Water Associate

OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking to hire a Water Associate to join our Domestic (US-based) Portfolio team. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to meet the climate imperative and address critical drought issues in California. If you are inspired to guide residents and political leaders to use water wisely, remove turf grass, and enhance their properties - you'll fit right into our team.

• Do you enjoy working with people, helping motivate them to invest in their home, community, and environment?
• Are you good at speaking to groups and managing relationships to get projects done?
• Are you culturally sensitive and ready to help underserved communities benefit from and shape environmental programs?
• Do you want to lead measurable change for climate adaptation and achieve on-the-ground impact in San Diego?

PURPOSE

The Water Associate is a customer-focused position, able to engage culturally diverse communities and manage a pipeline of projects to completion. You will also work directly with senior associates to advance your career as a water resources consultant – a rapidly growing field in California and the Western US.

Our clients include counties and cities that are taking direct action to conserve water and protect watersheds by reducing bacteria pollution, removing non-functional turf grass, and developing multi-benefit alternative compliance programs. We have built a private-property incentive payment program that has rapidly outpaced others across the West, and we are eager to see it grow. This high-performing program has already resulted in additional funding from state and local governments. A critical part of this next phase of growth will be to focus on serving a diverse set of underrepresented communities, both incorporating their perspectives and needs into program design, and ensuring they receive the intended benefits of the program.

If you would like to apply your project management and customer service skills to enhance sustainable water resource management, please apply.

About Environmental Incentives

At Environmental Incentives, our purpose is to create the conditions for human and natural communities to thrive. We do this by helping our partners improve the performance of conservation and development programs. Our clients trust us to design and support implementation of programs that (1) use evidence to develop effective strategies within complex systems, (2) center local stakeholder experiences and facilitate collective action, and (3) produce results that support learning about what works. Environmental Incentives is a certified B Corporation with offices located in Washington, DC, South Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Nairobi, and Lima (pending registration). Our remote staff and consultants are based in multiple states within the United States, and across five continents.

RESPONSIBILITIES

EI Associates provide technical support and lead work processes to deliver service to EI's clients (clients may be internal or external). This position is a major contributor to - and can capably lead - scoping, production, and review processes for contracted deliverables and initiatives with initial direction and final quality assurance provided by a Senior Associate or manager. With the support of a Team Lead, Associates coordinate resourcing and technical contributions across a production team, and serve as a professional point of contact for the client. They are a trusted steward of quality with multiple Team Leads, Directors, clients, and partners. They raise issues appropriately and constructively for collaborative problem-solving and contribute insights to strengthen systems and procedures. In all areas of work, Associates represent excellent client service, model EI's culture, and contribute to internal and external learning initiatives to advance EI's mission. Key responsibilities include

• Providing technical support by conducting research and analysis, synthesizing information on program or project implementation, including quantitative and qualitative data, in audience-appropriate formats, and creating products that meet EI's quality standards.
• Drafting content, collaborating with others to create innovative and durable products, and contributing to process management as needed.
• Communicating results and findings by preparing and delivering presentations, reports, briefings, summary documents and other media.
• Managing workflow processes for contracted work, including taking leadership on scoping, production, and finalization of products and initiatives that meet EI's quality standards for production and client engagement.

Near-Term Expectations

In the first 3-12 months in the position, we expect that the Water Associate will have demonstrated the following.

• Independently uses program tools and provides customer service to homeowners that are moving through the rebate pipeline.
• Successfully uses project tracking and planning tools to support internal workflow processes and help keep teams on track.
• Has attended and presented at Board meetings of homeowner associations or large clients, and is able to lead large turf removal projects through the implementation pipeline with support and coaching from senior teammates.
• Has built strong relationships with one or two community partner organizations involved in a community-driven water improvement project.
• Shows ability to deliver analytic and written products for water resources clients.

QUALIFICATIONS

Our team members are talented, creative, and inspired professionals who provide technical support in a growing practice while being flexible enough to add their unique perspectives to a strong culture. If you are passionate and thrive on collaboration, you are probably a great fit for our team!

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Water Resources Management, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Sustainability, Business Management, Planning, other related fields and 5 years of experience; or Master's degree and 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with water use efficiency, stormwater and water quality, landscaping and irrigation, or commercial/HOA property management.
• Demonstrated successful experience managing multiple projects and priorities.
• Experience with event planning, including meetings, webinars, and virtual meetings.
• Professional working proficiency in Spanish and English (written and verbal). Professional working proficiency is defined as being:
  • Able to use the language effectively in most formal and informal written exchanges on practical, social and professional topics.
  • Able to speak the language with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most conversations on practical, social, and professional topics

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting client engagements and working as a consultant with public or private sector clients.
• Experience with customer relationship management tools, sales analysis, and process management displays.
• Experience using quantitative analysis, statistical and mapping tools, online project workflows and data displays, and software for visual or website design.
• Professional working proficiency in other languages.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Willingness to be available outside of regular office hours for client calls and other time-sensitive tasks.
• Strong process management skills.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office suite (particularly MS Word, Teams, PowerPoint, and Excel) and Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar Google Drive/File Stream, Sheets, Docs).
• Willingness to travel within California.
• Ability to collaborate with, listen to, respect, and celebrate the contributions of others, including people from different cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to prioritize, self-motivate, and orient.
• Ability to proactively seek help when needed.
• Ability to develop and implement a personal plan of work.
• Creative thinking and problem solving.
• Ability to identify and overcome challenges.

Additional Requirements

• Legally authorized to work in the United States with no restrictions.
• Criminal background check required.

BASE STATION AND COVID-19 POLICY

The position will be based in San Diego, CA. Environmental Incentives is implementing a hybrid work model in which employees will be required to work in the office approximately two days per week. This position also involves field time at residences, businesses and within diverse, underserved communities.

Proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or legally authorized exemption is required for all Environmental Incentives employees working in the United States, regardless of office location or remote work. Selected candidates will be required to provide proof of full vaccination before beginning employment with Environmental Incentives. Full vaccination is defined as 2 weeks after the final dose of the requisite vaccination.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The starting salary range for this position is $75,038-96,384 per year. Environmental Incentives also offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-funded medical, dental, long-term and short-term disability, and life insurance for employees, and the option to enroll in supplemental life insurance.
• Highly competitive 401k contributions that start on day one of your employment. Did we mention we offer environmentally responsible investment options?
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time. You'll also get paid time off opportunities each year to vote and volunteer at a charity of your choice!

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application no later than October 21, 2022. On a rolling basis throughout the application period, we will review applications and contact qualified candidates for additional information.