Residential Decarbonization Program Manager

Statement of Duties

The Residential Decarbonization Manager will support the Citys goal of an equitable resilient thriving and carbon-negative city. The Manager will be responsible for reducing and mitigating emissions from residential buildings the communitys largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Manager is expected to educate property owners and residents reduce energy burdens and facilitate the transition to all-electric and renewable systems through equity- centered initiatives. The employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar related or a logical assignment to the position.

• Develop programs and policies for implementation that would help the City reach a target of decarbonizing 5 housing units per day through 2030.
• Lead innovative approaches to identify and solve for gaps towards the electrification and decarbonization of housing stock.
• Build and maintain relationships and collaborations on programs and projects with key internal and external parties stakeholders and public utilities. Build consensus among new programs and policies.
• Oversee implementation of programs and policies as well as facilitate hand-offs to implementing departments. Manage projects within the scope schedule and budget baseline. Monitor project progress forecast expenditures and mitigate risks.
• Research identify track create develop manage coordinate recommend implement analyze execute and evaluate both short- and long-term innovations best practices strategies plans projects programs and policies.
• Lead and contribute to fundraising efforts. Identify support and execute grants and contracts. Oversee contractor and consultant work.
• Provide professional and technical administrative approval on City processes in accordance with local and state regulations.
• Communicate complex ideas and processes succulently in plain language. Support the development and maintenance of landing pages and materials by providing technical information and resources.
• Respond to inquiries promptly appropriately and accurately.

RECOMMENDED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

Bachelors degree and five to seven (5-7) years experience in sustainable development and/or practices building decarbonization energy efficiency strategies energy regulation program management engineering urban planning public policy; or any equivalent combination of education training and experience which provides the required knowledge skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Possess a valid MA Drivers License with a responsible driving record OR the ability to move independently between various job sites in one day.

Preferred:

Masters Degree in urban planning environmental science studies or policy sustainable design

climate change architectural mechanical or electrical engineering or related field. Experience managing or coordinating a federally funded initiative. Previous experience working with contractors.

Experience with system design and installation for heat pumps.

Knowledge Abilities and Skills

Knowledge: Demonstrated technical expertise in residential building science and energy efficiency. Demonstrated knowledge of applicable local state regional utility and federal programs and incentives as well as agencies laws polices and regulations. Working knowledge of the organization and operations of municipal governments. Working knowledge of permitting financing and construction processes. Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in subject matter areas including but not limited to landlord/renter strategies income eligible incentives affordable housing incentives weatherization energy efficiency environmental economics energy regulation and law renewable energy renewable thermal electrification decarbonization public health environmental health environmental social and racial justice equity diversity climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies sustainable technologies and design and retrofitting and municipal government. Knowledge of effective engagement and communication strategies is preferred.

Ability: Ability to carry complex projects from concept to implementation use creative thinking to solve problems and work in a fast-paced environment. Ability to work independently and also effectively with the Citys interdepartmental staff. Ability to read and understand engineering plans and supervise implementation of projects. Ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with state and federal agencies architects contractors developers owners supervisors employees and the public professionally promptly effectively and accurately. Ability to work with clients or stakeholders in management of compliance scenarios and with dissatisfied clients or stakeholders. Ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities cultures backgrounds and ideologies. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines. Demonstrated ability to maintain manage and organize records. Ability to communicate complicated ideas succinctly and persuasively. Ability to deliver feedback to staff. Ability to reliably attend outreach events including on weekends and evenings.

Skills: Superior team building skills including the ability to coordinate and lead diverse teams of individuals towards cooperative management goals and objectives. Exceptional attention to detail. Skilled public speaker. Excellent written and oral communication with peers consultants contractors and representatives of other agencies. Strong interpersonal and critical thinking skills. Excellent computer skills for word processing spreadsheets and databases; excellent analytical skills; experience with virtual meeting programs such as Teams and/or Zoom. Proficient in Microsoft Word Excel Access PowerPoint and Project. Experience with Citizenserve and Microsoft Office 365 OneDrive are preferred.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee will be required to work beyond normal business hours to attend evening meetings weekend events or complete work assignments. Employee will need to be on site and in person as needed. Employee may work remotely at supervisors discretion and when work does not require them to be on site/in person.

Physical and Mental Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the positions essential functions.

Physical demands will include lifting and wheeling up to 50 pounds at a time (for example setting up outreach table and tent and moving boxes of supplies) standing for long periods of time at events traveling door-to-door as well as periodically working outdoors in various weather conditions for most months of the year.

Physical Skills
Minimal physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks with intermittent periods of stooping walking and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30 lbs.).

Motor Skills
Duties are largely mental rather than physical but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects operating a telephone personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills
Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $90000 annualized plus benefits
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Exempt
Date Posted: August 22nd 2025

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race color sex religion age national origin disability or any other protected category. Women minorities veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services written materials in alternative formats and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e. CART ASL) written materials in alternative formats or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs activities and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at x 2059 or

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note police officers are members of the SPEA union.
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.