Sustainability Coordinator, Allegheny College

Meadville, PA

Job Title: Sustainability Coordinator

Organization: Allegheny College

Location: Meadville, PA

Position Overview: Allegheny College, a small selective national liberal arts college, invites applications for the position of Sustainability Coordinator. The position is a full-time exempt position reporting to the Director of Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability administers the College’s formal commitments to sustainability, carbon neutrality (achieved in 2020), continued decarbonization, environmental justice, and community resilience.   

Collaborating closely with the Director of Sustainability, the Sustainability Coordinator liases with administration, faculty, staff, contracts, students, and community partners to creatively integrate sustainability, justice and resilience into planning, operations, curriculum, co-curriculum, student life, and the identity of the College. Responsibilities include program coordination, education and engagement, research, communication, and student leadership and mentorship. The Sustainability Coordinator will uphold a strong commitment to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work and will support Allegheny College’s mission to prepare young adults for successful, meaningful lives in which they are equipped to meet challenges in a diverse, interconnected world.

Duties:

  • Coordinate sustainability programs, events, campaigns, and features such as but not limited to the Annual Energy Challenge, DeHart Local Foods Dinner, Trashion Show, Carr Hall Garden, waste minimization efforts, solar panel, and green tour.
  • Educate, build consensus, and engage the campus community in a culture of sustainability, justice, and transformative change. This may include but is not limited to trainings, workshops, speakers, signage, tabling, and other creative efforts.
  • Contribute to research and reporting to improve and assess the College’s sustainability practices. Develop and maintain expertise in climate science and justice, new technologies, opportunities, best practices, funding sources, and creative approaches relevant to the College’s defined goals. Collect and report performance indicator data for assessment of progress, particularly to SIMAP, Second Nature’s Reporting Platform, and AASHE STARS.
  • Communicate effectively and dynamically to promote the visibility of sustainability and resilience efforts and achievements both for on-campus and off-campus audiences by writing, editing, and designing content for the website, social media, conference presentations, publications, and other communication opportunities.
  • Support adoption and integration of mission-based sustainability action plans by departments across campus. This may include but is not limited to LEED certifications, policy development, energy reduction efforts, purchasing and waste minimization strategies, resource coordination, and embracing sustainability guidelines in support of institutional goals.
  • Provide oversight, leadership, and mentorship for student collaborators contributing to our institutional sustainability and resilience goals. This may include working with the Allegheny Student Government’s Sustainability Committee, various student groups (Students for Environmental Action, Bike Share, Green Students of Color Society, Green Living, etc.), interns, student employees, and volunteers. Considerable leadership will be directed to supporting students in the management of the Carr Hall Garden, greenhouse, chickens, beehives, and food forest.
  • Contribute to curricular and co-curricular sustainability and resilience content in academic courses, residential settings, student activities, and community partnerships. Offer consultation, expertise, and data to support faculty adding sustainability principles and projects to their curriculum. Partner with offices such as but not limited to the Dean of Students, the Office for Economic, Civic, and Community Engagement, and the IDEAS Center (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Social Justice Center) to explore and advance the intersectionality of environmental, economic, and social justices issues.
  • Uphold the core values of Allegheny College: always strive for success; be flexible; be a problem solver; take a creative approach; and collaborate with positive energy. This may include committee work and other duties to fulfill institutional functions rather than solely fulfilling the functions of this specific position. 

Minimum Qualifications:

  • High School Diploma or GED
  • Associate or Bachelor degree is preferred
  • Previous experience in sustainability, resilience, or justice work is required. Particularly strong knowledge and experience in one or more areas is preferred – including but not limited to project management; greenhouse gas inventories; energy management and retrofits; cultivating behavior change; managing an organic garden of vegetable, fruit trees, chickens, and bees; climate justice; community resilience; policy and systems change; etc.
  • Some weekend and evening duties to share in the care of plants, chickens, and bees will be required.

How to Apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume, and provide contact information for three references to the Office of Human Resources, Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA  16335 or by e-mail to employment@allegheny.edu.  Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. An offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.

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