geographies to effect change. They will provide the overall strategic vision for the AET directorate including leadership of strategic initiatives, identification of new research opportunities and the recruitment and development of an outstanding and diverse science, engineering and technical staff to support the directorate’s mission. They will oversee research and operational activities for approximately 300 people through a staff of executive line managers, including division directors who lead their respective areas in Applied Materials, Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis, and Transportation and Power Systems.

The AET ALD will be accountable for developing, managing and motivating a high-performing and diverse population of multi-disciplinary scientific, technical and professional teams and creating an environment consistent with the laboratory’s core values. The ALD will collaborate with their management teams, laboratory peers and human resources for strategic talent management and diversity, equity and inclusion to advance the impact of our world-class talent. In addition, the AET ALD is expected to enable and foster a proactive and integrated safety culture that promotes a sense of openness, transparency and urgency.

Position Requirements

The successful applicant should have a strong international scientific reputation in one or more relevant scientific fields present within AET with experience in managing large interdisciplinary science programs in a creative and collegial environment. The individual should also have demonstrated leadership skills, including in the following areas:

• Establishing and articulating scientific vision, identifying research opportunities and building collaborative partnerships with facility users, universities, industrial partners and other research and development institutions both domestically and internationally.
• Establishing effective interpersonal relationships with the highest level of internal and external contacts in a variety of government, academic, scientific and industrial institutions.
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with federal agencies that support AET’s research and development.
• Knowledgeable of domestic and international research efforts related to the AET portfolio, for example transportation systems, urban planning, mobility technology, grid technology, materials development, etc.
• Collaborating with mission support leadership and staff in managing safe, secure, and efficient operations and facilities.
• Attracting, developing and motivating a diverse team, creating a culture of high performance and collaboration, and leading organizations committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility principles.
• Ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.

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