At the Sustainability Institute our mission is a better tomorrow, one community at a time. This mission is implemented through economic, environmental, and social standards. We believe our work is very important to the future of New Jersey and beyond. If you agree, consider joining our team.
Career Opportunities
Senior Program Coordinator
About the Position
The Senior Program Coordinator will work with a team to research, develop, and deliver new sustainability programs and policies that can be implemented by local government. A core duty of the Position is designing and implementing technical assistance programs to local governments to implement energy and sustainability initiatives. The position will work on a diverse portfolio of issues such as energy efficiency in buildings, alternative fuel vehicles and transportation, renewable energy, and GHG emissions tracking. Other issue areas may include land use, water, waste management, public health, economic development, or any critical sustainability issue.
Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as public policy, urban planning, engineering, environmental science, public or business administration.
- Associate’s degree in a related field plus a minimum of three to five years of full-time work experience in a relevant field.
- A minimum of two years relevant experience that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the relevant subject matter and program coordination skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to communicate in presentations and reports.
- Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to organize meetings, manage contact networks, and work independently.
- Ability to learn quickly and work well in a fast-paced team environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with the subject matter including energy and climate, sustainability issues generally, government, and public policy.
- Ability to conduct technical assistance to local governments on energy and sustainability issues.
- Project coordination experience.
- Ability to work on schedule within deadline, and to provide necessary support for program reporting and deliverables.
- Master’s degree preferred.
- Previous experience working with local governments.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should apply online and submit a letter of interest, resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references.
Program Manager
About the Position
The Program Manager works with the Senior Program Manager of Policy and Planning, and is responsible for researching best practices related to sustainable development for local government and supporting the implementation of them in the Sustainable Jersey programs with a particular emphasis on land-use and climate resilience. The Program Manager will administer and coordinate the development of policy, research, and comprehensive planning documents. Oversees the day-to-day administration of programs, projects, and/or processes regarding the planning, preparation, evaluation, and control of communications, events, records, statistics, reports, and documents. Oversees the development of guidance documents (program actions, toolkits, etc.). Keeps abreast of similar programs at other institutions and non-profits. Develops and maintains effective relationships with various public and private institutions and agencies to assess program requirements, modifications, or innovations. Work is consistent with an understanding of the mission, vision, role, and goals of the organization. Performs professional level work that requires knowledge of program management and the application and use of concepts, theories, and terminology of the organization.
Qualifications and Skills
- Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public policy, or similar is required.
- Minimum of two years of experience working in land-use planning, public policy, local municipal government or similar field is preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly in presentations and in written research reports, guidance documents, and case studies for diverse audiences having varying levels of knowledge about sustainability programs and policies.
- Ability to work in a team as well as independently on assigned research tasks, including identifying resources, case studies, and related policy and program material.
- Organized and ability to prioritize and complete multiple simultaneous projects.
- Knowledge of municipal land-use planning and zoning in New Jersey with an understanding of climate change, its impacts at the local level and policies and activities municipalities can undertake to be more resilient.
- Demonstrated ability to facilitate a process with partners and stakeholders to develop municipal guidance.
Preferred Qualifications
- Graduate degree in planning or related field.
- American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) certification and/or certified licensed New Jersey Professional Planner (PP).
- ArcGIS skills and data management capabilities.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should apply online and submit a letter of interest, resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references.
Senior Program Manager
About the Position
The position will be responsible for leading the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program. This will include working with other senior staff to develop strategy and set priorities for growing the program, conducting applied research and program design tasks, managing contracts, developing program content and overseeing quality, managing and building relationships with funders and program partners, and managing a team of professionals on a range of operational, outreach, professional development, and research projects. The Senior Manager’s team will work with subject matter experts to keep program content current, spearhead efforts to develop and implement new best practices and resources, and design and implement programs to support New Jersey public schools’ efforts become more sustainable by providing training and assistance to key stakeholder groups including school board members, administrators, and teachers and other staff.
The ideal candidate will have a passion for sustainability, and interest in working with a dynamic team creating programs for schools and communities across New Jersey. Working closely with the Deputy and Executive Directors, the Senior Program Manager is responsible for leading our schools team and overseeing all program activities including researching best practices related to sustainable development, integrating those practices into the Sustainable Jersey Certification, and designing and implementing programs to support implementation in schools. Our vision includes striving to be more equitable, more inclusive and better prepared to do the work of advancing sustainability and social justice while supporting municipalities and schools in New Jersey to do the same. The position will work with external stakeholders and partners to identify emerging issues of concern, and create policies, programs and other solutions that can be implemented locally and scaled statewide.
Qualifications and Skills
- Requires an advanced degree in K-12 education, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience that demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the K-12 public school operating environment and an ability to synthesize information, draw relevant conclusions, and present those conclusions.
- 5 years of relevant professional experience with public schools, their decision making environments, and previous professional work in some or all of the following types of roles: leadership, operations, and development of K-12 curriculum and lesson plans.
- Experience supervising staff and/or leading teams.
- Experience identifying and implementing best practices, including new program ideas into K-12 education and school operations through job duties, course work, or volunteer experiences.
- Familiarity with sustainability concepts strongly preferred , including experience integrating sustainability concepts into curriculum and student experiences, and school operations and management.
- Strong project and program management skills including an ability to prioritize and complete multiple simultaneous projects.
- Strong written and oral communications skills.
- Aptitude for program and project design, including identification, researching, and development of best practices and new program ideas, and designing and scoping new programs and projects to solve problems and advance sustainability in schools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with grant writing and program development and implementation.
- Interest in sustainability issues as demonstrated by relevant course work, integration into student experiences, extracurricular activities, volunteer efforts, etc.
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should apply online and submit a letter of interest, resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references.
Internship Opportunities
The Sustainability Institute offers both paid and unpaid internships to TCNJ students. For more information about internship opportunities, please contact Samantha McGraw at mcgraws@tcnj.edu.