Description

The Geological Society of America seeks to hire a Director of the Center for Professional Excellence.

The Geological Society of America seeks a Director of the Center for Professional Excellence to join our Team!

Job Title: Director of The Center for Professional Excellence

Location: Remote / Hybrid via GSA’s Washington, DC or Boulder, Colorado, offices (Flex First)

Reports to: GSA Executive Director & CEO

Employment Type: Full Time / Exempt

Level / Salary Range: $100,000-$125,000; generous holiday, PTO, health, and retirement benefits 

 About Us

The Geological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1888, is a global scientific society with members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. We are dedicated to advancing geoscience research, discovery, and education through publications, meetings, professional development, and other programs.

The Job

The Geological Society of America (GSA) is seeking a Director of the GSA Center for Professional Excellence (CPE) plays a central role in advancing the Geological Society of America’s (GSA’s) mission by strengthening professional development, scientific integrity, and workforce sustainability across the geosciences. This position supervises the CPE staff and leads the CPE’s portfolio of activities while serving as a key architect and implementer of GSA’s scientific integrity, credentialing, and talent pipeline initiatives.

The Director helps design, operationalize, and scale programs that support geoscientists across all career pathways, including academic (PhD and tenure-track), government, and industry trajectories. A major focus of the role is advancing GSA’s career services, field opportunities, and continuing education program as core elements of professional and scientific excellence and expanding public interest and trust in the geosciences. The Director also manages GSA’s On To the Future (OTF) program, which is central to strengthening and expanding the geoscience talent pipeline.

The role requires a strong understanding of the various career pathways of a geoscientist, strong financial acumen, comfort serving in a public-facing capacity at GSA and other events, and as a Principal Investigator (PI) on federal and other grant proposals, and the ability to translate integrity and career advancement principles into practical, scalable programs. 

This is a critical time for the geosciences, driven by global energy transitions, growing demand for critical minerals, and the increasing importance of natural hazard mitigation; this role is expected to deliver a measurable impact in advancing GSA’s mission and broader societal goals.

Key Essential functions include, but are not limited to:

Center for Professional Excellence Portfolio Leadership

• Supports strategic planning and execution of the Center for Professional Excellence portfolio in alignment with GSA’s Strategic Plan.
• Coordinates professional development initiatives that serve geoscientists across career stages and employment sectors, ensuring relevance to industry, government, nonprofit, and academic career pathways.
• Works collaboratively across departments to integrate professional excellence, ethics, integrity, and career readiness into GSA programming and services.
• Partners with Communications & Marketing to strengthen branding, positioning, and targeted outreach for CPE programs.

 Credentialing Program Development and Proliferation

• Helps lead the development, implementation, and scaling of GSA’s credentialing program as a core professional standard for the geosciences.
• Collaborates with internal teams, subject matter experts, and external partners to ensure credentials reflect best practices, workforce needs, and public trust considerations.
• Supports governance, evaluation, and continuous improvement of credentialing frameworks, including alignment with ethics, integrity, and professional conduct standards.
• Contributes to outreach, adoption, and recognition of GSA credentials across sectors.

 Scientific Integrity, Ethics, and Compliance

• Cultivates and upholds high standards of scientific and societal integrity across all GSA activities.
• Implements and maintains GSA’s Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, Events Code of Conduct, and related integrity policies.
• Contributes to day-to-day operations of GSA’s Ethics and Compliance Program, including documentation, training, and continuous improvement.
• Maintains expertise in emerging issues related to scientific ethics, integrity, inclusion, and professional responsibility, recommending updates to policies and practices as needed.

 On To the Future (OTF) Program Leadership and Workforce Development

• Manages GSA’s On To the Future (OTF) program, ensuring it effectively advances the geoscience talent pipeline.
• Oversees program operations, including outreach, partnerships, participant engagement, mentoring components, and integration with GSA meetings and activities.
• Works across departments and with external partners to align OTF with broader workforce development, inclusion, and professional excellence goals.
• Tracks outcomes and impact to demonstrate program effectiveness and inform future strategy.

 Federal Grants, External Funding, and PI Responsibilities

• Serves as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on federal grant proposals as appropriate.
• Identifies, develops, and supports competitive grant applications that advance professional excellence, credentialing, ethics, integrity, and workforce development priorities.
• Manages awarded grants in compliance with sponsor requirements, including workplans, reporting, timelines, and coordination with finance and leadership.
• Builds and sustains external partnerships that strengthen GSA’s capacity to secure and execute funded projects.

 Financial Management, Budgeting, and Reporting

• Demonstrates strong financial acumen in planning, monitoring, and managing budgets associated with assigned programs and grants.
• Works closely with finance staff to ensure accurate tracking, reporting, and compliance with internal and external financial requirements.
• Develops metrics and prepares reports that communicate program performance, fiscal health, and impact to leadership and funders.
• Supports long-term sustainability planning for professional excellence and integrity initiatives.

 Training, Guidance, and Cross-Department Collaboration

• Develops and coordinates training and guidance for staff, volunteers, and leaders related to ethics, integrity, credentialing, and professional conduct. 
• Collaborates closely with:

Meetings to embed integrity and conduct standards across GSA events.

Publications to support integrity in editorial and publishing processes.

Nominations & Awards to promote ethical, fair, and transparent practices.

Public Policy and International functions where ethics, workforce, and integrity priorities intersect.

• Serves as a trusted internal resource on professional pathways, workforce trends, and integrity standards.

Committees and Representation

• Serves as staff liaison and advisor to relevant committees as assigned, including professional development, workforce, and integrity-related groups.
• Represents GSA in external collaborations and partnerships related to credentialing, ethics, inclusion, integrity, and workforce development

Related Programs

• Provides strategic and operational oversight of related programs, including:

–       Student & Early Career Programs

–       GeoCareers and Career Mentoring / Networking

–       Campus Representatives & Geology Clubs

–       Short Courses & Field Trips

–       Geoscience Job Board     

–       Experiential Learning & Geoscience Education Initiatives

–       Fellowship

Other duties as assigned

Supervision:              

Supervises staff and program leads supporting these initiatives as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Advanced degree strongly preferred. Study in geoscience, science education, workforce development, public policy, or related field strongly preferred. 
• Demonstrated understanding of geoscience career pathways, including academic (PhD and tenure-track), industry, and government trajectories.
• Experience managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables.
• Strong people leadership skills, including coaching staff, supporting team development, and cultivating a positive, collaborative work environment.
• Proven financial literacy, including budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
• Ability and willingness to serve as a Principal Investigator on federal and/or other grants.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Highest ethical standards and a demonstrable commitment to integrity and professionalism.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace; ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Experience in maintaining scientific integrity and working with broad audiences is preferred.     

Why Join GSA?

•        Be part of a mission-driven organization advancing geoscience education and research.
•        Lead impactful initiatives across publishing, community engagement, and e-commerce.
•        Work in a collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment.
•        Enjoy a flexible work schedule with hybrid and remote options.

Working Environment / Physical Activities

• Extensive computer work (six or more hours per day). 
• Multiple projects and deadlines that create a demanding work environment are standard. 
• GSA has offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., and has a FlexFirst policy. This position is a remote position, ensuring productivity and work-life balance. 
• Travel: Requires occasional national and potential international travel.

The opportunity is a full-time, exempt, flexible position with a remote work schedule. The salary range is $3,846.15 - $4,807.69 per pay period, annualized range $100,00 - $125,000. GSA provides excellent benefits, including medical, dental, and PTO, which include paid holidays, life insurance, 403(b) retirement, and opportunities for professional development. Additional recognized time off includes Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day in 2026.

If you are interested in this position, please review the full job description and submit a cover letter and resume through the GSA Career Pathways Job Board. The anticipated start date is Mid April 2026.

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply immediately. This posting will close on March 21, 2026.

GSA is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace where all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the business's success and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. This commitment is embodied in organizational policy and the way we do business at GSA, and it is an important principle of sound business management.

Equal Opportunity Employer: minority/female/disability/veteran