Sustainability Specialist (Energy) II/III

Formed in July 2014 as a part of the County Manager’s Office, the Office of Sustainability strives to improve the sustainability of the County’s operations and the greater community through work in areas of climate change, energy and water conservation, waste reduction and making our communities more livable.

The Office of Sustainability identifies with the following values that guide its work: Empowerment, Equity, Collaboration, and Inspiration, and serves the diverse, multi-cultural communities in San Mateo County.

• • Are you passionate about sustainability, including issues such as energy efficiency, decarbonization, and water conservation?
  • Do you want to contribute to a team of enthusiastic professionals, and be part of the changing ways local governments can develop and implement programs to help San Mateo County communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their homes and businesses?

Overview

The County of San Mateo's Office of Sustainability is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Sustainability Specialist (Energy). We are seeking one full-time Sustainability Specialist who can assist our departments, community partners, and community members to plan for and implement projects that reduce and manage energy and water use.

We want "sustainability champions" with experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are looking for candidates with excellent project management and communication skills to lead initiatives that empower our employees, community partners, and community members to take meaningful actions on sustainability. OOS is committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages candidates from varied backgrounds to apply.

The Sustainability Specialist (Energy) will collaborate with the other county members of the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) to implement energy efficiency, decarbonization, and water conservation programs to assist homes, businesses, and municipalities in San Mateo County in saving money and natural resources. BayREN is a collaboration of the nine Bay Area counties and is led by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

Responsibilities

As Sustainability Specialist (Energy) you will:

• Collaborate with local government staff to bring BayREN and other energy-efficiency and electrification programs to communities in San Mateo County.
• Participate on regional committees to develop and execute strategies for implementing BayREN’s single-family, multi-family, commercial, codes & standards, municipal zero net energy, and green labeling programs.
• Design outreach strategies and implement community engagement activities, including coordinating with San Mateo County jurisdictions to host virtual and in-person workshops.
• Develop content for a wide range of communication platforms, including reports, social media, websites, videos, business letters, brochures, fliers, and other outreach tools.
• Help host and promote BayREN regional forums on topics broadly related to the California energy code (Title 24).
• Engage the County and its 20 cities to provide building code trainings for staff and support for simplifying permitting requirements.
• Develop relationships with community partners such as Peninsula Clean Energy, community-based organizations, real estate professionals, home contractors, and others to expand opportunities for collaboration.
• Support jurisdictions in adopting the next round of reach codes in coordination with the BayREN codes program and Peninsula Clean Energy, including answering questions and providing information for jurisdictions. 
• Develop and lead new, short-term initiatives related to electrification of buildings and transportation.
• Support the development and implementation of water conservation projects and other water-related initiatives. This will be a three-year term position in the Office of Sustainability. This recruitment may also be used to fill future term positions. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this position will possess these qualifications:

• Extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise in one or more of these topic areas: energy efficiency, decarbonization, energy auditing, building performance, electric vehicles, water conservation, or associated sustainability issues.
• Extensive experience developing public outreach materials, including mailings and social media, and delivering targeted presentations to a wide variety of audiences and stakeholders.
• Ability to track developments in pertinent state mandates, laws, codes, rules, and regulations.
• Experience preparing written materials such as narratives, project summaries, and/or Board reports.
• Understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities to improve project design and implementation.
• Experience supporting local governments in developing and adopting ordinances and other policies.
• Experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders and perspectives, with a customer service orientation, to identify and achieve collective goals.
• Communication skills – a team player with both verbal and written acumen.
• Independence – can "hit the ground running" and work with minimal supervision.
• Flexibility – ability to change course quickly and effectively.

Note: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is one year of experience in the field of resource conservation which has included program implementation and coordination. 

Compensation

• $40.45 - $54.60 / Hour.
• A competitive benefits package is associated with these positions. For complete information regarding benefits please click here.

To Apply

• To learn more about the position and to apply online, please click "Apply on Company Website" below to  visit our website and access this job posting. Applications are only accepted online.
• Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application forma resume, and a cover letter. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. 

FINAL FILING DATE:  November 29, 2021

EOE