Are you passionate about sustainability?

Our mission is to empower New Jersey communities to build a better world for future generations with the tools, training and financial incentives necessary to pursue critical sustainability initiatives. As an organization, Sustainable Jersey is in the unique position to be a connecting force between local communities and public, private, and governmental entities. If you share an interest in sustainability issues then the next step in your career may be employment at Sustainable Jersey. At Sustainable Jersey, you will make more than a living, you will make a difference.

The Sustainable Jersey certification programs are managed by the Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey. Our vision includes striving to be more equitable, more inclusive and better prepared to the work of advancing sustainability and social justice while supporting municipalities and schools in New Jersey to do the same.

Career Opportunities

Senior Program Manager for Schools

About the Position

The position will be responsible for leading the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Program. This will include working with other senior staff to develop strategy and set priorities for growing the program, conducting applied research and program design tasks, managing contracts, developing program content and overseeing quality, managing and building relationships with funders and program partners, and managing a team of professionals on a range of operational, outreach, professional development, and research projects. The Senior Manager’s team will work with subject matter experts to keep program content current, spearhead efforts to develop and implement new best practices and resources, and design and implement programs to support New Jersey public schools’ efforts become more sustainable by providing training and assistance to key stakeholder groups including school board members, administrators, and teachers and other staff.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for sustainability, and interest in working with a dynamic team creating programs for schools and communities across New Jersey. Working closely with the Deputy and Executive Directors, the Senior Program Manager is responsible for leading our schools team and overseeing all program activities including researching best practices related to sustainable development, integrating those practices into the Sustainable Jersey Certification, and designing and implementing programs to support implementation in schools. Our vision includes striving to be more equitable, more inclusive and better prepared to do the work of advancing sustainability and social justice while supporting municipalities and schools in New Jersey to do the same. The position will work with external stakeholders and partners to identify emerging issues of concern, and create policies, programs and other solutions that can be implemented locally and scaled statewide.

Qualifications and Skills:

Requires an advanced degree in K-12 education, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience that demonstrates comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the K-12 public school operating environment and an ability to synthesize information, draw relevant conclusions, and present those conclusions.
5 years of relevant professional experience with public schools, their decision making environments, and previous professional work in some or all of the following types of roles: leadership, operations, and development of K-12 curriculum and lesson plans.
Experience supervising staff and/or leading teams.
Experience identifying and implementing best practices, including new program ideas into K-12 education and school operations through job duties, course work, or volunteer experiences.
Familiarity with sustainability concepts strongly preferred , including experience integrating sustainability concepts into curriculum and student experiences, and school operations and management.
Strong project and program management skills including an ability to prioritize and complete multiple simultaneous projects.
Strong written and oral communications skills.
Aptitude for program and project design, including identification, researching, and development of best practices and new program ideas, and designing and scoping new programs and projects to solve problems and advance sustainability in schools.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with grant writing and program development and implementation.
Interest in sustainability issues as demonstrated by relevant course work, integration into student experiences, extracurricular activities, volunteer efforts, etc.

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Program Manager

About the Position

The Program Manager is responsible for researching best practices related to sustainable development for local government and supporting the implementation of them in the Sustainable Jersey programs with a particular emphasis on land-use and climate readiness. The Program Manager will administer and coordinate the development of policy, research, and comprehensive planning documents. Oversees the day-to-day administration of programs, projects, and/or processes regarding the planning, preparation, evaluation, and control of communications, events, records, statistics, reports, and documents. Oversees the development of guidance documents (program actions, toolkits, etc.). Keeps abreast of similar programs at other institutions and non-profits. Develops and maintains effective relationships with various public and private institutions and agencies to assess program requirements, modifications, or innovations. Work is consistent with an understanding of the mission, vision, role, and goals of the organization. Performs professional level work that requires knowledge of program management and the application and use of concepts, theories, and terminology of the organization.

Specific Duties

Conduct research on sustainability policies, best practices and emerging models; contribute to the creation of models, guides and tools to support local governments and schools to implement recommended best practices; develop well-written narrative and statistical reports containing project findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Manage grants and contracts and funder relationships with key partners. Assist in the identification and evaluation of funding opportunities and prepare grant proposals.
Respond to inquiries from program participants such as municipal and school staff and green team members and Sustainable Jersey staff related to assigned topic areas and project areas. Review submissions to municipal and schools certification programs on assigned policy areas.
Work with program partners and stakeholder groups to identify emerging sustainability policy issues as the basis of new actions; develop solutions and implement outreach and assistance programs; organize meetings with partners and task forces and seek input from other outside experts.
Present policies, case studies and best practices to expert and non-expert audiences to build support for implementation. Provide technical assistance and coordinate local pilot projects in municipalities and schools to assist them in completing Sustainable Jersey actions and other recommended best practices.

Qualifications and Skills

Bachelor's degree in urban planning, public policy, or similar is required.
Minimum of two years of experience working in land-use planning, public policy, local municipal government or similar field is preferred.
Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly in presentations and in written research reports, guidance documents, and case studies for diverse audiences having varying levels of knowledge about sustainability programs and policies.
Ability to work in a team as well as independently on assigned research tasks, including identifying resources, case studies, and related policy and program material.
Organized and ability to prioritize and complete multiple simultaneous projects.
Knowledge of municipal land-use planning and zoning in New Jersey with an understanding of climate change, its impacts at the local level and policies and activities municipalities can undertake to be more resilient.
Demonstrated ability to facilitate a process with partners and stakeholders to develop municipal guidance.

Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree in planning or related field.
American Institute of Certified Planner (AICP) certification and/or certified licensed New Jersey Professional Planner (PP).
ArcGIS skills and data management capabilities.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should apply online and submit a letter of interest, resume (CV), as well as the names and contact information for three professional references.

Apply

To enrich education through diversity, The College of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The College has a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff, and strongly encourages women and members of underrepresented groups to apply.