Nature of Work

Provide specialized support for policies and practices related to energy, climate change, resiliency, and the environment for internal City operations, and the community to advance the goals and objectives of the City’s sustainability initiatives.

In response to the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the Sustainability Office is seeking and has received multi-year grant funding to launch a scalable lower income home retrofit program to increase clean and energy affordability and extreme heat resiliency. This work will be accomplished using an equity lens to build workforce capacity in the energy transition, homeowner self-advocacy, and alternative finance options. Many of the duties and responsibilities described below will be applied to this project.

Environmental Factors:

Work is primarily performed in a standard office environment with some work being done outdoors with exposure to all types of weather and traffic conditions.

Physical Factors:

Light physical demands; mostly desk work requiring the ability to lift and carry files and reports and frequent use of a personal computer.

Work Situation Factors:

Position involves competing demands, performing multiple tasks, working to deadlines, occasional work beyond normal business hours, and responding to customer issues. Regular attendance is an essential function of this positionto ensure continuity of services. Position is subject to drug testing in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations and City of Las Cruces policies.

FIRST CONSIDERATION MAY BE GIVEN TO CURRENT CITY OF LAS CRUCES EMPLOYEES WHO MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.

Meeting or exceeding the minimum qualifications does not guarantee an invitation to participate in the process.

Full-Time; Regular; Exempt

This position is graded RX19.

Duties and Responsibilities

- Identifies, monitors, and measures City government sustainability targets and metrics, and collaborates with other departments and community partners to accomplish various goals and objectives; works to implement sustainable practices that create resiliency, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution prevention, waste reduction, conservation of natural resources, energy efficient strategies, and environmentally sound purchasing policies and their relationship with equity.
- Prepares and presents various special and recurring reports to communicate strategies, progress, efficiency, and performance metrics.
- Determines, develops, and implements resiliency goals and objectives; identifies and provides measurable outputs to ensure the City can adapt to natural and human caused strain and shock; implements targeted strategies to increase the resiliency of vulnerable populations within the City.
- Coordinates, facilitates, and initiates regional, community, business, public, and private agency relationships; defines opportunities for collaborative partnerships related to economic, equity, and environmental goals for the Sustainability office and its strategic initiatives.
- Reads, understands, interprets, and applies latest research on environmental and energy matters; remains current with sustainability trends and practices; performs comprehensive analysis, synthesizes information, and makes recommendations for implementation on policy and programmatic matters.
- Performs and reviews various technical calculations and studies; prepares and evaluates graphs, tables, spreadsheets, and other data reports; reviews, maintains, and updates records in various formats, mediums, and automated systems to ensure data integrity and adherence to internal controls, practices, policies, and procedures.
- Develops and recommends current and long-range plans and policies; evaluates programs and operations to identify areas for improvement; monitors results compared to performance benchmarks and evaluates progress toward achieving goals; manages and coordinates special projects.
- Presents recommendations, technical data, policy options, trends, and progress of initiatives to management for review and potential action.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainability, Environmental Science, Energy, Urban or Land Use Planning, Architecture, Geography, Public Administration, or related field AND two (2) years of professional experience in one (1) or more areas of sustainability. A combination of education, experience, and training may be applied in accordance with City of Las Cruces policy.

Licenses/Certifications:

Valid driver’s license is required. Position requires an acceptable driving record in accordance with City of Las Cruces policies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable Knowledge of:environmental and other sustainability issues, trends, resources, and agencies;technical issues, management, and policy practices in multiple sustainability areas;principles, practices, techniques, activities, rules, and regulations related to the operations and functions of the services provided; principles and practices of effective customer service and problem resolution techniques; occupational and environmental safety and health hazards, and safety practices; principles of research methods, record keeping, and records management; safe and effective use and maintenance of related tools and equipment; methods and standards for preparing business correspondence; business English, spelling, and grammar; basic and specialized personal computer applications; modern office practices and procedures; City organization, operations, policies and procedures to effectively perform the required functions and duties of the position.

Ability to:perform a variety of duties and responsibilities timely and with accuracy to meet deadlines and to ensure achievement of goals and objectives; read, understand, interpret, apply, and ensure compliance with a variety of policies, procedures, rules, and regulations governing related activities, programs, and functions; analyze and provide recommendations for sustainability initiatives;evaluate and provide recommendations on issues with complex variables and technical concerns;safely operate associated tools, equipment, and motor vehicles; communicate appropriately and effectively orally and in writing; research and compile applicable information and maintain accurate records; prepare and present accurate and reliable reports containing findings and recommendations; review documents and extract relevant information; establish and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with employees, other agencies, and the public; use initiative and independent judgment within established procedural guidelines to successfully meet established goals and objectives.

Skills in: analyzing issues, evaluating alternatives, and making logical recommendations based on findings to address issues and/or improve services, procedures, policies, and methods; researching, interpreting and communicating policies, regulations, and technical procedures and information; using independent judgment and personal initiative; maintaining complete and accurate records; evaluate procedures for efficient and cost-effective management of resources;operating tools, equipment, and a personal computer with installed generic and specialized software; interpreting technical instructions and analyzing complex variables; assessing, prioritizing, and managing multiple tasks, projects, and demands to ensure achievement of goals and objectives.

City of Las Cruces jobs

Sustainability Specialist