Sustainability Director

Sustainability Director

Department: Facilities and Campus Planning

Date: 02/03/2017

POSITION VACANCY
Founded in 1813, Colby is one of America’s most selective colleges. Serving only undergraduates, Colby’s rigorous academic program is rooted in deep exploration of ideas and close interaction with world-class faculty scholars. Students pursue intellectual passions, choosing among 58 majors or developing their own. Independent and collaborative research, study abroad, and internships offer robust opportunities to prepare students for postgraduate success. Colby is home to a community of 2,000 dedicated and diverse students from around the globe. Its Maine location provides easy access to world-class research institutions and civic engagement experiences.

Under the leadership of its new president, David A. Greene, Colby is building on this strong foundation while remaining committed to excellence, to supporting students and faculty at the highest levels, and to the College’s deep liberal arts traditions. This new chapter includes plans for creating innovative academic initiatives and partnerships, strengthening the connections between the liberal arts and the professional world, revitalizing downtown Waterville, and pursuing significant capital projects for performing arts and athletics. Colby invites applicants to apply for the position of:


SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

Facilities and Campus Planning

Full-Time, Exempt, Salaried, Administrative Staff Appointment

Reporting to the associate vice president of facilities and campus planning, the sustainability director will oversee the office of sustainability and help integrate College physical planning and operations with academic programs, student and faculty research, civic engagement initiatives and community outreach. Sustainability and resource conservation are core values and strategic priorities at Colby as demonstrated in part through becoming carbon neutral in 2013. The director will work closely with administrators, faculty, students and staff to identify, develop, implement and promote collaborative strategies that advance these core values and strategic priorities.

Primary responsibilities include fostering a culture of sustainability across all operational disciplines of the College and among students, faculty and staff; identifying and prioritizing areas for institutional sustainability initiatives; planning and developing long- and short-range sustainability programs; engaging with institutional leaders to foster sustainability broadly across campus departments and offices; networking with peer institutions to maintain current working knowledge of sustainability best practices on college campuses; and, representing Colby at regional and national sustainability meetings.

The director serves as an important member of the College’s administrative staff. The director will assist the College in defining sustainability goals, developing performance metrics and helping to refine long-range plans for sustainability at Colby. The director will also monitor and evaluate program effectiveness, document performance and trends and recommend modifications to improve institutional effectiveness. Finally, the director will help coordinate sustainability responsibilities assigned to other facilities functions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Campus-Wide

• Collaborate with faculty, staff, students, administrators, and campus committees to advance Colby’s leadership in campus sustainability and environmental education
• Direct and facilitate sustainability initiatives in College operations by providing information and assistance to College administration, dining services, information technology services, and other departments and programs; provide information about these efforts to the greater Colby community and externally to Waterville and national sustainability organizations
• Prepare annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, carbon footprint, and annual sustainability reports; disseminate results and analysis of progress toward carbon neutrality, utility management and overall campus sustainability
• Lead the environmental advisory group (EAG), consisting of faculty, staff, students, administrators; and work with other campus constituencies to develop and implement strategies for remaining carbon neutral by conservation, seizing energy efficiency and reduction opportunities, use of renewable energy sources, fostering a stronger culture of resource conservation, and evaluating and purchasing carbon credits
• Lead the effort to update the College’s climate action plan and transition it to a sustainability action plan in order to include all aspects of the campus’s sustainability efforts
• Prepare the College’s Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS) submission; update the submission at least every three years to keep its information current; disseminate and communicate its results; and, identify means and methods for continuous improvement
• Liaise with sustainability coordinators or equivalents at other education institutions, businesses, governments, and the community to share experience and practices and promote collaboration
• Manage relationships with environmentally-oriented external partners as assigned by the associate vice president of facilities and campus planning

Academic

• Support the academic mission of the College and present at campus-wide staff, faculty, and student meetings; act as the liaison between academics and operations at Colby in order to create a living laboratory environment for students around sustainability topics
• Aid in the implementation and development of educational materials as needed; provide support to students, faculty, and staff for the development of course content, academic projects, presentations, and experiential opportunities related to sustainability

New Development, Renovations, Operations, and Maintenance

• Provide technical direction for the planning, design, construction, operation of sustainable buildings; work with capital project teams and building operation teams to advocate for sustainable practices in capital projects, master planning, and existing buildings; ensure that the design, commissioning and operation of facilities and infrastructure achieve or exceed sustainability goals
• Complete LEED certifications as required
• Complete incentive applications for all campus energy-related projects; perform complex engineering calculations in order to maximize financial opportunities for the College; continually identify, track, and complete incentive and grant opportunities on behalf of the College
• Develop and manage pilot programs relating to waste collection activities at the College, including providing workers
• Plan and operate composting activities at all campus events
• Prepare renewable energy project concepts for the campus; evaluations include economic forecasting, utility generation capacity, and project site concept; manage the project from concept through completion; review, negotiate, and manage the College’s program and conduct contractual document review as needed; prepare board materials for project approval
• Coordinate the College’s bike share program with campus life; train student workers, manage the fleet, and develop methods to expand the fleet’s use, safety and security

Community Engagement

• Support campus life engagement in sustainability programs including orientation, community advisors, and Colby outdoor orientation trips (COOT); promote sustainability and educational collaborations with the Dean of the College division
• Direct the College’s EcoRep program, a combination of sustainability-related research and sustainable living programming for the student body; hire, train and supervise over 20 student employees; direct campus competitions in order to engage the student body; collect metrics documenting the program’s success
• Support student engagement in sustainability programs, including student organizations and individuals
• Direct institutional sustainability activities, including Green Graduation and Earth Week

Communications

• Enhance Green Colby communication and outreach; promote environmental responsibility by generating and managing all content for website, social media, public presentations, newsletters, and other publications as appropriate
• Disseminate information about the College’s sustainability advancements and activities, in our community and nationally; represent Colby at regional and national campus sustainability meetings; facilitate dialogue and networking with peer institutions
• Work with college marketing and development teams to promote coverage of sustainability at Colby and serves as the primary contact for media on sustainability issues; produces internal and external sustainability communications

Administrative

• Oversee the office of sustainability budget, including forecasting, tracking and verification
• Provide supervisory guidance to staffing levels, and training programs, and in planning the use of resources to ensure that the university achieves sustainability goals
• Supervise student interns and a summer research assistant
• Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience; advanced coursework a plus
• Five years of experience in management, sustainability, or related programs required; experience in academic setting desired
• Knowledge of sustainability theories and practices and local, national and global sustainability and environmental initiatives; familiarity with the networks of organizations (governmental, non-governmental, and academic) involved in advancing sustainability policy and action
• Excellent communication skills including writing, public speaking, and computing skills; demonstrated experience publishing in academic peer-reviewed journals, books, or other professional publications preferred
• Ability to creatively overcome obstacles; skilled in working with a diverse academic community
• Able to work independently, but is an excellent collaborator and team player
• Demonstrated record of personal accomplishments executing sustainability initiatives
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office products including Excel
• Valid driver’s license required and must meet the College’s Fleet Safety Policy requirements
  

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

This position reports to the associate vice president of facilities and campus planning and has significant interaction with faculty, staff, and students as well as outside constituents.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

General office and campus environment. Position involves sitting, although frequent movement is necessary. Walking, standing, bending, twisting, and occasional lifting required. Computer usage involving repetitive hand/wrist motion is also necessary. Some travel required.

TO APPLY: