Sustainability Specialist (Housing) I/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, housing, and transportation issues?
  • Do you want to contribute to a team of enthusiastic professionals, and be part of the changing ways in which local governments can develop and implement programs to address these issues and serve the San Mateo County community?

Position Overview

The County's Office of Sustainability seeks well qualified applicants for the position of Sustainability Specialist (Housing) I/II/III for the Livable Communities program, Home for All. We are seeking one full-time Sustainability Specialist who can empower our community members to embrace producing and preserving housing at all income levels and for all ages. 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 and 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.

Responsibilities

The Sustainability Specialist will be tasked with the following initiatives:

• Assisting in the development and implementation in the County's Home for All San Mateo County Initiative (homeforallsmc.org), a community collaborative aimed at promoting innovative solutions to produce housing at all income levels. 
• Inspiring community action by convening all residents, community partners and decision makers to engage each other collaboratively to develop and promote innovative solutions to address the housing challenge in San Mateo County.
• Researching creative solutions for our community to promote the closure of the County's 11:1 jobs-housing gap.

The Sustainability Specialist will enhance coordination of Home for All San Mateo County by organizing Home for All events and meetings, conducting outreach, and supporting a variety of ongoing projects and task forces. The Sustainability Specialist will provide input in the design of Home for All convenings and administer the Home for All and Second Unit Center websites and social media accounts.

The Sustainability Specialist will also support the Home for All community engagement program. The program facilitates community conversations in select communities within San Mateo County with the goal of increasing the overall amount and diversity of available housing. The Sustainability Specialist will assist in the management of various meetings, events and tools developed for the community engagement program in each city, provide technical and administrative support, and ensure that project goals and benchmarks are met.

The selected candidate will enhance multi-departmental coordination for housing initiatives throughout the county and the cities of San Mateo County through the Home for All San Mateo County Initiative.

In brief, the Sustainability Specialist:

• Is a full-time member of the Office of Sustainability and reports directly to the Livable Communities Program Manager.
• Contributes to the coordination and implementation of the County's Home for All Initiative.
• Works in effective collaboration with County and city officials, community stakeholders, multiple county departments, and local jurisdictions.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess these qualifications:

• Experience with housing and community engagement planning, policy development, and program implementation.
• Extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise in a broad range of topics related to housing, community engagement and associated sustainability issues.
• Ability to engage with County residents and stakeholders to inspire and build excitement about housing solutions and programs and sustainable growth.
• Experience working with diverse range of stakeholders and perspectives, with a customer service orientation, to identify and achieve collective goals.
• Work effectively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. 
• Incorporate the perspectives of multiple communities, including communities of color, in the consideration of impacts and outcomes of a project or initiative. 
• Apply an understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities to improve project design and implementation.
• Experience in community problem resolution, policy development, and facilitating or managing large public processes or projects with an active, highly engaged community.
• Experience in developing and managing project budgets.
• Experience or training in conflict management and conflict resolution.
• One or more years of experience in housing policy development and community engagement.

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• I Level: Bachelor's degree in environmental science, public policy, biology, natural resource management, ecology, or a related field.
• II Level: One year of experience in the field of resource conservation which has included program analysis and coordination.
• III Level: Two or more years of journey level program coordination experience, including coordination of resource conservation or sustainability program(s) that comprise broad range of area.

Compensation

• $36.74 - $54.60 / Hour

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:  July 27, 2021

EOE