The Climate Action and Circularity Manager will lead efforts to monitor, report, and manage operational progress toward Lafayette’s carbon neutrality goal of 2035 and track broader sustainability performance. In addition, this position will ensure that low-carbon, regenerative, and closed-loop material usage is integrated into campus operations and business practices while also supporting experiential learning opportunities for students. In addition to the required knowledge, skills, and abilities, the ideal candidate will see the intersection between social and environmental justice and will embed equity into implementation efforts. The position reports to the Director of Sustainability and is a key member of the Office of Sustainability. To achieve these goals, the Climate Action and Circularity Manager will:
Lead reporting and data management (30%)
1. Ensure tracking and monitoring are in place for energy, water, and waste over time. Report on these and other relevant data measures to the AASHE Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), the annual Sustainability Report, and other relevant reporting mechanisms.
2. Manage greenhouse gas accounting and reporting.
3. Coordinate access to operational data by faculty, students, and staff.
Manage carbon neutrality and sustainability project implementation (50%):
1. Analyze data sets including energy, water, procurement, and waste usage, and identify opportunities to increase effciency and conserve resources to transition Lafayette towards more efficient operations based on a low carbon and circular materials flow.
2. Manage the College’s compost operations, ensuring quality operations and product output, collaborating with dining services, coordinating with operational departments and vendors for maintenance, and hiring and training student employees
3. Coordinate efforts between the Offce of Sustainability and operational departments, including facilities and outside vendors, including energy conservation, resiliency, adaptation, mitigation, or other carbon-related and circular economy initiatives as requested.
4. Research, recommend, implement, and co-manage or manage programs in support of the College’s Climate Action Plan and sustainability goals, including green labs, zero waste athletics, sustainable offce programs, green move out, etc.; Support shepherding the development of CAP planning and implementation strategies.
5. Advance operational sustainability by identifying and applying for rebates or incentives, assisting with grant writing, developing reports on sustainability performance, or other tasks as requested.
Support academic engagement and external partnerships (20%):
1. Support campus outreach by participating in the Sustainability Community Meetings and campus or community-related engagement initiatives.
2. Create and support curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students to learn from and contribute to campus sustainability and carbon neutrality efforts, including managing teams of student employees.
The Climate Action and Circularity Manager will partner closely with operational departments including facilities, dining, transportation, and purchasing, and report to the Director of Sustainability. The Climate Action and Circularity Manager will support the Sustainability Office’s mission of creating a thriving campus community integrating environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic vitality into academics, operations, and social values, and giving students an opportunity to develop skills, explore solutions, and foster relationships that will prepare them to tackle complex environmental and social challenges on campus and beyond.
Education and Experience:
● A bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, sciences, sustainability, engineering, engineering technology, business or a related field.
● A master’s or other advanced degree is strongly desired.
● At least three years of experience in developing and implementing strategies to reduce waste, energy, and water consumption, and analyzing energy consumption patterns.
● Experience with carbon accounting, reporting, and life cycle assessments.
● Familiarity with Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, SIMAP, and GRITS is a plus but experience with other reporting platforms (ex: CDP) is acceptable.
● Preferred: The ability to read, understand, and interpret technical design drawings, specifications and engineering data for utility systems, equipment, and controls or a certification such as Certified Energy Manager from the Association of Energy Engineers would be considered a plus.
Skills and Abilities:
● Demonstrated ability to manage projects and to analyze and identify opportunities to increase effciency, conserve energy, and utilize alternative energy resources.
● Strong communication skills including the ability to develop reports and to match the level of detail for all stakeholders.
● Ability to work independently, build relationships, and collaborate.
● Passion for circularity of material flows, efficiency, and creativity in finding solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste on campus.
About the Office of Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability leads Lafayette College in advancing sustainability initiatives, transforming innovative ideas into meaningful solutions, and cultivating a culture committed to building a just, equitable world. We do this work through providing thought leadership, policy creation and program execution, outreach and event planning, communications and storytelling, and measuring Lafayette’s sustainability performance and progress. To date, our work has been focused on 5 main themes: carbon neutrality, sustainable food loop, environmental justice, regenerative ecosystems, and zero waste/circularity. The Office of Sustainability also oversees Lafayette College’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2035. We partner with students, faculty, staff and alumni in the pursuit of accelerating the just transition to a low carbon future. We hope you’ll join us.
Please provide cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references to: http://apply.interfolio.com/147872
Lafayette College is committed to creating a diverse community: one that is inclusive and responsive, and is supportive of each and all of its faculty, students, and staff. The College seeks to promote diversity in its many manifestations. These include but are not limited to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and place of origin. All members of the College community share a responsibility for creating, maintaining, and developing a learning environment in which difference is valued, equity is sought, and inclusiveness is practiced.