Job Postings

Youth Interpretive Consultant/Project Manager (part-time; temporary)

The U.S. Green Building Council – Chicago Chapter seeks an energetic and skilled professional with experience in project management, youth education, and environmental exhibit development for a part-time, temporary position that will run from late June through late August  2008, working approximately 25-30 hours each week.  The position will be responsible for two main aspects of the implementation of the Chapter’s New Horizons Garden project, in conjunction with other project stakeholders. 

About the New Horizons Garden

The New Horizons Garden is a two phased international design competition and build out of a sustainable garden and program space in Chicago’s transitional East Garfield Park neighborhood.   During the phase one design competition the Chapter partnered with archi-treasures (a local not for profit organization focused on community gardening) and AIA-Chicago in a series of community engagement meetings and in the facilitation of the design competition.  During the phase two planning and build out of the project which began in the summer of 2007 and will continue through summer 2008, the Chapter is partnering with the East Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, the East Garfield Park Open Space Committee (two community based organizations focused on community enrichment and open space planning), OpenLands (a local conservation organization), Advocate Health Care (owner of the lot on which the garden will be built), and the Chicago Chapter of CoreNet.  The project partners hosted second round of community engagement meetings in October and November of 2007 to introduce the winning design from phase one and incorporate additional community needs into the final plan.  Construction of the site will begin this spring with planting and final design elements occurring during the summer.  The site will include interpretive panels and displays that convey the sustainable aspects of the garden and accompanying community gathering space to community members who will utilize the site.

The Youth Interpretive Consultant/Project Manager will report to the Executive Director of the U.S. Green Building Council – Chicago Chapter who will provide overall supervision to the project and position.  The Youth Interpretive Consultant/Project Manager will devote their time to two major tasks in the project’s implementation:

1. Interpretive Development of Exhibit Signage/Interpretation (with Summer Youth Garden Corps) 8-10 hours/week

The Interpretive Consultant/Project Manager will work with eight youth from Openlands’ Youth Garden Corp one day per week in the development of exhibit signage and interpretive materials that will convey the garden’s sustainable design elements to garden visitors.  In this role, the candidate will train youth on exhibit design and development, plan several field trips to museums and other interpretive sites to review various types of interpretation, and facilitate the youth in develop exhibit concepts and prototypes for conveying the garden’s sustainable aspects. 

2. Summer Project Management – 10-20 hours/week

The position will also be responsible for overall management plan of garden’s built out and planting over the summer.  A variety of community groups, not for profit organizations, and companies are providing services to the project.  The position will manage these entities toward the successful completion of the garden by late August 2008.  Project management will include:  developing and managing work plans with the project team, managing project steering committees focused on the following aspects of the project’s implementation: 1. Site construction; 2. Volunteer recruitment and management; 3. Garden planting; 4. Fundraising;  and 5. Interpretive development  (as outlined above).

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead high school youth staff of 8 in planning and developing interpretive exhibits to convey sustainable concepts of the garden
• Provide project management and oversight to project team members
• Schedule and support weekly project team phone and in person meetings to keep project components in line and on time
• Provide administrative and project support to members of the project steering committee
• Produce regular progress reports on the status of the project’s various components to keep project stakeholders apprised of project status
• Schedule volunteers for project work days
• Develop and manage comprehensive project implementation timeline

 Other Responsibilities:

• Assist in development of flyers and promotional materials for garden events
• Other administrative duties

Prerequisite Skills:

• Experience working with high school youth in an educational or mentoring capacity
• Experience in developing interpretive exhibits or education programs in a non-formal (out of school) setting
• Documented project management experience
• Knowledge of environmental concepts related to regional sustainability, native ecosystems, and/or green building design
• Experience working with volunteers
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite including: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook
• Prior administrative experience (office management experience preferred)
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously
• Flexibility
• Ability to work independently

Other Requirements:

• Ability to drive a car or commute between various City of Chicago locations (one day a week will be spent at the garden site with youth; other days will be spent in the Chapter offices, in meetings in various locations,  or at the garden site as needed)
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends
• Ability to lift objects up to 25 lbs

Please send a cover letter, resume with references to:

Doug Widener

Executive Director

USGBC-Chicago

445 N. Sacramento Blvd., 2nd Floor

Chicago, IL 60612

info@usgbc-chicago.org

(773)265-5994 (fax)

No phone or in person inquiries, please.

The Chicago Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is the local affiliate of the national U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the foremost green building organization in the country.  In 1998, USGBC launched the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system, which has become the national voluntary standard for green building design, construction, and operation.  Locally, the Chapter furthers the work of USGBC through our diverse membership of over 1000 individuals from across the building industry, offering a variety of educational programs, policy discussions, green building tours, and other events to promote green building within the region.

USGBC-Chicago is an equal opportunity employer.

Director of Sustainability

The Sustainability Council

The Sustainability Council works to reduce the University's environmental impact by convening a dynamic group of faculty, staff and students to synthesize environmental information and collaborate on sustainable campus initiatives. By unifying these three constituencies, the Council provides a unique means to launch new environmental initiatives and encourage sustainable policies at the University.

Formed in spring of 2004 by students in Green Campus Initiative, and incorporated into the Office of the Vice-President/ Dean of Students in 2006, the Sustainability Council works to:

• Promote greater environmental awareness throughout the University
• Centralize information on sustainability at the University
• Develop Unified sustainability initiatives for faculty, staff, and students
• Assess institutional progress toward increasing sustainability on campus

The Sustainability Council members represent students, faculty, and staff from various administrative units including Facilities Services and the Dean of Students. Please visit http://sustainability.uchicago.edu/ for more information about sustainability at the University.

The Position

The Director of Sustainability is a newly created position designed to establish in one office responsibility for coordinating all University initiatives related to sustainability. The Director will work as a visionary leader and organizational strategist to help the University become a national model for sustainability by providing thoughtful leadership, creativity, and an experienced perspective on matters related to sustainability.

Serving as Chair of the Sustainability Council and working with its members as a resource and an advisory group, the Director will evaluate the needs of the University community and develop programs and initiatives to optimize the University’s performance against sustainability measures.

The University’s emerging commitment to sustainability principles affords the Director a tremendous range of opportunities to evaluate and pursue. University stakeholders have already identified the following key objectives:

• Create a strategy to integrate sustainability principles into the operational and educational functions of the university; utilize the Sustainability Council, in-house expertise, peer institution practices, literature, and conferences to develop ideas to advance the University's sustainability efforts; evaluate these opportunities for technical feasibility, cost effectiveness, and acceptability by the University community; create detailed implementation plans to recommend to University administration; work with units to implement approved project plans; analyze effectiveness and results of projects.
• Develop and manage a process that will lead to the creation of sustainability standards and policies that can be implemented at an institutional level (e.g., laboratory operations, clinical programs, energy management, transportation, waste management, recycling, procurement, food services, etc.).
• Guide the ongoing work of the Sustainability Council and associated work groups (Procurement, Energy and Utilities, Transportation, Finance, Education/Communications) including coordinating the monitoring of the University's sustainability performance in such areas as energy, materials procurement, materials and water consumption, waste streams, recycling percentages, LEED certification, and emissions to land, water, and air.
• Identify opportunities for outside grant funding, rebate programs, or other savings programs and coordinate application submittals, grant program management, and reports; develop applications for regional, state, and national awards recognizing environmental sustainability accomplishments by the University.
• Coordinate and facilitate the work of University offices involved in developing and implementing energy and natural resource conservation projects, including energy conservation and green building design, maintenance, and operations and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects, including LEED analysis, tracking and support; work with colleagues in Facilities Services’ planning, design, and construction departments to incorporate sustainability principles into Chicago’s current capital program.
• Develop a comprehensive communication plan for University sustainability efforts; manage, create materials for, and maintain the Sustainability website; communicate successes and achievements in sustainability across the University so as to encourage increased participation.
• Represent the University at local, regional, and international sustainability conferences, participate in higher education sustainability forums and disseminate industry learning’s with the University's Sustainability Committee and population at large.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies or related discipline required; Master of Science in a related field preferred.
• Minimum of five years experience implementing environmental or sustainability programs, resource management, environmental initiatives, or equivalent.
• Professional experience in a university (or comparable experience in a decentralized environment) and LEED accreditation strongly preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of environmental management policies, issues, and initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience in budget planning and prioritization of projects, programs and activities, using sound judgment while meeting organizational requirements.
• Strong results-orientation skills and a commitment to measuring program performance.
• Exceptional technical, interpersonal, and communication skills; ability to address a broad range of audiences; ability to work independently and with and through others to achieve required results.
• Leadership ability to inspire confidence and to motivate and persuade diverse groups to collaborate collectively, in order to meet common objectives required; mediation skills to work successfully between different constituencies (ideally but not necessarily including students and faculty).
• Problem-solving ability to think analytically and focus on the details of issues, without losing sight of the big picture, in order to arrive at strategic solutions.
• Excellent computer applications skills and techniques; working knowledge of all aspects of Microsoft Office, desktop computing, and Web-based training, information dissemination, and interactive services.

Please send a cover letter, resume with references to:

LEED APs Wanted

SkySite Property, LLC

105 West Adams, Suite 3700
Chicago, IL 60603

LEED APs wanted with specific background: HVAC engineers, architects, energy auditors, and lighting experts to join our internal development team.  We have an abundance of opportunities, including large new construction and existing building projects, both in the Chicago area and various national locations.  Your experience level and accreditations in your relative disciplines are most appreciated.

We offer project specific assignments leading to full-time opportunities that can involve management of a national implementation team.  Be a part of our core group dedicated to the green building industry and participate in the company's growth with profit sharing and increased responsibility.

Send resumes to:

Mir Mustafa