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Sustainability Specialist

Employer
Middlebury College
Location
Vermont, United States
Salary
Salary Not specified
Date posted
Sep 15, 2021


Sustainability Specialist
Middlebury College



Posting Number: S01645

Position Summary:
Overview This position provides leadership (creative thinking, guidance), support and action to advance Middlebury's sustainability goals and initiatives. Communication and storytelling, strategy development and implementation are significant functions. Plays a central role in providing experiential learning opportunities for students through the Sustainability Solution Lab. Works closely with other team members of Environmental Affairs at the Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest to advance the overall sustainability mission of Middlebury with a lens on social justice and equity.

This position also helps support Environmental Affairs and the Franklin Environmental Center's overarching roles as:
  • a catalyst for nurturing environmental and social justice and anti-racism leadership and impact among Middlebury's students, faculty and staff;
  • a learning environment to respond to and address rapidly changing human and environmental challenges;
  • an experiential learning lab where students analyze, formulate and implement new ideas for solving challenging sustainability problems. Key roles and responsibilities The Sustainability Specialist serves as a forward-thinking sustainability advocate across the entire institution. This position initiates, designs, implements and maintains culture and behavior change programs to more effectively engage members of the Middlebury community in practices of sustainability. The Sustainability Specialist evolves, oversees and manages the Sustainability Solutions Lab to ensure productive and positive experience for students and outcomes for the college. Plans and coordinates Fall and February orientation programs for incoming students. Helps support the implementation and progress of Energy2028. Plays a critical role and works closely with the Dean of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability on the Environmental Council to strengthen its advisory and consultative role to the President. The Sustainability Specialist also plays a primary role in developing and coordinating communication, messaging and storytelling strategy for Environmental Affairs. It also works closely with Communications to publicize sustainability efforts and progress, with news and stories about the College's sustainability efforts. Manages and Maintains the Sustainability and Energy2028 website and social media platforms. Other roles and responsibilities as need and time allows. Reports to Associate Director of FECH and works closely with Director of Programs at FECH

    Essential Functions:
    Sustainability Integration • Stay abreast of changes in sustainability policies and practices in the field and develop and maintain sustainability standards and practices across the institution with a particular lens on social justice and equity
    • Engage offices and departments across Middlebury to identify efforts to help achieve environmental and sustainability goals
    •Provide leadership, coordination, support and supervision of students and interns to build successful initiatives that advance sustainability on campus including Energy2028, the Sustainability Solutions Lab, Green Panther Challenge, Knoll and other FECH programs. • Regularly assess these programs and work with the Environmental Affairs team to develop and implement creative adaptation to keep them relevant and impactful.
    • Facilitate and manage sustainability assessments and reporting instruments such as STARS and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory • Provide crucial support for the Environmental Council and its committees to ensure it provides valuable advice and support to the President
    • Develop and implement opportunities for collaborating with the Sustainability Council at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey Communications and storytelling
    • Develop and provide relevant forms of communication between students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and Middlebury community members with sustainability interests and ideas. • Design and produce visually stimulating materials for effective message communication in video, print advertising, online, posters, grassroots marketing, etc. • Manage and regularly update the Sustainability and Energy2028 website and social media platforms as programs and projects evolve over time.
    • Collaborate closely with Communications staff to produce stories about the efforts of Middlebury students, faculty and staff that demonstrate leadership and learning about creating a sustainable future.

    • Represent Middlebury externally at meetings and conferences

    General Responsibilities:
    Performs other related duties as assigned.

    Qualifications
    Education:

    Bachelor’s degree or higher degree in an environmental or sustainability related field is preferred and at least five years’ related work experience and/or training required.

    Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
    Candidate must be a well-organized and self-directed individual who is a quick learner and a team player; an intelligent and articulate individual who can relate to people at all levels of an organization and possesses excellent communication skills; and a is a good educator and mentor for students and others working with the Office of Sustainability Integration. Must be able to effectively collaborate with and contribute to a professional team of staff engaged in dynamic planning and action on a regular basis. Must track trends in the field and quickly adapt to Middlebury’s environmental/sustainability leadership

    Be able to support students and community members from historically excluded and minoritized populations. Have a critical awareness of the way intersecting systems of oppression relate to environmental justice. Ability to frame sustainability initiatives in a way that foregrounds access, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
    Reasoning Ability:
    Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems. Ability to devise and carry out data collection and analysis methodology to demonstrate the failure/success of programs implemented in a complex environment with many constraints.

    Advanced writing and communicating ability:
    Ability to quickly produce media pieces about sustainability successes and challenges that take place on the Middlebury Campus and beyond. Ability to produce clear written documentation for technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to self-edit most typographic and grammatical errors.

    Speaking Ability:
    Ability to speak persuasively and confidently to large and diverse audiences.
    Ability to tailor speaking to fit the audience.

    Multimedia Ability:
    This job will require a high level of skill with multiple forms of media hardware and software (photography, audio recording, graphic design, video shooting and editing).

    Proficiency with Microsoft Office, graphic design, website management and video editing will be essential.

    Experience:
    At least five years of applicable work experience is required. Experience supporting students and community members from historically excluded and minoritized populations. Critical awareness of the way intersecting systems of oppression relate to environmental justice; ability to frame sustainability initiatives in a way that foregrounds access, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

    Physical Demands:
    Middlebury maintains a smoke-free workplace and complies with the Federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and Drug-Free Workplace Act. Position requires light to moderate physical effort and the ability to work at a computer keyboard for extended periods of time. Possibile hybrid work arrangement.

    Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information on our background check policy can be found here: http://go.middlebury.edu/backgroundchecks

    To apply, visit https://middlebury.peopleadmin.com/postings/24178

    Middlebury is an equal-opportunity employer where diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values. To this end, Middlebury recruits talented and diverse faculty, staff, and students from across the United States and around the world. Middlebury encourages applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, and members of other protected classes and historically underrepresented communities. Middlebury also invites applications from individuals who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

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