Director, Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI)

Posting updated 9/11/2026. (Minimum qualifications have been revised.)

General Summary of Position:

The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), a renowned research, practice, and education institute located at UMass Lowell in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, is seeking a collaborative leader to serve as its next Director, and to provide strategic, organizational, and fiscal leadership to the Institute.

Established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1989 as part of the Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA), the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) has a mandate to help protect workers, communities and the environment from toxic chemicals and pollution. Working at the intersection of and in close collaboration with businesses of all sizes, as well as government agencies, local communities and international organizations, TURI’s work supports actions to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. With these partners, TURI helps identify actions companies and communities can take to protect workers and public health. It does this by promoting adoption of toxics use reduction, pollution prevention, and safer chemistry through education and training, policy advocacy, research, laboratory services, provision of information and technical support for companies and communities, and grants to industry, academic researchers, and community and governmental organizations.

TURI is entering a new, exciting phase in its history as it establishes an affiliation with UMass Lowell’s Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, which is the university’s epicenter for sustainability, safer materials, climate change and renewable energy. For close to a decade, the Rist Institute has led efforts to establish UMass Lowell as a go-to location for energy and sustainability partnerships. Recently reflected in the university’s Platinum AASHE STARS rating, UMass Lowell is the only campus to have achieved this recognition in Massachusetts and one of only fourteen globally.

Building on UMass Lowell and TURI’s track record of excellence in environmental protection, alternatives assessment, and advanced materials and manufacturing, the Rist Institute is actively building a new research and engagement center focused on sustainable materials. Leveraging opportunities from growing research capacity, outstanding industry engagement, and national and international relevance it is envisioned that the new TURI Director will have an important role to play in advancing TURI’s work and prominence through close internal and external collaboration with the Rist Institute. More information on the Rist Institute is available here.

The TURI Director reports to the Dean of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences and oversees a staff of fifteen and a budget of approximately $1.6M. The Director will provide high-level strategic, organizational, and fiscal leadership for the Institute in collaboration with TURI’s dedicated and passionate professional staff and affiliated UMass Lowell faculty. The ideal candidate will have an inclusive, participatory, and transparent leadership style and the ability to protect and steward TURI’s mission and stellar accomplishments, elevate and expand its impact, support and invest in staff, and position the Institute for balanced growth through new, strategic collaborations.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing high-level strategic, organizational, and fiscal leadership to advance TURI’s mission and broaden its impact
• Working with TURA partner agencies, the MA Office of Technical Assistance and Technology (OTA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), and engaging with relevant federal agencies such as the US Environmental Protectional Agency, to implement the TURA Act and fulfill TURI’s mission
• Maintaining relationships with a broad range of university, government, industry, and community stakeholders, and developing new relationships with potential partners and collaborators from a variety of sectors
• Sustaining and elevating TURI’s strong reputation through dissemination of its accomplishments to external audiences and by expanding TURI’s impact and visibility nationally and internationally
• Contributing to the development of the Rist Institute’s hub focused on sustainable materials, pollution prevention, and toxics use reduction
• Seeking to expand and diversify revenue sources for TURI over time, through, for example, advocacy, philanthropy, federal and private grants, industry partnerships, and fee-for-service activities.
• Fostering research among TURI staff and collaborators and supporting efforts to expand TURI’s research portfolio
• Prioritizing and fostering a supportive, collaborative and transparent workplace culture with opportunities for professional growth

Minimum Qualifications (Required):

• PhD in environmental science or policy, environmental health, engineering, occupational health, business sustainability, or a related scientific or technical discipline and 7 years of related experience.
• OR Master's degree in environmental science or policy, environmental health, engineering, occupational health, business sustainability, organizational management, or a related scientific or technical discipline with minimum 10 years' research and/or practical experience in a related area.
• Demonstrated strategic program or organizational leadership experience that includes supervising experienced, professional staff
• Collaborative leadership style and skills
• Demonstrated experience working with diverse stakeholder communities, such as industry, non-profit, academic, and government
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity/inclusion

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience specifically in pollution prevention or toxics use reduction
• Experience in leading professional staff conducting a diverse array of projects and in mentoring new staff
• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop strategy, and provide forward momentum for a multi-faceted research and practice organization
• Experience managing conflicting perspectives from diverse stakeholder groups
• Demonstrated knowledge of environmental policies
• Demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate with a variety of audiences who have a wide range of technical understanding
• Demonstrated ability to identify new strategic opportunities and execute expanded programmatic directions
• Demonstrated ability to connect research to practice settings in industry
• Demonstrated ability to acquire external funding, such as through research grants, industry collaborations, or philanthropic sources

Special Instructions to Applicants:

This position is a full-time, benefited and a non-unit professional position in grade P24. Anticipated salary based on qualifications for range minimum: $125,507, 25th quartile: $144,333 and midpoint: $163,159.

This position is an in-person position located in Lowell, MA, and contingent upon continued funding.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; however, the posting may close when an adequate number of qualified applications is received.

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application. The cover letter should summarize your experience in relation to the position qualifications. Names and contact information of three references who can speak to the qualifications outlined in this position will be required at the time of application.

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity/inclusion