Introduction:
Confronting climate change is one of Executive Constantine’s top priorities and King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) is the County’s five-year blueprint for County climate action, integrating climate change into all areas of County operations and work with King County cities, partners, communities, and residents. The SCAP outlines King County’s priorities and commitments for climate action for decision-makers, employees, partners, and the public.

2020 SCAP actions are rooted in the understanding that climate change is a threat multiplier that creates complex challenges, particularly for communities affected by historic and current inequities and who have limited resources to adapt (frontline communities). Building pathways to green jobs across sectors is a high priority identified by the Executive, members of the Climate Equity Community Task Force (CECTF), the County Council, and other external partners. The CECTF is a group of community leaders who represent frontline communities and organizations across greater King County. The CECTF co-developed with County staff community-driven climate actions for the 2020 SCAP and the Sustainable & Resilient Frontline Communities (SRFC) section, including the SCAP’s “Equitable Green Jobs and Pathways” Focus Area.

Summary:
The Green Jobs Program Manager (GJPM) is a new position to King County government that will lead the County’s efforts to implement the 2020 SCAP’s Green Jobs Focus Area in the Sustainable & Resilient Frontline Communities Section and recommendations for the County to develop an equitable green workforce that is representative of the diversity of King County communities and reflects the diverse skill sets, knowledge systems, and experiences of King County communities through targeted hiring, workforce development, community agreements, and creating intentional pathways for frontline communities across sectors and seniority levels.

As countywide jobs transition more to green jobs, this position will partner with frontline communities to create pathways for these communities’ members to increase access to these opportunities. The GJPM will partner with frontline community workers and industries to identify strategies to equitably transition workers to greener jobs, shift to more sustainable practices, and promote green skills development, while prioritizing worker health and economic well-being.

This position will lead strategy development, partnership building, community engagement and capacity building to support the development of equitable green jobs and partnerships. This position will also support related Executive priorities such as economic development and responding to Racism as a Public Health Crisis.

The work of this position will have a focus on countywide, community scale green jobs progress. The role will require developing strong relationships and collaboration across King County agencies and with external partners. The GJPM will also work closely with a colleague in the County’s Department of Human Resources who is focused on green jobs strategies for the County government workforce. The GJPM will also collaborate directly with the Climate Equity & Community Partnerships Program Manager and other County staff who work on climate mitigation and preparedness.

Telecommuting Requirement
The work associated with this position will be performed remotely on a full time basis. Employees will also have access to shared workspaces at King Street Center at 201 S. Jackson Street in downtown Seattle. There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.   Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and dynamic team.

Work Location: Primarily teleworking and the King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104

Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. This full-time position works a 40-hour work week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Build on the initial green jobs strategy in the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan and partner with frontline communities; members of the Climate Equity Community Task Force; labor unions and workforce development organizations; educational institutions and the academic community; businesses; utilities; tribes; other local and regional governments; and youth programs, among other partners, to develop and then implement a comprehensive green jobs strategy that brings and prioritizes frontline communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), into living-wage green jobs.
• As part of the strategy, develop a proposal for and budget to develop green job pathways that focus especially on frontline communities.
• As part of the strategy, identify specific actions King County and its partners can take to increase the number of green jobs and apprenticeships throughout the region, including jobs in energy efficiency, renewable energy, green vehicles and carbon sequestration, and King County administrative, executive, policy and technical jobs.

• Partner with frontline community workers, labor unions and workforce development organizations, and industries to identify strategies to equitably create pathways for frontline communities and workers to access greener jobs, shift to more sustainable practices, and promote green skills development, while prioritizing worker health and economic well-being.
• Partner to identify and promote trainings, apprenticeships, mentorship programs, educational materials, and technical assistance around sustainable practices and green skill development.
• Promote youth engagement by supporting youth training and climate-related job development programs such as job fairs, presentation, workshops, career days, job shadows, informational interview programs, and tours
• Partner and coordinate with County staff in the Department of Human Resources on internal green jobs work and strategies focused on the County’s workforce.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Coordinate and partner with a position working in King County’s Department of Human Resources focused on bolstering County workforce green jobs, as well as supporting other internal King County agencies working on green job expansion.
• Support paid opportunities intentionally targeting frontline communities (especially BIPOC) such as internships with climate staff, climate fellowship programs, early career pathway programs, and internal climate-related career development opportunities.
• In collaboration with the Climate Equity Community Partnerships Program Manager, create career pathways, especially for BIPOC communities, to gain experience in climate related work, including to help develop and implement an expanded climate internship program funded in the County’s 2021-2022 budget.

• Scope and oversee a consultant project to conduct a current state analysis, including collecting quantitative and qualitative data on racial and ethnic diversity (with options for multiracial and Indigenous people), of green jobs across sectors.
• Develop performance measures for the Green Jobs Strategy.

Required skills of the ideal candidate: 

• Ability to build partnerships and accountability for green jobs strategy development and implementation in cases without direct authority or supervisory responsibility.
• Experience working with/in limited English-speaking populations, immigrant/refugee communities, BIPOC communities and culturally diverse communities.
• Strong understanding and prior experience applying climate justice, equity and social justice, and community partnerships best practices.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a multi-agency  team of dedicated King County staff developing and implementing the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan and confront climate change.
• Experience leading focus groups, stakeholder meetings, collaborative governance processes, community-driven policy development, workshops, and/or facilitating discussions.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience related to green jobs, workforce development, economic development, environmental and/or climate justice, working with communities of color, equitable community engagement and partnership building, developing and implementing public policy and/or project management of environmental, climate change, climate equity, community resilience, or related issues.

Preferred skills of the ideal candidate: 

• Experience leading teams to solve complex challenges and managing and building consensus around stakeholder and partner priorities.
• Excellent communications skills; (develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences), build networks (effectively build formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization)
• Ability to persuade (use compelling arguments to gain support and commitment of others) while being resilient (rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations) and possessing situational adaptability (adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations).
• Demonstrated success managing projects and resources.
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to King County’s Equity and Social Justice values and Strategic Plan, and ability to articulate climate justice connections in this work
• Experience with workforce development, leadership development, and/or creating career pathways.
• Strategic approach – keen analytical and strategic planning skills.
• Functional and technical knowledge and experience in one or more climate related topics such as transportation, energy, green building, consumption and materials, forests, climate impacts and preparedness, and climate and environmental justice.
• Demonstrated ability to research qualitative and quantitative data and provide recommendations on complex issues.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Experience in strategic communications.
• Experience approaching challenges by using a critical lens to understand the root causes of problems to arrive at best possible solutions and outcomes
• Language skills in language(s) most common in King County other than English.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office software products.

Who is Eligible:  This position is open to all qualified candidates. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

Location of this Position in King County Government: This position will be situated in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks’ (DNRP) Director’s office and will report to DNRP’s Deputy Director. DNRP works to advance sustainable and livable communities and a clean and healthy natural environment that support a prosperous and resilient economy. Because of the strongly interdepartmental nature of the role, in the future the location of the position may change.
 
About King County’s Integrated Approach to Climate Action: King County established an interdepartmental Climate Leadership Team (CLT) in 2014 to frame climate related policy choices, make recommendations to the Executive, allocate resources to implement priority actions, and oversee development of and now implementation of the SCAP. The CLT is made up of leadership from the Office of the Executive and County departments and has grown over the years to include more County department representatives. The CLT is a working committee that meets at least monthly and has decision-making power, including oversight of a cost-shared budget for climate action contributed to by multiple departments. The CLT will support and provide direction to the work of this position.

About King County’s Inter-Agency Climate Staff: This position will partner closely with colleagues from multiple County departments. Climate related staff are embedded in County agencies with primary responsibility for climate action and theses staff carry out activities to support the achievement and integration of SCAP priority actions across County departments. This includes a model of staff leads for each of the three sections of the 2020 SCAP. This distributed model for tackling climate change challenges in a large county government places climate work closer to daily operations, work plans, programs, and decision-making processes, and has been effective at integrating or “mainstreaming” climate change work across County departments.

Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.

• King County application

• Resume

• Cover Letter detailing your background and what you can bring to this position

• Briefly describe your experience working with/in or building coalitions among limited English-speaking populations, immigrant/refugee communities, and/or culturally diverse communities. (250 words or less)

• Responses to supplemental questions

Union Representation: This position is not represented by a Union

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:

Diana Eberly
Senior Human Resource Analyst
206-477-6899
Diana.eberly@kingcounty.gov

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers. 

Together, with leadership and our employees, we’re changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation’s best places to live, work and play. 

Guided by our “True North“, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles–we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.