Sustainability Program Developer

~ The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is within the Housing and Economic Development Secretariat and its work touches the lives of all Massachusetts residents. DHCD's mission is to strengthen cities, towns and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life of Massachusetts residents by providing leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent, affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities and sound municipal management. ~

Position Overview

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Sustainability Program Developer creates, promotes, and administers programs that improve environmental sustainability, resiliency, and the living environment for the state-funded public housing portfolio which serves approximately 75,000 residents, in 45,000 units, in 234 communities.

These programs align with the Bureau of Housing & Construction’s capital planning and improvement program for the state-supported public housing portfolio, which is run by a team of 30 with expertise in architecture, engineering, project management and construction.

The effort to integrate sustainability into capital planning and projects may be achieved through programs that prioritize the use of products, practices and technology that increase renewable energy and decrease carbon emissions; conserve energy and fresh water; reduce waste and work towards regenerative design principles; promote the use of sustainable building performance systems, components, fixtures and materials; increase resiliency to climate hazards; develop strategies around improved indoor air quality, less toxic construction materials, and healthier building and living environments; reduce utility and other operational costs; and support the Commonwealth’s climate goals.

These programs are integral to setting the goals for public housing capital improvement projects and include maintaining a strategic plan, making recommendations for the Bureau's Design and Construction Guidelines and Standards, creating initiatives and implementing and tracking benchmarking protocols and metrics.

The Program Developer will pragmatically manage a program of approximately $15 million annually, including $5M of state bond funds and approximately $10M of utility-funded energy conservation projects. The Program Developer identifies resources, products, systems, designs, methodologies and financing options necessary to create and carry out projects that accomplish the objectives of the program.

He/she establishes relationships and partnerships with experts, businesses, associations, utilities, advisory committees and other government agencies that can contribute to this effort and seeks to establish cooperative programs. He/she works with Local Housing Authorities (LHAs) to develop policy initiatives, connect them with resources, and manage projects and grants.

The Program Developer creates training programs for the Bureau, LHA personnel, Regional Capital Assistance Teams (RCAT), and other stakeholders to educate them and infuse all activities with a sensitivity to the program considerations; assists housing authorities who want to pursue the sustainability programs’ strategies; and becomes the in-house leader and expert on the program objectives and the pursuit of environmental justice for housing authority residents.

• Official Title: Administrative Officer V
• Functional Title: Sustainability Program Developer
• Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Boston-100 Cambridge Street

Duties and Responsibilities

Tthese duties are a general summary and not all inclusive:

• Work with housing authorities, RCATs and DHCD staff to implement an annual budget for capital projects that result in energy, water and other environmental resource conservation, increased resilience to climate change hazards and vulnerabilities, and improved air quality and healthy living environments. Be aware of and adhere to the needs of budget alongside ecological performance, supply chain management, and carbon footprint reduction.
• Support housing authorities in their utilization of the Low Income Multi-Family utility energy efficiency program and any other potential sources of energy efficiency retrofits at low or no cost, or through rebates to the LHA.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of resource-conserving programs, resiliency programs, air quality/healthy environment programs, and other environmental impact programs. Develop related policies and advise the Bureau of Public Housing division on directions for all relevant initiatives, including developing the application and reviewing processes.
• Develop and conduct trainings, forums and workshops for division staff, housing authority, regional agency staff, and residents, as appropriate. Respond to or refer inquiries about the programs they oversee, about other outside resources, and about state and federal environmental statutes and regulations.
• Seek out opportunities for renewable energy use, including securing subsidies for same. Facilitate the installation of renewable technologies at housing authorities and work with other state agencies [Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)] to take advantage of programs & rebates available for renewable technologies.
• Seek out opportunities for increased resilience to climate change hazards, including securing subsidies for same. Facilitate the installation of materials and technologies at housing authorities. Develop relationships and work with state and other agencies to take advantage of programs and resources.
• Seek out opportunities to improved air quality and healthy environments in public housing, including securing subsidies for same. Facilitate the installation of materials and technologies at housing authorities. Develop relationships and work with state and other agencies to take advantage of programs and resources.
• Promote and develop the program’s strategic plan and the metrics to measure the success and environmental impact of the programs, including coordinating and analyzing data/data tables, and recommending present and future practice while considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, adoption and sustainment.
• Prepare reports, executive briefings, proposals, recommendations, guidance materials and tools, and presentations to advance sustainability, resilience and healthy environments in public and rental assistance housing. Maintain and create online content. Implement benchmarking, guidelines, and measurement protocols and tools. Track cost savings.
• Build, sustain and coordinate strong and collaborative relationships with diverse groups, including amongst bureaus and other stakeholders, internal and external to the agency, about implementing programs of sustainability, resilience, healthy environments and other environmental impact programs for public housing that cross both capital and operating lines. Participate on advisory councils for developing programs that serve the low-income multi-family building sector.
• Lead research and review of comprehensive environmental, social, regulatory, technical and economic issues for all conservation and environmental projects and develop and implement strategies to share relevant research and findings with stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Applicants must have at least:

• (A) 6 years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, financial management, or professional experience in a particular specialty (i.e. scientific, professional, or technical), and
• (B) of which four years must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
• Incumbents may be required to have a current and valid motor vehicle driver’s license at a class level specific to assignment.

Substitutions:

• • A Bachelor's or higher degree with a major in business administration, business management, public administration, financial management, or degree related directly to the specialty may be substituted for one year of the required (A) experience.
  • A Graduate or higher degree with a major in business administration, business management, public administration, financial management, or degree related directly to the specialty may be substituted for two years of the required (A) experience.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• A Master’s degree or greater in one or more of the following fields is preferred: Environmental Studies, Environmental Management, Urban Planning or Design, Industrial Environmental Management, Environmental Systems Thinking, or Environmental Policy.
• Extensive knowledge of, and relevant experience and expertise in topics of sustainability, resilience and healthy environments, including leading practices and trends.
• An ability to function semi-autonomously as a self-starter, utilizing innovative and open-minded approaches, for the purpose of educating stakeholders about program objectives.
• An ability to think strategically, take the initiative and execute agreed-upon strategies in order to define program objectives, evaluate progress and independently manage projects from start to finish.
• An ability to utilize innovative thinking and creative problem-solving in order to develop new investments and strategies to address challenges for the program.
• Proficiency with computers and computer programs, particularly Microsoft Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook).
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills, as demonstrated by the ability to write clearly and succinctly under time pressure and to make well-organized and competent verbal presentations to diverse groups, in a variety of settings.
• Possess strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills needed to identify investment opportunities, assess organizational capacity, design initiatives and evaluate outcomes.
• An ability to assimilate, and analyze programs, policy, large data sets, and other relevant materials and then synthesize them into existing and new programs, including reporting on the programs. A demonstrated aptitude for, and experience with, developing metrics to track outcomes.
• An ability to interpret and stay current with federal and state policies, statutes and regulations used to develop and design compliance mechanisms.
• Strong organizational skills, as demonstrated by the ability to independently determine specific tasks needed to accomplish an assignment, prioritize work, and ability to simultaneously manage multiple assignments.
• An ability to function at times as an ad-hoc team leader to laterally manage and motivate other teams and individuals effectively, and to delegate authority, when necessary, in order to assess community and political dynamics, while also functioning as a dedicated team player and example to others.
• An ability to present complicated information in a comprehensive, yet comprehendible manner.
• An ability to negotiate multi-party contracts and agreements that assertively protect the Commonwealth's interests.
• Possession of a current and valid Massachusetts Class D Motor Vehicle Operator’s license or the equivalent from another state is required.

Compensation

• Salary is $74,253.40 - $107,430.44 yearly.
• Salary placement is determined by years of experience and education directly related to the position and the Human Resources Division’s Recruiting Guidelines.

To Apply

• Please click "Apply on Company Website" below to upload your resume and cover letter.
• Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines. Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.
• Note: First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days (by May 1, 2019)

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator: Nancy DePaul - 617-573-1100

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.