FloodWise Communities Program Specialist, Climate Adaptation Partnership

Flood Wise Communities Program Specialist, Climate Adaptation Partnership

Organization/Grantor: University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership

Type/Term: full-time, one-year appointment

Salary: $89, annually

Description: The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) is seeking a full-time Flood Wise Communities Program Specialist to join our team and work in collaboration with the Great Lakes NOAA CAP/RISA team (GLISA) to help build community resilience to current and emerging flood risks in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. We are looking for a dedicated individual to join our team who possesses the expertise and experience to facilitate the research, engagement, and planning required to help communities across the region accelerate the implementation of flood risk reduction and resilience strategies.

This position is also part of a new, national initiative called the Strengthening Human Infrastructure Project (SHIP), supported by the Aspen Global Change Institute. As part of SHIP, this role will involve active participation in a national network of climate leaders and experts to share learnings and collaborate and scale programs.

By joining our team at the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact toward building resilience and readiness for weather and climate risks in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. We offer a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, and the chance to be at the forefront of community-centered climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

We seek applicants with a proven record of experience, expertise, and capabilities to help communities across the state and region use resilience frameworks and approaches to understand, plan, and manage changing flood risks. You will lead efforts to identify and develop changing flood risk information, assess community needs and capabilities, strategically design, develop, deliver, and evaluate education and technical support processes to assist communities across Minnesota and the Great Lakes region in understanding climate risks and comparing, selecting, and implementing different resilience strategies.

This will include serving as a trusted expert, advisor, and educator capable of collaborating closely with GLISA and MCAP staff to refine, develop, and deliver research-based technical assistance and educational training and resources, such as the Flood Wise Communities program.

The Flood Wise Communities process guides practitioners through a municipal stormwater vulnerability assessment using a web-based tool with customized climate and socioeconomic information and a series of stepwise assessments. The assessment process focuses on identifying factors that may stress individual stormwater system components and the surrounding community due to impacts from weather and climate events, and guides communities to prioritize actions to adapt to these stressors.

It was co-developed between GLISA and a cohort of Great Lakes cities starting in 2017 and has since been implemented in 75+ communities across the Great Lakes and U.S. Gulf coast.

Responsibilities
:

• Lead the strategic expansion, deployment, and evaluation of the Flood Wise Communities Program in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region (35%)
• Design, test, and deploy decision support resources to support flood risk reduction in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region (20%)
• Document and demonstrate the potential of a shared collaborative capacity model for climate service providers, and set the foundations for additional hazard, impact, and/or mitigation-focused programs (20%)
• Engage with a national cohort of climate services leaders and boundary organizations (25%)

View the job posting for a full description of responsibilities.

Qualifications
:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in climate adaptation science, water resources/hydrology, urban planning, social science, decision science, environmental science, geography, or a very closely related field with at least 6 years of experience.
• Experience engaging directly with decision-makers (e.g., local practitioners, state or federal agencies) to plan for and/or manage flooding or similar climate hazards through decision-making frameworks (e.g., vulnerability assessments, scenario planning, Steps to Resilience).
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and communicate scientific literature and data in clear and concise language appropriate for diverse audiences, particularly in community leadership and planning contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships and collaborations with colleagues, stakeholders, and communities with diverse missions, goals, cultures, and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and lead multi-faceted projects and work independently with little or no supervision.
• Excellent communication skills, including oral, written, and graphic/image formats.

Preferred:

• A master’s or…