Program Manager – Workforce Development

About IREC

IREC is an independent nonprofit that builds the foundation for rapid adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency to benefit people, the economy, and our planet. Our vision is a 100% clean energy future that is reliable, resilient, and equitable. IREC develops and advances the regulatory reforms, technical standards, and workforce and community-based solutions needed to enable the streamlined integration of clean energy. IREC provides independent leadership and trusted clean energy expertise through three interrelated strategies:

• Workforce Development - IREC leads initiatives to build a diverse and qualified clean energy workforce while ensuring that clean energy workers have access to family-sustaining careers.
• Local Initiatives - IREC supports communities to develop policies and promote best practices that accelerate the equitable deployment of clean energy.
• State Regulatory Engagement - IREC represents the public interest in state regulatory proceedings and develops and disseminates best practices to ensure that distributed energy resources (DERs) can be equitably and efficiently integrated on the electric grid.

About the Position

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) seeks a passionate leader to advance change at the intersection of clean energy, equity, and inclusion. You will be a core member of IREC’s Workforce Development team, collaborating with colleagues and a broad range of partners and stakeholders on national and regional efforts to improve clean energy workforce recruitment, training and education, and job placement outcomes. You will manage day-to-day operations for projects focused on accelerating the growth of a highly qualified and diverse workforce, and ensuring that clean energy offers high-quality, family-sustaining career pathways. Initial tasks will focus on the recruitment of clean energy learners and workers and development of educational and career exploration resources for military veterans and other underrepresented communities, engagement with industry and training partners, and the development of related resources. The ideal candidate will have strong research skills to support data collection, analysis, and evaluation, ensuring alignment with project and organizational goals and delivering high-quality results.

Responsibilities:

• Support research and mapping of regional workforce development stakeholders in the clean energy sector, and conduct gap analyses to assess regional workforce needs
• Collaborate with colleagues and partners to design and implement initiatives that increase awareness of clean energy careers and improve job placement outcomes in the clean energy sector
• Prepare comprehensive reports, presentations, and outreach materials summarizing research outcomes, recommendations, and insights for various audiences
• Support program communications to drive engagement with target audiences including employers, education providers, learners and workers, and other stakeholders (i.e. draft email campaigns, blog posts, and other outreach materials)
• Support the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency workforce development programs according to scope, schedule, and budget
• Conduct project management tasks such as project planning, partner coordination, research and data collection, grant reporting, budget oversight, etc.
• Build and nurture relationships with clean energy and workforce development stakeholders throughout the United States
• Identify opportunities for process enhancements and contribute to the development of new research initiatives
• Support programmatic fundraising activities and grant applications
• Support internal initiatives to further strengthen IREC’s workplace culture and organizational impact

IREC team members collaborate primarily in the virtual environment, leveraging remote meetings, project management, and other collaboration tools to stay connected and on task.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Qualities for This Role:

Required

• An undergraduate degree in public policy, economics, planning, local government management, public affairs, environmental studies, or other related field
• Work experience delivering clean energy and/or workforce development programs in a non-profit, government, education, private business, or organized labor setting
• Education or experience with research projects preferably in workforce development, labor market analysis, or renewable energy preferred, and ability to synthesize complex information
• Passion and enthusiasm for clean energy, climate, environment, and/or education, workforce development, and career support work
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, and keen attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce clear, accurate, and compelling written materials for diverse public and professional audiences; comfort with public speaking
• Ability to establish measurable goals to demonstrate impact and inform adjustments to strategy and approach
• Ability to be a self-starter, working independently and collaborating with a geographically distributed team to deliver high-quality work products on hard deadlines
• Willingness to be flexible, adapt to new technologies, learn, and shift course as needs arise
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)

Preferred

• A graduate degree in public policy, economics, planning, local government management, public affairs, environmental studies, or other related field. Additional work experience will be considered in place of a graduate degree

Apply with: Cover letter, resume, and at least three professional references who have worked with you directly in the past five years. All application materials must be submitted in English. Apply here.

IREC understands that certain demographic groups may be less inclined to apply for jobs unless they meet all job requirements. Therefore, we actively encourage applications from individuals who may not fulfill every criterion but believe they are well-suited for the role.

IREC Foundational Values

• We value diversity of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and thoughts and believe they result in better outcomes and greater organizational impact.
• We value the uniqueness and dignity of each individual and their right to be their true and complete self.
• We believe in the potential of the clean energy transition to advance equity in our nation.

IREC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and embracing a workplace with diverse voices and perspectives. We strongly encourage and seek applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. Applicants are not discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical conditions, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until December 18, 2024, or until the position is filled.

Applicants must be based and authorized to work in the United States.