Natural Resources Director

CNT and Green Infrastructure Communities across the United States and world wide are grappling with overlapping challenges in their relationship to water. Population growth, development practices that expand paved, impermeable surfaces, and changing precipitation patterns possibly related to climate change are overwhelming aging sewer infrastructure. EPA and other studies have identified stormwater runoff as a major component of urban pollution.

Cities recognize that while they need to improve infrastructure performance and protect vital water sources, funding sources are insufficient to meet the needs by expanding conventional infrastructure capacity. Over the next 20 years, the United States will spend an estimated $300 Billion to $1 Trillion on water resource infrastructure. But there is an alternative: green infrastructure stormwater strategies that cost less, take full advantage of natural systems, and provide energy, economic and community health
benefits as well. Past and current experience with conventional infrastructure - sewers, detention basins, flood control
structures - indicates that they tend to manage stormwater as a waste and move the problem downstream, but not solve it. At the same time, community sustainability in the Chicago region and
elsewhere requires management of stormwater to maximize its availability for water supply.

CNT has been documenting and developing effective approaches to accelerate community adoption of green infrastructure, including practices such as green roofs, rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavement, native vegetation and tree planting, to expand the interconnected network of functioning hydrological areas even in dense urban development and redevelopment. Ongoing CNT projects include further development of the Green Values® toolbox, construction and monitoring of on-the-ground demonstration projects in collaboration with community partners, research and policy development, and methods to calculate the additional ecological, economic and social benefits green infrastructure delivers as well as to integrate those values in utility scale planning.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology is an award-winning innovations laboratory for urban sustainability. Founded in 1978, CNT works to explore and promote more efficient use of the undervalued resources and inherent advantages of the built and natural systems that comprise the urban environment. CNT's eclectic and dynamic staff works across a range of disciplines and issues-including energy, transportation, natural resources, infrastructure, housing, and health. CNT, together with its two non-profit affiliates, CNT Energy and I-GO

Car Sharing, engages in four primary activities:

• Researching & analyzing urban problems;
• Advocating for public policies that could help solve those problems;
• Developing web-based information tools to change how people - residents, policymakers and market actors - understand and act in response to those problems; and
• Designing and launching economic development social ventures to address those problems ininnovative ways.

The organization's long-term goals are to:

• Increase household wealth and regional productivity;
• Improve environmental quality; and
• Build stronger and more equitable local economies.

Strategies for Change

CNT pursues the above two programmatic goals through five strategies for change:

1. Changing policy;
2. Changing power relationships;
3. Changing market practices;
4. Promoting rapid social learning; and
5. Creating communities of practice among cutting-edge professionals.

Position Overview:

The Center for Neighborhood Technology seeks an experienced professional and dynamic leader for the position of Natural Resources Director.

The goal of this position and program is to develop and implement policies, research projects and innovative programs that achieve the widespread use of natural systems and efficient investment in sustainable green infrastructure to improve community-scale water resource management and to enhance community livability. As with all CNT initiatives, the Natural Resources Program pursues innovative approaches that deliver ecological performance at reduced regional and local costs.

The Natural Resources Director will lead CNT's efforts to establish policies and programs that advance the deployment of green infrastructure, particularly in Midwest cities and states, and
support the development of policies at the state and national level that enable and support green infrastructure financing and implementation. S/he will build on CNT's successful efforts to
date to demonstrate the effectiveness of green infrastructure, create tools to measure the costs and benefits of green infrastructure as compared to conventional stormwater strategies, and build understanding of the costs and benefits of green infrastructure strategies.

Reports to: CNT Chief Executive Officer

Responsibilities:

The Natural Resources Director will be responsible for leading all aspects of CNT's Natural Resources Program. His or her responsibilities include:

• Developing, planning, and managing program initiatives to advance program and organizational goals
• Developing annual and long-range plans, budgets, research and policy initiatives for the Natural Resource division
• Managing budget and staff (currently 4) for Natural Resources division
• Working with Strategic Communications Manager to develop and implement a strategic communications program which shares what CNT is learning and positions CNT in the natural resources field.
• Working with the CEO and the Director of Development and Communications to develop a funding strategy for Natural Resource programs that makes a winning case to philanthropy and investors
• Working with CNT senior management and managers of other CNT portfolios to coordinate strategies and integrate programs where appropriate
• Developing effective partnerships to achieve the program goals.

Qualifications:

• Experience with and understanding of the public policy context of water conservation, stormwater management, water supply, wastewater and sustainability issues
• Understanding of the macro and micro economics of water resource management, financing, and investment
• Experience in designing, developing and/or managing programs at a significant scale
• Exceptional ability to organize and motivate people and resources to get things done
• Demonstrated ability to build effective external partnerships, including relationships with units of government and regulatory bodies
• Exemplary written and verbal communications skills
• Commitment to practices and policies that result in more sustainable, effective conservation and use of water resources
• Graduate degree in natural resources, sustainability, economics, public policy, engineering, management, or other related field, or equivalent experience
• Resiliency, patience, creativity, sense of humor, and ability to inspire belief in the possibility of positive change

Compensation: Commensurate with experience

To Apply:

Please send cover letter, resume, and salary history by email, mail or fax. No phone calls please.

Human Resources/Center for Neighborhood Technology
2125 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

The Center for Neighborhood Technology is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, termination, promotion, transfer, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation and training.