The National Geographic Society invests in a diverse, global community of National Geographic Explorers who are leading a new age of exploration in support of our mission: to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world through science, exploration, education, and storytelling. These bold individuals represent more than 140 countries, and their vast array of backgrounds, perspectives, and fields bring us to the far reaches of the globe.

The Science & Innovation team oversees the Society’s funding efforts in science, conservation, and technology, develops and manages major mission programs, and establishes programmatic partnerships with like-minded non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Reporting to the Vice President, Science & Innovation Programs, the Manager, Science and Innovation Programs will support the programmatic, operational, logistical, and administrative duties for the Perpetual Planet Expeditions Zenith Program/Team. In this role, the Manager leads assigned programmatic activity under the direction of the Vice President to ensure programmatic priorities are met while tracking and reporting on progress, indicators, and impact of programs. The successful candidate will be a versatile and motivated self-starter that has the ability to perform in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment both independently and in collaboration with the team.

• Work closely with the VP and team members in program management support, development, and leading implementation of Perpetual Planet Expeditions components including:
  • Managing project planning and execution aspects of expeditions in partnership with Explorers and NGS team members to include creating detailed timelines & itineraries, executing logistics, executing & tracking team member agreements & deliverables, real-time troubleshooting, and overall daily management
  • Develops and updates work plans and budget tracking/planning/projections on a continual basis for all programmatic aspects of PPE,
  • Overseeing relationship management and engagement with PPE Explorers through regular NGS check-ins, team member tracking, contractual support, and logistical support.
  • Managing operational aspects of grant requests for proposals (RFPs),
  • Managing post-expedition report outs specific to budget and accomplishments in partnership with team members including drafting the narrative and developing presentations.
• Operational and Financial Management: Manages program operations and budget and builds efficiencies across the team
  • Manages all PPE contracts: Leads drafting and executing contracts in partnership with legal.
  • Liaises with government officials on behalf of NGS to secure permits, execute MOUs, and generally ensure good relations with the countries that PPE is working in.
  • Actively manages the program budget including cash flow projections/forecasting, spend vs budgeted, and revising budget periodically to align with evolving program priorities.
  • Leads all internal program operations related to organization systems and tools. Represents and advocates for PPE program needs with internal stakeholders.
  • Manages invoices, mailings, and team T&E and maintains schedules and payments for the program team and contractors.
  • Manage program calendars, Google Drive folders, Wrike, and Salesforce campaigns.

• Collaborates closely with team members to conduct literature reviews, scheduling knowledge-sharing interviews, drafting presentations and concept documents, and attending symposia necessary for knowledge collection and constituent identification.

• In partnership with senior team members, tracks scientific publications for post-expedition research findings by:
  • Creating and maintaining information databases, generating status reporting documents, and sharing progress with internal stakeholders and partners.
  • Liaising with expedition team members and working with Communications to ensure the factual accuracy and promotion of critical findings.

• At the conclusion of each system initiative (i.e. Mountains, Rainforests, and Ocean), develops a narrative report of the lifecycle of the program initiative to include successes, learnings, outcomes and continuity/capacity building.
• Manages all aspects of Perpetual Planet Expeditions convenings large and small (planning, management, execution) for internal and/or external stakeholders to include events on campus and at domestic and international events.

• Represents Science & Innovation and/or PPE Zenith Program at meetings with other NGS divisions while serving on internal cross-platform workgroups as a programs expert.
• Develops agendas and ensures follow through for weekly and monthly collaborative meetings across the society for PPE work. Thoughtfully determines and includes relevant internal and external stakeholders. Ensures meeting information and decisions are captured and follow-up occurs.

• Collaborates and works closely with matrixed teams within NGS (Communications, Storytelling, Explorer Engagement, Education, Legal, Program Ops, Finance, etc.) to brainstorm, draft, edit, track progress, and manage the delivery of assets.
• Participates in organizational coops, work groups, etc. on behalf of PPE and Programs.
• Assist VP in arranging and managing VP/programmatic presence at key events and with partners. Works with Communications to organize potential presentations & speaking opportunities.
• Serve as spokesperson for the program with partners and at relevant meetings and events as needed/requested by VP

• Contributes to the identification and advancement of programmatic priorities by conducting landscape and gap analysis.
• Conducts research, compiles data and prepares reports specific to new program development/initiatives

• Excellent project management and organizational skills using established project management practices and high attention to detail with experience preparing and managing projects using Gantt charts, developing strategic roadmaps, creating project plans, organizing and leading project kickoffs, as well as taking and distributing meeting notes with clear action items in addition to other deliverables that ensure smooth and efficient program delivery.
• Creative thinker and proactive problem solver with exposure to design thinking, human centered design or similar problem-solving frameworks to guide the development of creative solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to work on multiple projects, under deadlines, with changing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility, attention to detail and proactive mindset are extremely important.
• Extremely versatile, dedicated to efficient productivity and project management.
• Demonstrated expertise in technology including presentation creation (PowerPoint and Keynote) and social media content creation and management.
• Experience managing projects using Google Suite, Airtable, Jira, Wrike or other software and exposure to using Miro or other digital whiteboarding tools.
• Experience managing budgets and contracts
• Experience developing presentations in both narrative and creative formats
• Understanding of scientific method, and ecosystem of climate and environmental organizations.
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills and ability to work with individuals and groups at all levels.
• Ability to communicate complicated scientific information to non-scientific audiences.

Hybrid - At the Society, we believe in the advantages of coming together to build community, mentor and learn from colleagues, and connect more deeply with our mission. As a result, the majority of our staff are Hybrid. Our Hybrid category requires that staff work at Base Camp two days each week: every Wednesday plus either Tuesday or Thursday. Because we recognize that we can effectively work remotely, this designation has been updated to provide more flexibility, both in the days staff choose to come into the office and how often they are expected to be at Base Camp. And of course, Hybrid staff are also always welcome to come in additional days each week if they prefer.