Job Description

Job Title: Environmental Specialist - Prioritizing Green Investments for Population Growth

Location: Jacksonville, Fl

Sector: Non-profit / Government

Compensation: $80,000

Type: Fellowship

Program: Economic and Environmental Resilience in a Historic Black Community

Duration: October 24, 2023- October 22, 2024

Job breakdown

The City of Jacksonville, FL, is working to develop climate-resilient infrastructure design standards that anticipate the impacts of climate change and incorporate measures to withstand and adapt to them, especially for historically disinvested communities. Climate change continues to cause a range of impacts on cities across America, including rising temperatures, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and changing precipitation patterns. Ultimately, this role will help support Jacksonville\'s goal to standardize innovative, sustainable, and resilient design that ensures infrastructure projects across the City\'s different communities and sectors adhere to a common set of guidelines and criteria that improve its resilience and ensure that every community in Jacksonville benefits equitably.

What you will own

By October 2024, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

The Executive Fellow will begin by conducting a listening tour and landscape analysis to understand how the Public Works, Parks, and Planning Departments currently design and build infrastructure projects and identify potential areas for improvement that could benefit Jacksonville\'s communities. This may include assessing current plans such as capital improvement, transportation infrastructure, public buildings, and green spaces. The Executive Fellow will place a particular emphasis on engaging with the engineering team, operations team, and the mowing and landscaping maintenance teams during this process. The Executive Fellow will also research successful similar guidelines from across the nation to determine best practice models for resilient design standards.

Using a basis of scientific knowledge, best practices, and the information and insights collected in the landscape analysis, the Executive Fellow will identify vulnerabilities, assess potential hazards, and identify infrastructure design practices that will help Jacksonville withstand and adapt to climate change-related risks. This will include determining where Jacksonville can incorporate resilient design aspects such as green infrastructure and passive design.

The Executive Fellow will produce a Climate Resilient Design Guidelines document that can be used by both public and private sectors to build new projects in a compatible, sustainable manner. This document will provide guidance on robust design, material selection, construction techniques, and maintenance practices that enhance the resilience of infrastructure systems with the ultimate goal that Jacksonville\'s infrastructure can better withstand and recover from climate-related hazards, reducing the need for costly repairs, replacements, and disruptions in the future.

As time allows, the Executive Fellow will begin implementing the guidelines, ensuring effective coordination, communication, and collaboration among stakeholders, including engineers, designers, policymakers, and regulators.

Non-negotiables

15+ years of relevant experience

Skills you will bring to the table

A certification in environmental management is strongly preferred for this project.

In addition to the qualifications listed below, a background in environmental policy practices is strongly preferred for this project.

• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to difficult challenges.
• Responds quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies and other processes.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
• Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

Noble Hearts