Clean Energy Communities Coordinator

The Hudson Valley Regional Council (HVRC) is seeking applicants for a full-time Clean Energy Communities Coordinator.  The successful applicant will carry out tasks related to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Communities Program for the seven-county Mid-Hudson Region.

Duties of a Clean Energy Communities Coordinator will primarily include conducting outreach and delivering technical assistance services and guidance to local governments interested in pursuing clean energy planning and projects specific to the Clean Energy Communities Program.  Duties will include:

•    Assist local governments with understanding and completing the required actions to become designated “Clean Energy Communities” (CEC).

•    Assist local governments with accessing and managing associated CEC grant resources from NYSERDA, serving as a liaison between NYSERDA and local governments.

•    Assist local governments in completing local greenhouse gas emissions inventories, benchmarking the energy use of municipal buildings, and assisting communities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy projects.

•    Assist local governments with becoming Certified Climate Smart Communities.

•    Assist local governments in adopting model codes and streamlined clean energy permitting processes.

•    Assist communities in increasing the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and associated fueling infrastructure.

•    Conduct local on-site trainings and workshops to groups of interested local officials and community stakeholders on specific clean energy topics.

•    Identify and connect communities with relevant clean energy programs and grant opportunities.

•    Maintain records documenting relevant community assets, opportunities, communications, and status of each community’s progress through stages of high impact action and grant project completion.

•    Prepare updates for HVRC’s Board of Directors on CEC work.

•    Other duties on other HVRC programmatic areas, as assigned.

Minimum qualifications are a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, environmental science, or a related field and two years’ experience in sustainability/energy planning; or a master’s degree in urban planning, environmental science, or a related field in sustainability/energy planning.  Must be knowledgeable about clean energy, climate action planning, NY State local government operations, and NYSERDA programs.  Must have strong public speaking and writing skills as well as experience with outreach and engagement to a variety of stakeholders, including clarity of presentation and facility with gauging audiences, as well as the ability to navigate conversations pertaining to behavior, politics, and environmental justice.  Must possess proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook), Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and other web-based project management and tracking systems.  Assessment of these skills will be part of the final stage in the application process.  The position requires travel by car and includes evening meetings.  Travel expenses will be reimbursed at federal rates.  Estimated starting salary range for this position is $50,000 - $65,000 and will be commensurate with experience.  This position reports to the Deputy Executive Director.

Hudson Valley Regional Council is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. If you need special accommodation with vision, hearing, or language, please reach out at the email below. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. HVRC makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

Please email your cover letter, résumé, and a relevant writing sample to the attention of HVRC Deputy Executive Director Eleanor Peck at epeck@hudsonvalleyrc.org by May 24, 2024. Interviews will be scheduled immediately thereafter.