Break Barriers Collaborative - Buildings Program Manager/Director

Position Overview

Climate Solutions seeks a smart, innovative, and entrepreneurial Program Manager/Director with a deep commitment to equitable and just climate and clean energy solutions to lead the creation and delivery of new programs that empower building owners and operators to equitably accelerate the reduction of their climate emissions.  Working simultaneously at the strategic and tactical levels, the Program Manager/Director will define, launch and implement programs that measurably reduce climate emissions from the buildings sector, while simultaneously ensuring that the needs of marginalized communities most impacted by climate change are addressed. The Program Manager/Director will identify the goals and barriers facing all stakeholders in the buildings ecosystem, define programs and build partnerships necessary to address their needs, and manage end-to-end implementation of the programs. This position will be a part of the small and agile BBC team, and play the key role in expanding BBC beyond its current fleet programs which have helped dozens of organizations – including McKinstry, Skanska, University of Washington, Boeing, and dozens of small and medium-sized businesses, nonprofits and government agencies – accelerate their fleet electrification efforts. 

About Climate Solutions and Breaking Barriers Collaborative

As a Northwest-based nonprofit, Climate Solutions' mission is to accelerate clean energy solutions to the climate crisis. Since 1998, Climate Solutions has the vision of a thriving, equitable Northwest, powered by clean energy, inspiring the transition to sustainable prosperity across the country and beyond. Climate Solutions advances local, regional, and state action on climate and clean energy through championing transformational policies and market-based innovations; catalyzing powerful partnerships and a diverse movement for action and accountability; and communicating a bold vision for solutions at the scale required by climate science. Climate Solutions recognizes the impact of the climate crisis, pollution from fossil fuels, and at times the costs of proposed solutions fall disproportionately on communities of color, low income, Tribal Nations, and frontline communities, both in our region and across the world. For more information about Climate Solutions and our commitment to equity, please visit www.climatesolutions.org.

Climate Solutions is focused on accelerating a swift and equitable transition to 100% clean energy, and we are working in three key areas- buildings, transportation, and electricity- to achieve it. The Breaking Barriers Collaborative (BBC) was launched in 2023 in collaboration with 4 other core partners: WA Build Back Black Alliance, Clean & Prosperous Institute, Oregon Business for Climate, and the Wave Northwest. The overall mission of the BBC is to provide support to businesses in the Northwest that want to equitably accelerate their climate progress. Our initial program, the Fleet Decarbonization Accelerator, is a cohort-based program that helps PNW businesses, nonprofits and other institutions transition their fleets to clean energy. More than 40 organizations – including Boeing, Skanska, small and medium-sized businesses, and multiple WA state agencies – representing >15,000 vehicles have completed the program, with 95% of graduates saying they would recommend it to a colleague. We plan to build on this success by expanding into the built environment, which is the second biggest contributor of greenhouse gases in WA and OR. For more information about the Breaking Barriers Collaborative, please visit www.breakingbarrierscollaborative.org.  

The position is a full-time, exempt, position located in Seattle, WA, or Portland, OR, that can include both in-office and remote work.  The position is supervised by the Breaking Barriers Collaborative Program Director.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

·      Define and lead new programs. The primary goal of the Program Manager/Director is to define, develop, and deliver high-quality programs that help the PNW buildings sector accelerate the equitable reduction of carbon emissions from their buildings. The Program Manager/Director will own the program end-to-end, working closely with internal and external partners to deliver an exceptional experience to customers and partners.   

·      Define and conduct customer and industry research. The Program Manager/Director will lead primary and secondary research with a broad set of stakeholders to understand the needs and barriers of building industry stakeholders, including communities most impacted by climate change and the disruptions potentially caused by decarbonization efforts. The Program Manager/Director will analyze the research to glean insights that inform program features.

·      Create and manage schedules. The Program Manager/Director will use tools, including Asana, to create and manage complex program schedules that include both internal Climate Solutions staff and external partners and contractors.  

·      Manage internal and external programmatic communications. The Program Manager/Director will create and manage written communications to current and potential program participants, partners, steering committee members, and sponsors. Communications will include emails, blog posts, social media posts, PowerPoint presentations, and more.

·      Build and manage relationships with customers and partners. The Program Manager/Director will engage directly with current, and identify new, customers and partners. They will be deeply involved in identifying and building meaningful relationships with a broad set of partners necessary to create and deliver programs, and recruiting participants to our programs via 1:1 and group meetings. Recruiting BIPOC-owned businesses and partners is a top priority. The Program Manager/Director will continuously engage with customers/partners during program implementation to ensure customer/partner needs and concerns are being met.  

·      Participate in BBC strategy development. The Program Manager/Director will actively participate in developing BBC strategy aligned with Climate Solutions mission and values, working closely with the BBC team, Executive Director, internal CS teams, and the BBC steering committee.  

·      Participate in Climate Solutions staff meetings, trainings, racial equity conversations, and team meetings.  Lead or coordinate meetings when appropriate.

·      Incorporate Climate Solutions’ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion commitments, Commitment to Leading our Work with a Racial Equity Lens, and Climate Solutions’ values into all aspects of the job. 

·      Meet staff reporting deadlines

for program, development, and administrative tasks.

·       Additional duties may be assigned within the course of the work.

DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCIES

Skills and Knowledge:

·      Expertise in creating and delivering successful programs from ideation through implementation, ideally including education/training programs for businesses and other organizations

·      Collaborative and inclusive in your approach to your work and in your relationships with your colleagues and community members

·      Knowledge of the building industry, including an understanding of the various building sectors

·      An understanding of how historically impacted communities have been impacted by inequitable building policies and climate change, and how their needs can be addressed through building retrofits  

·      Knowledge of the opportunities,

challenges, and processes involved in reducing carbon emissions, with a focus

on retrofitting existing buildings  

·      Exceptional customer

orientation, including demonstrated experience working directly with businesses

and  customers to understand their needs

and exceed their expectations

·      Experience conducting research,

synthesizing the results, and developing actionable insights from a broad range

of stakeholders

·      Comfort and expertise engaging

1:1 and in large groups with customers and partners, including the ability to

persuade potential customers and partners to participate in BBC programs

·      Strong project management

skills, including the ability to create and manage complex projects across

internal and external teams using project management software

·      Demonstrated ability to create

and deliver communications, both written and verbal -- including program

definition documents, emails, and presentations -- to internal and external

audiences

·      Flexibility and desire to work

with a team and independently

·      Must be a self-starter and able

to independently move projects forward, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines,

including the ability to independently manage multiple short‐term and long‐term

projects simultaneously

·      Facility with a wide variety of

software and online tools including Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Google

Workspace, and other networked programs including customer relationship

management software, project management software, e-mail marketing software,

and social media. Demonstrated ability to learn and adopt new tools to achieve

program goals. 

Experience:   

·       For a Program Manager title: 3+ years of experience defining and delivering new programs as a program/product manager over multiple product/program cycles, or

·      For a Program Director title: 5+ years of experience defining and delivering new programs as a program/product manager in the clean buildings sector over multiple product/program cycles.  

·      Preference for training/education/consulting programs targeted to businesses and other organizations.

·      Experience working with the buildings sector, including in some capacity directly related to building retrofits that reduce carbon emissions

·      Experience working directly with customers and partners, including those from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds

·      Demonstrated ability to work simultaneously on strategy and tactical execution

·      Displays empathy and critical listening to impacted community members to help identify gaps and solutions

·       Demonstrated experience simultaneously managing multiple projects in ambiguous environments with dynamic timelines

·      Demonstrated commitment to taking action on climate change or, more generally, on sustainability

·      A demonstrated commitment to racial justice and the urgency of confronting institutional racism and inequity within our systems. A demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture.