Senior Program Officer Jobs

Position Summary:

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) position provides strategic support and leadership to advance equitable climate solutions through projects and programs across the United States. The position guides the design, development, and implementation of projects to accelerate locally-led solutions that tackle immediate problems while strengthening communities overall. Working across a variety of U.S geographies, the SPO works with grassroots and other community organizations, philanthropy, government and institutional stakeholders, to foster collaborative climate solutions, through programs such as the Partnership for Resilient Communities, Urban Equity Climate Compact, and other ISC initiatives. The SPO engages in planning and program implementation that foster collaboration between project partners and stakeholders, designs and facilitates workshops, and utilizes data and research to best inform program design and implementation.

Position Scope:

This position will work from a fully virtual/home office. Travel up to, 50% within the U.S. is required, when federal and local health guidelines indicate it is safe.

Key Responsibilities:

• Research and develop resources, tools, case studies, and other materials to support the identified goals of partners.
• Provide effective partner/process management, including multi-stakeholder collaboration, analysis, and meeting facilitation.
• Provide strategic support and leadership in identifying opportunities for advancing the project and its objectives, including analyzing trends in national and local sustainability, climate and resilience action, identifying potential partnerships beneficial to advancing the project, and developing ideas for expanding and deepening the impact of the project.
• Track the progress of projects including progress with key partners, capturing best practices and lessons learned, distill and synthesize those practices and lessons, and identify technical assistance or resources to support the partners’ achievements toward identified goals. Collecting data and supporting learning and evaluation processes.
• Provide effective relationship management between ISC, project partners, and project stakeholders, to foster ongoing productive relationships.
• Design and deliver workshops and other educational and capacity-building activities to policy makers, elected officials, businesses, and communities to increase support for and advance climate/resilience efforts.
• Provide virtual and in-person advice, assistance, and technical know-how to stakeholders; drawing from the incumbent’s professional training and experience; ISC’s extensive library of case studies and resources; and examples from other local, national, and international promising practices and related learnings.
• Inform the development and implementation of communications strategies and materials.
• Use a variety of tools to support project management, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and overall project planning and implementation.
• Manage project budgets in conjunction with the Budget & Operations Manager and Program Director.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong program leadership skills including: ability to listen deeply and learn quickly; excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication; demonstrated experience in meeting and workshop facilitation; strong research and analytical skills; ability for rapid response to leverage strategic opportunities in the moment; and flexibility and willingness to adapt to changing priorities
• Ability to work and collaborate effectively within a highly distributed, highly matrixed team
• Ability to provide leadership and project management for team projects, prioritizing work assignments, managing to budgets and appropriate deadlines, and applying performance management frameworks for strategic learning in project delivery
• Experience using data analysis to drive decision making and inform resilience approaches and strategies for a region
• Experience in community resilience, environmental health and equitable climate and sustainability solutions
• Strong work ethic and personal integrity
• Proficient in use of Google products, Microsoft Office suite, data processing, and other software
• Experience working to advance strategies designed to overcome systemic and institutional racism and the multitude of adverse outcomes that result
• Ability to work productively with diverse individuals from differing backgrounds (government, private sector, advocacy, social profit organizations, and community-based organizations)
• Knowledge of and experience serving underrepresented communities, neighborhoods, and populations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate related events
• Ability to work independently from a remote location

Qualifications

• Seven to 10 years of relevant professional experience working with or for local, regional or state government; community-based/focused institution; intermediary institution or public health, economic development, policy advocacy, or similar social profit organization
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental/climate science or related discipline or equivalent experience; Master’s degree
• Commitment to ISC’s mission and goals
• Experience working on sustainability, climate, environmental justice and other like subject matter required
• Project design and implementation experience
• Willingness and ability to travel

Salary:

$75,000 - $90,000 based on experience

ABOUT ISC

Founded in 1991, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) is a not-for-profit organization that builds the capacity of local leaders and organizations to address important global issues including climate change, sustainable development, and environmental protection, resulting in embedded capacity and lasting change. Headquartered in the United States, ISC has worked around the world to help communities, cities, industry, and NGOs accomplish their environmental, economic, and social goals. ISC has led more than 110 projects in 30 countries, and currently works in Asia and the United States. Learn more at: www.sustain.org

ISC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workplace.

Women, persons with disabilities, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds

are highly encouraged to apply.