Volunteer Policy Lead for the HeatSmart Alliance

About us

The HeatSmart Alliance is a volunteer organization whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient heat pumps in Massachusetts. We focus on air- and ground-source heat pumps, heat-pump water heaters, and weatherization. Our key organizational objectives are:

• Educate residents about heat pumps through community presentations, our website, and other channels
• Provide one-on-one coaching to residents who are interested in evaluating heat pumps for their homes
• Facilitate the growth of community-based heat-pump coaching programs
• Inform local, state, and federal government policies.

About this role

The HeatSmart Alliance is looking for a volunteer to lead our Policy Working Group, which helps to ensure that local, Massachusetts, and federal policy initiatives are based on a sound understanding of heat-pump technology. While we are not an advocacy organization, we work closely with organizations that are.

As our Policy Lead, you’ll:

• Lead the Alliance’s Policy Working Group, including facilitating monthly working-group meetings, to:
• Engage with policy advocacy groups to review and comment on draft policy initiatives
• As appropriate, coordinate direct Alliance responses to public requests for inputs on policy initiatives
• Report progress at monthly Alliance meetings and in biannual reports.

The anticipated time commitment is 16 to 24 hours per month, with much flexibility. Most work can be performed remotely.

We want to hear from you if you are..

• Skilled at meeting facilitation as well as written and oral communications
• Familiar with at least some of the climate-related policy initiatives in Massachusetts, including the Mass Save® program
• A mission-driven volunteer: The HeatSmart Alliance is a 100% volunteer organization. Participants are driven by their passion to address climate change and their belief that heat pumps are a key enabling technology.

What you can expect to do in your first few months…

• Get to know the Alliance: Get to know our members and the projects they’re working on through Zoom meetings, Slack, our Google Drive, and our website. You’ll be developing an understanding of what we do so that you can better represent the Alliance to like-minded organizations that focus on policy as well as directly to local, state, and federal policy makers.
• Refresh/re-establish the Policy Working Group: The Policy Working Group has not met regularly for some time, so you’ll need to:
• Re-establish the interest/availability of previous members
• Solicit new members
• Establish a monthly meeting schedule
• Set working-group goals for the remainder of the calendar year
• Identify and build/refresh Alliance relationships with relevant policy advocacy organizations, such as 350 Mass, the Green Energy Consumers Alliance, the Conservation Law Foundation, Elders for Climate Action, Mothers Out Front, and Third Act
• Own the Alliance policy role: In collaboration with your working group, draft a policy plan for review with other Alliance members.