Project Manager - Human Centered Weather Forecasts

About the department

The Human Centered Forecast Initiative is a new initiative focused on expanding access to weather forecasts in low- and middle-income countries. The inter-disciplinary initiative is led by Professors Michael Kremer, Pedram Hassanzadeh, and Amir Jina at the University of Chicago. The initiative is part of the Development Innovation Lab. 

High-quality weather forecasts help vulnerable populations adapt to increased weather uncertainty and extremes. Innovations, especially in AI, are driving a second revolution in weather forecasting. However, the benefits are yet to be realized in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Human-Centered Weather Forecasts (HCF) initiative will bridge this gap, leveraging UChicago’s interdisciplinary strengths as well as the Principal Investigators’ track record engaging policymakers, funders, multilateral development banks, researchers, firms, and NGOs to transform access to this vital climate adaptation tool. HCF will a) develop novel techniques to produce forecasts tailored to the specific adaptation needs of farmers and individuals exposed to extreme heat; b) work with implementers to disseminate forecasts to 100 million people in LMICs; c) conduct rigorous testing to optimize dissemination and generate lessons to further scale these advances; d) strengthen global forecasting systems, including through benchmarking and validation; and (e) work to establish an ongoing initiative.

Job summary

The Human-Centered Weather Forecasts (HCF) initiative is looking to hire a Project Manager to support a growing portfolio of work. The successful candidate will support the interdisciplinary HCF initiative, supporting strategies to disseminate research results relating to agriculture to policymakers in governments and international institutions. 

Responsibilities will include an array of operational, communications, and research support tasks. This position is ideal for a candidate who wants to apply their strong project management skills to a diverse and growing initiative. 

This position will be based in Chicago IL.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day project activities ensuring tasks are completed on time and aligned with project goals (40%)
• Manage project communications including drafting support materials for policy makers (briefing documents, presentations, and reports), develop communications plans, and coordinate messaging across stakeholders, working in close coordination with faculty leads (20%)
• Support fundraising efforts (10%)
• Support faculty leads and collaborates with project partners to prepare for events and engagements; coordinates across stakeholders to support smooth communication and collaboration (15%)
• Assists in synthesizing research findings and translating them for policy, practitioners and general audiences (10%)
• Perform other related work as needed (5%)

Qualifications

Education

• Master’s degree in a related field (economics, public policy, etc.)

Experience 

• 5+ years of related experience
• Demonstrated track record of managing complex projects, with diverse stakeholders
• Understanding of impact evaluation, economics and statistics, agriculture, weather forecasting and government program implementation
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as enlist the support of other teams within the organization.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.

Preferred competencies

• Ability to prioritize effectively and successfully handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with members of an interdisciplinary team.

Working conditions

Candidates must be willing to travel as needed for their respective responsibilities.

This is a hybrid position, with an expected 3 days on campus per week. Candidates will be expected to flexibly come into the office as needed.