Workforce Development for Climate Action

 

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR CLIMATE ACTION

Workforce Development for Climate Action

Department of Sustainability

Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City, UT is working to bolster workforce development opportunities under their new Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) in order to address the negative impacts of climate change while also benefiting the economic security of all its residents, especially for historically disinvested and low income communities that lack resources to respond to the climate crisis. The FUSE Executive Fellow will partner with FUSE to guide workforce planning and analysis under the new CCAP that will ultimately help increase equitable green job opportunities for residents.

Fellowship Dates: October 23, 2023 – October 21, 2024

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Rapidly changing climate conditions are negatively impacting the economy, health, and wellbeing of cities across America, especially for historically disinvested and low-income communities that lack resources to respond to extreme weather events. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program provides grants to local governments to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful forms of air pollution contributing to this crisis. As a CPRG awardee, Salt Lake City, UT is currently working to implement a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) that can help mitigate these impacts and dramatically improve residents’ lives.

Workforce development measures have been integrated throughout the CCAP to ensure local government and communities can transition to a sustainable and low-carbon future in an inclusive, equitable, and economically beneficial way. Salt Lake City is currently working to assess workforce related challenges and opportunities that will impact their ability to reach CCAP goals. They are seeking to conduct an analysis of anticipated workforce shortages for key climate-related sectors, such as electric vehicles, building electrification and efficiency, renewable energy, waste and recycling, and more, as well as identify potential solutions and partners at the state, regional, and/or local level that are equipped to help address those challenges.

Salt Lake City will partner with FUSE to guide workforce planning and analysis under the new Comprehensive Climate Action Plan that will ultimately help increase equitable green job opportunities for residents. The FUSE Executive Fellow will: conduct a listening tour of stakeholder perceptions and priorities; conduct a landscape analysis to identify anticipated workforce shortages and potential solutions; produce a Workforce Planning Analysis Summary Report; and conduct stakeholder outreach and engagement to ensure program success. This work will help Salt Lake City reduce climate pollution while building its clean energy economy in a way that benefits all residents, provide new workforce training opportunities, and effectively address environmental injustices in disadvantaged communities.

PROJECT SUMMARY & POTENTIAL DELIVERABLES

The following provides a general overview of the proposed fellowship project. This project summary and the potential deliverables will be collaboratively revisited by the host agency, the fellow, and FUSE staff during the first few months of the fellowship.

Beginning in October 2023, the FUSE Executive Fellow will work to execute workforce planning and analysis tasks outlined in the CCAP. Ultimately, this will help define a pathway for the city to achieve workforce development priorities, training, and funding goals for climate-related investments, thereby increasing green job opportunities and ensuring access to clean air, clean water, and a livable environment for its residents.​

The Executive Fellow will begin by conducting a listening tour of community, city, and private partner agencies that will increase understanding of perspectives, priorities, and concerns as they relate to workforce development opportunities and barriers in the climate and environmental sector. Importantly, this work will center low wealth communities and communities of color that have historically been excluded from or harmed by policy decisions and resultantly see disproportionate impacts from climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Executive Fellow will conduct a landscape analysis to identify anticipated workforce shortages that could prevent the city from achieving the goals described in the CCAP and identify potential solutions and partners at the state, regional, and/or local level that are equipped to help address those challenges.

The Executive Fellow will use the collected information and insights, baseline data from existing Salt Lake City Sustainability research, and available desktop research performed by the International Council for Local Government Initiatives (ICLEI USA) to produce a Workforce Planning Analysis Summary Report. The report will outline workforce gaps, opportunities, community priorities, barriers, and solutions. This may include skilled labor shortages, impacts on existing jobs and industries, opportunities for the creation of high-quality jobs, and expanding economic opportunity to underserved workers through activities. The Executive Fellow will also include information on existing funding or programs that can help support the workforce needs of the CCAP.

The Executive Fellow will work to map relationships with various stakeholders and outline a partnership network to help implement workforce development activities. This will include designing methods for and conducting stakeholder outreach as well as hosting engagement events to identify community partners, building meaningful relationships and community trust, and liaising with community members. This will help inform stakeholders about workforce opportunities and barriers as well as establish long-term community buy-in for implementation programs. The Executive Fellow will also work to guide and build internal staff knowledge of the Workforce Planning Report findings to ensure program success.

By September 2024, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

• Conduct a listening tour and landscape analysis- Engage with all relevant stakeholders, including city agencies, private partners, and community members, to better understand community priorities and perceptions related to green workforce development; conduct a landscape analysis to identify anticipated workforce shortages and potential solutions.
• Produce a planning summary report– Produce a Workforce Planning Analysis Summary Report outlining workforce gaps, opportunities, community priorities, barriers, and solutions; ensure community needs, perspectives, and equity for historically disinvested communities are centered in all work.
• Build partner relationships and staff knowledge - Develop key relationships and partnerships to increase workforce development opportunities; host community and partner outreach events to inform stakeholders about opportunities and barriers and help increase community buy-in.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor – Debbie Lyons, Director, Department of Sustainability, Salt Lake City, UT
• Project Supervisor – Sophia Nicholas, Deputy Director, Department of Sustainability, Salt Lake City, UT

QUALIFICATIONS

In addition to the qualifications listed below, a background in community and stakeholder engagement, communication, and project management is strongly preferred for this project.

• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to difficult challenges.
• Responds quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
• Communicates effectively both verbally and in writing and excels in both active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies in order to support more effective decision making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, and particularly including community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
• Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy, while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal opportunity employer with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

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