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Institute Director

Director - Metabolic Institute

About Metabolic Institute

Metabolic's overarching mission is to transition the global economy to a fundamentally sustainable state. Metabolic Institute is a non-profit think tank affiliated with Metabolic, working at the intersection of academic research and real-world experimentation.

Metabolic Institute advances open-source knowledge on global sustainability issues by prototyping how society can thrive while remaining safely within planetary boundaries. Combining systems thinking, data science, and the latest research from the field, we map local and global systems to assess where to intervene for the largest positive impact, piloting and testing solutions along the way, informing strong policy and practical implementation of working models.

Our work covers two main domains:

• Urban Transitions : Enabling circular economies and climate transitions in cities and regions. For example: In the NetZeroCities program, we lead work on enabling finance, direct city support, and data and knowledge for measuring and supporting progress towards net-zero emissions in 112 European cities.
• Bioeconomic Transitions : Testing the potential for nature-based solutions and a bioeconomy within safe limits and sensible land use, as well as working on issues related to nutrition security and equity. In Timberhaus and LandShift , we are working with pilot regions to develop, analyze, and implement nature-based solutions and timber-based construction for carbon sequestration.

We are an international and dynamic team of 12 people who share an ambition for catalyzing a sustainable future. Based in Amsterdam, we work at the cutting edge of sustainability on a broad range of global projects in collaboration with dozens of organizations around the world.

About the Position

Metabolic Institute's director is stepping down from this role in 2026 for extended family leave, and will return in a flexible capacity. We are therefore looking for someone to take over the lead in continuing to build on the ambitious mission of Metabolic Institute.

You will serve as the public face of the Institute and take primary ownership of the organization. As such, the role requires a high degree of independence, diligence, and entrepreneurship. Metabolic Institute has a board to support the Director and weigh in on pivotal decisions, but day-to-day decisions fall to the Director, with support and input from the leadership and the broader team at Metabolic Institute.

The role has four main components, expanded on further below. We are looking for someone who balances strengths across these areas, but we acknowledge that candidates may have stronger capabilities in some areas and less so in others.

1) stewarding a deeply impact-driven research program strategy

2) fostering strategic relationships and leading fundraising efforts

3) providing mentorship and support to the leadership of Metabolic Institute, and

4) ensuring solid internal operations

Strategy and Direction

You will own strategy development and implementation, though significant inputs come from team leads and the rest of the team. As Director of Metabolic Institute, you should stay on top of trends and development related to urban and bioeconomic transitions, build a keen understanding of needs and gaps, and be intimately involved in all major programs the team is running - in order to continually develop, adapt, and implement a strategy that fulfills the Institute's core mission.

Fundraising and Partnerships

Fundraising and partnerships management is a joint responsibility, largely shared with the team leads. However, the Director is responsible for coordination and ensuring ultimate outcomes. Decisions on investments, business models, program typologies, etc. will need significant input from the Director. As the Institute's projects are almost entirely consortium-based, strong relationship development with current and prospective partners is critical. This includes coordination on collaborative programs like the Systems Transformation Hub and ongoing programs such as NetZeroCities, Landshift, and Timberhaus.

Team Management

The Director is the direct manager of Metabolic Institute's leadership team - a set of team leads that each manage a domain-specific team and implements part of a collective strategy. In this role, you will provide support and mentorship, as well as regularly act as a sparring partner. This also includes making decisions on the broader staffing of the team, including supporting hiring processes and team development.

Operational Management

The Director is responsible for day-to-day operations of the team. With support from a financial/HR administrator and external accountants, this includes overseeing financial and HR administration, including ensuring appropriate data management and reporting for projects and audits. The Director is also responsible for making decisions on and managing an appropriate software stack, company equipment, insurances, reimbursement/remuneration policies, etc.

Requirements

Minimum requirements

• 7+ years of experience in environmental / sustainability-related work
• 3+ years of experience in leading a thriving multidisciplinary team
• Master's Degree or PhD in relevant disciplines (e.g. sustainability, non-profit coordination, etc)
• Experience with fundraising (grant-based, client-based, and/or philanthropic)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, natural affinity for building meaningful and purpose-driven relationships
• Consider yourself strongly reliable, diligent, and with a high attention to detail
• Demonstrated passion for and commitment to a genuine and deep sustainable transition to our economic system
• Ability and interest to live and work in or in commuting distance to Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Desirable

• Fluency in Dutch
• Experience running or shaping large-scale, consortium-based research programs (e.g. Horizon, LIFE)
• Deep content knowledge on regenerative bioeconomies and/or and sustainable urban systems
• Entrepreneurial spirit, with an enthusiasm and willingness to experiment with new ideas
• Experience leading a small organization

For non-EU/EEA applicants: The role is dependent upon obtaining a visa to live and work in the Netherlands. Metabolic is a recognised visa sponsor and may support the successful candidate's application for a work visa.

The position is a full-time role and will start in early 2026 (January or February), with 2-3 days / week expected to be in-person at our offices in Amsterdam.

Salary Range: 5500-7500 / month, depending on seniority and experience, to be further discussed during interviews.

How to apply:

Please submit your CV and letter of motivation in English via the apply button below by November 28th at 23.59. We will be reviewing candidates and may reach out to have some interviews before the closing date, but otherwise we will respond to your application in early December. As we will be scheduling interviews on a rolling basis, don't hesitate to apply right away if you are interested!