Director of Climate Resiliency

 

JOB SUMMARY.  The Director of Climate Resiliency will catalyze and facilitate collective action in the Mystic River watershed to create climate-resilient communities to protect people and property from a wetter, and hotter future.  They will be responsible for managing the climate team at MyRWA and for facilitating the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) as it pursues its ambitious social resilience agenda and climate projects in the watershed.                    

ABOUT THE MYSTIC RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION. The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) was founded in 1972. Our vision is a vibrant, healthy and resilient Mystic River Watershed for the benefit of all our community members. To achieve this, MyRWA is building climate resilience, transforming parks and paths, protecting water quality, restoring important habitats, and inspiring youth and community members. This is an exciting time to join MyRWA’s highly collaborative and dedicatedteam. MyRWA has a staff of 20, a committed Board of Directors, and an annual budget of more than $5 million. We are an organization committed to incorporating racial equity and justice throughout our programs and operations.  Learn more. 

Home to 21 municipalities, numerous community-based organizations, and 600,000 residents over 76 square miles, the Mystic River Watershed is the most densely populated and urbanized watershed in New England.  The Mystic and its tributaries flow southeast from Reading out through the northern edge of Boston Harbor.  The Lower Mystic contains the highest concentration of critical regional infrastructure in New England--including transportation, energy, food distribution, and wastewater treatment--interspersed with low-income BIPOC communities and others disproportionately affected by extreme weather. 

Mystic Watershed communities are learning to live with the effects of climate change:  more extreme weather; freshwater and coastal flooding; higher winds; and unpredictable seasons.  With nearly fifty percent of the watershed developed and paved, heavier rain events mean more widespread stormwater flooding.  Developed areas that were once tidal rivers and marshes now experience growing risks of chronic flooding.  Increasingly hot summers and related heat emergencies disproportionately affect lower-income BIPOC residents and workers and others with fragile health without access to air conditioning.  MyRWA is committed to helping communities adapt to the changing climate in ways that protect the most vulnerable in extreme conditions and generally improves livability across the region while closing gaps in resilience between our highest- and lowest-income residents and workers. 

RESILIENT MYSTIC COLLABORATIVE (RMC). The RMC is a nationally recognized coalition of 20 municipalities and multiple non-governmental partners focused on managing flooding and extreme heat on a regional scale that closes gaps in climate resilience and engages residents in finding solutions. Since its founding in 2018 by the Mystic River Watershed Association the RMC has been a leader in the climate resiliency practice, serving as a model for regional collaboration, with the understanding that climate impacts don’t respect municipal boundaries. Its success can be measured in the impressive amount of funding brought to the watershed for on the ground climate resiliency projects--$140 million and counting. We are committed to leading on equitable solutions to future climate hazards and building on the social resilience within our communities. 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES. The Director of Climate Resiliency leads all of MyRWA’s climate efforts—including the management of the 20-community Resilient Mystic Collaborative.  This position will sit on the leadership team at MyRWA and contribute to MyRWA’s strategic direction and staff management.  This position reports to the Executive Director.  This position manages 2+ staff members, consultants, budgets, and strategic plans. 

The work requires building strong relationships with municipal staff, community leaders, service providers, and policymakers throughout the watershed. It also requires someone who can work at various levels, from policy to program to project. This position provides substantial opportunities for creativity and professional growth. 

The Director of Climate Resiliency will lead the RMC in centering equity in decision-making and project outcomes. We have recently completed a five-year program evaluation and strategic plan with ambitious goals around implementing new onboarding, and project development and evaluation practices and norms that address historic injustices around race, income, language, and abilities. 

●        Resilient Mystic Collaborative: Serve as leader and partner to 20-municipal partners and CBOs to achieve regional resilience.  Manages a team of external consultants and staff to achieve goals on social resiliency, flooding, and heat. 

●        Funding for Climate Forward Projects: Since its inception in 2018, the RMC has secured nearly $140 million in foundation, state, and federal grants and federal budget earmarks for regional and local resilience projects in the Mystic Watershed. The Director of Climate Resiliency should have a sophisticated understanding of the funding landscape including MVP, state earmarks, and other green budget mechanisms–to push projects forward.              

●        Legislative, Organizing and Climate Resilience Landscape: Engage regularly with local and state elected officials and their staff to 1) stay current on the project needs on the ground and maintain a comprehensive view of climate resilience opportunities across the watershed, and 2) be in the conversations about regional or state policies or programs that affect climate resilience work in the watershed. Be able to connect the dots between local CBOS, municipalities, agencies and elected officials-and be familiar with both grass tops and grassroots organizing. 

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR. There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We know people gain skills through various professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work and to the MyRWA team. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate competency in a majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below. 

The ideal person for this position: 

·       Has had success in bringing meaningful local or regional projects or campaigns to fruition. 

·       Has education and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: urban climate resilience, communications, organizing, legislative advocacy, coalition building, strategic planning, working with public agencies or other skills and experiences useful in regional climate resilience. 

·       Has a commitment to and experience with social and climate equity. 

·       Has strong cultural competency and the ability to establish trusting relationships with people from various cultural and economic backgrounds. 

·       Works well both independently and as part of a team. This position is collaborative and highly entrepreneurial. 

·        Has excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills 

·       Is proficient in MiS Windows and Office Suite (Word, Excel, PPT), and Google Workspace. 

 

Preferred but not required: 

·       College degree plus at least five years of work experience or graduate degree and three years of work experience. Non-degreed candidates with equivalent skills and eight years of relevant work experience are encouraged to apply. 

·       Fluency in a second language is important to our watershed (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese). 

·       Budget management 

MyRWA seeks to be representative of the people we serve in our watershed at all job levels. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from people of color, LGBTQIA people, people living with disabilities, military veterans, re-entry citizens, and other underrepresented populations. 

WHAT WE OFFER. This is a full-time position with the Mystic River Watershed Association with a salary range of $105,000 to $125,000 dependent on experience and skills. Our paid time off policy includes 15 days paid vacation in your first year of employment and rises to 20 days in your second year of employment.  We offer 12 paid holidays, and 12 sick paid days per year. MyRWA benefits include health insurance (MyRWA covers 80% of employee premiums on employer-sponsored plans), immediate eligibility for participation in a 401k retirement plan with a 4% employer match, and paid parental leave. 

WORK EXPECTATIONS AT MyRWA. We are a hands-on team and seek employees who are passionate about our work and service to our community.  

We continue to adapt to safety protocols related to COVID-19 as we understand them. For the safety of the community, all MyRWA employees are required to be vaccinated. 

Our office is located in the town center of Arlington, Massachusetts. Free street parking is available next to our office, which is a 1 minute walk from the 77 and 79 bus lines on Massachusetts Avenue. Local travel within the watershed area is anticipated, including opportunities to work at external events. This position is about engaging with residents in our watershed communities — evenings and weekends are common. Staff members are expected to flex time appropriately. The position will not work more than 40 hours per week and it is expected that you will work in the office two days a week. This role may involve minor physical activity. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. If you see yourself in this job description but don’t feel like you meet every single criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway! Research shows that individuals from historically marginalized groups tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates. We take a holistic approach to all of our hiring practices and want to hire those who best align with our mission and goals. 

MyRWA seeks to be representative of the people we serve in our watershed at all job levels. MyRWA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its program or activities. We are an equal-opportunity employer and encourage applications from people of color, LGBTQIA people, people living with disabilities, military veterans, re-entry citizens, and other underrepresented populations. MyRWA is prepared to accommodate applicants with impaired vision and/or hearing.
 
 Please call, mail, or email us to notify of a concern that you have about accessing information, submitting information or participating in job interviews. If you know of someone who is having difficulties accessing materials, please email us at jobopportunity@mysticriver.org and/or call us at (617) 865-6580.  

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. 

HOW TO APPLY. Please send a resume and one-page cover letter sharing why you would be a good fit for the job to jobopportunity@mysticriver.org with the subject line Director of Climate Resilience. Preference will be given to applications submitted by November 11, 2024. The position will be open until filled.