Job Description

SUMMARY OF SCEN
The Southeast Climate & Energy Network stands as the largest regional collaborative of clean energy and environmental justice organizations from eleven Southeastern states, with 62 member organizations. Our mission is to confront the climate crisis by creating strategic alignment, growing capacity, and building power among member organizations and their communities in the Southeastern United States. Operating through a lens of racial justice, our work seeks to positively impact entire communities, states and regions, emphasizing support to those who currently bear the brunt of the fossil fuel industry and are the first to be adversely affected by climate change. As a membership-led organization, SCEN leverages its members’ expertise to provide shared-learning opportunities about the vast issues in the climate space while facilitating and encouraging increased collaboration among different organizations.

Federal Program Specialist
Position Description
Position Title: SCEN Federal Programs Specialist
Position Type: Regular, Full Time Non-Exempt
Reports to: SCEN Deputy and Program Director
Location: Anywhere in the Southeast (AL, LA, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA) with connectivity
Compensation Range: $50,000-$60,000 + robust benefits package, including 100%
employer covered health, dental, and vision, a flexible leave policy, generous paid leave, and 403(b) Program.
Location: This is a fully remote, work-from-home position. SCEN has no central office, but staff collaborate extensively via video call meetings and through periodic in-person
convenings. Employees must furnish their own quiet office space for conference calls.
Approximate work hours: 9am-5pm Eastern or Central Times; 40 hours/week. Travel is expected to be a routine function of this position as well as occasional hours after 5pm.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
SCEN seeks a full-time Federal Program Specialist to serve as the main point of contact for members and partners as the expert on federal funding resources. This position will coordinate collaborative efforts with SCEN’s members, their community members, elected officials, nonprofits, business organizations, businesses, and other appropriate entities as defined by the members’ interests, to produce ideas and proposals that create innovative and equitable sustainability and resilience solutions at the regional level. This position will coordinate regularly with local government staff, community based organizations, technical assistance providers and funding partners for the purposes of enabling more funding to flow into Region 4 for sustainability and resilience priorities.

Key Responsibilities:
The Federal Program Specialist will report directly to the Program Director and will
manage the field outreach of other members of the federal funding assistance team as well as provide support across a variety of SCEN’s programs, including engagement, research, resources management, communications and administrative functions:

Engagement

• Provide expertise on local and state government; and federal, state, local,
  philanthropic and other funding opportunities to our member organizations.
• Act as a liaison between members and federal grant opportunities.
• Provide technical assistance and guidance to members on grant applications,
  resources, and contacts needed to successfully apply for funding. This may
  include reviewing grant applications and providing feedback.
• Responsible for planning, scheduling, and coordinating frequent virtual
  meetings, webinars, and activities and adhering to structured schedules.
• Support meeting planning and logistics coordination needs for
  webinar-based training and in-person workshops.
• Support the planning, development and implementation of in person federal
  funding focused convenings.
• Build relationships among grantees and community partners; serve as a
  resource and connector and be responsive to community needs;
• Continue to develop and manage a comprehensive capacity training program
  for the nonprofit community.
• Conduct assessments with the nonprofit community to determine both sector
  and organizational aspirations and capacity strengthening needs.
• Pursue opportunities to further SCEN’s mission through non-grantmaking
  opportunities, such as serving as a community resource, participating in issue-focused collaboratives, and serving on advisory committees and task forces.

Data and metrics management

• Support the management of engagement data in SCEN’s Bloomerang,
  maintaining up to date records and tracking metrics of success.
• Track engagement to communities and support in the development of
  progress reports and other performance metrics as needed for funder report;
• Track funding awards within our network and monitor trends relevant to
  funding within the Southeast.

Communications

• Collaborate with Operations Director to highlight member success stories on
  social media.
• Create materials for and conduct outreach to members with interest in obtaining federal funding for their projects.
• Communicate and collaborate with Regional TCTACs and TC Grantmakers to
  identify shared resources, opportunities, and emerging practices.

QUALIFICATIONS:
While no single candidate may embody all the qualifications below, an ideal candidate
would possess many of the below experiences and skill sets.

Desired Experience
● Bachelor’s degree and/or 1-3 years’ work experience equivalent in similar position
● Experience working with local governments and/or nonprofit organizations
● Experience working with local government sustainability and/or resilience projects
is a plus, but not required.

Desired Knowledge and Skills:
● A developed understanding of communities in the Southeast, and the specific needs
they have in the development process;
● Ability to manage multiple complex programs and projects and multiple deadlines
simultaneously.
● Ability to work independently and with team members in a virtual setting that is a
collaborative and dynamic environment.
● Ability to develop relationships and work across a diverse array of teammates,
partners, and communities.
● Ability to work productively in an unstructured environment.
● Proficient in digital and collaborative office tools including: Google Suite, Zoom,
Microsoft Office Suite, Basecamp (or other Work Operating Systems)
● Experience with Bloomerang (or other Customer Relationship Management software) strongly preferred.
● Experience with GIS strongly preferred.
● Ability to generate and implement support structures that take into account members’ diverse perspectives and changing conditions.
● Active listening, verbal and written communications.
● Demonstrated ability to conduct oneself in a calm and professional demeanor when
dealing with multiple stakeholders;
● An ability to translate complicated information and/or processes into simple,
easy-to-understand information;
● An ability to identify cultural differences and adjust communication and relationship
development appropriately;
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tie projects to
grant requirements and tell a compelling story;
● Strong attention to detail, self-motivated, driven; and the ability to be highly
organized and systems-driven in their pursuit of goals.

How to Apply

If interested, please send your resume, cover letter, and 1-2 page writing sample to [email protected]. (Writing samples can include excerpts of your own original research, campaign material, blogs, or anything else that demonstrates your professional written communication.) Please include SCEN Federal Programs Specialist on the subject line.

EEO STATEMENT

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor that is not related to the position.

Job Categories: Economic Development. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 40,000 - 60,000.

Apply for this Job