Associate Energy & Environmental Planner

Roger Arliner Young Fellowship; Pittsfield, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 46,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Health and medical benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Roger Arliner Young Fellowship seeks an Associate Energy & Environmental Planner in Pittsfield, MA. The two-year fellowship supports BRPC’s Energy and Environmental Program through research, data collection, and project support focused on climate resiliency and environmental justice.

The role includes coordinating with partners, engaging with public meetings, and contributing to grant projects within a 35-hour work week. On-site work with potential local travel is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in planning, public administration, environmental science or closely related environmental field.
• Interest in the field of conservation.
• Demonstrated capacity to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Effective written and verbal communication with local officials, agency staff, and diverse community members.
• Ability to participate in public meetings across the region at all times of year.
• Ability to collect, interpret, and present findings from quantitative and qualitative data from community input.

Responsibilities

• Providing technical, organizational, and administrative support to planning program areas.
• Assisting with preparation of project materials including reports and budgeting.
• Completing tasks contributing to major project deliverables within deadlines.
• Contract administration and project tracking tasks, including invoice preparation.
• Support to Senior Management and contribution to new project opportunities.
• Coordination of logistics for public meetings, workshops, and stakeholder sessions.
• Prepare outreach materials including presentations, flyers, social media content.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Public speaking

Data interpretation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in planning/public administration/environmental science

Job description

Associate Energy & Environmental Planner

POSITION TITLE: Associate Energy & Environmental Planner

DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM: Energy & Environmental Program at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

REPORTS TO: Courteny Morehouse, Principal Planner

STATUS: Regular, Full-Time

LOCATION: Pittsfield, MA

ABOUT THE DR. ROGER ARLINER YOUNG FELLOWSHIP

In an effort to make the conservation and clean energy fields more equitable and accessible, the Dr. Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Fellowship Program aims to increase and facilitate environmentally-related career pathways for emerging leaders. The RAY Fellowship Program is a paid fellowship designed to equip recent college graduates with the tools, experiences, support, and community they need to become leaders in the conservation and clean energy sectors—one that, in our vision of the future, fully represents, includes, and is led by the diverse communities, perspectives, and experiences of the United States.

ABOUT BERKSHIRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is the regional planning agency for Berkshire County which provides community planning services for the thirty towns and two cities in Berkshire County, western Massachusetts. As a public agency we are in service to ensuring a high quality of life for County residents including greater economic growth, sustainable resources management, environmental, social, and economic equity, and effective governmental and educational services. The Energy and Environmental Program works with communities to strengthen and protect the natural and built environment as well as promote climate resiliency. To do this we partner with community groups and conservation organizations on a variety of project that reduce pollution, enhance clean energy projects and energy efficiency, and build climate resiliency.

POSITION SUMMARY

The RAY Fellow / Associate Planner serves as an entry-level professional staff member supporting regional and municipal planning projects through research, data collection, administrative support, and project support. In this role, the Associate Planner will work closely with the Energy and Environmental Team on projects that address climate resiliency, public health, and environmental justice needs throughout Berkshire County. Projects include: Community planning to enhance green spaces and community services to mitigate the impacts of heat, flooding, and warming winters; Enhancing fish and wildlife passage and climate resiliency of build infrastucture such as road stream crossings and dams and; Supporting community-driven improvements to the built environment in Environmental Justice communities. This is a fully integrated role within the staff of BRPC which includes opportunities to work on projects in other planning departments such as Transportation, Community Planning, and Public Health.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing technical, organizational, and administrative support to various planning program areas.
• Assisting with the preparation of project materials, including reports, summaries, budgeting support materials, and progress documentation.
• Completing assigned project tasks and components that contribute to major project deliverables while adhering to established project deadlines
• Perform routine contract administration and project tracking tasks, including invoice preparation and payment tracking
• Providing general support to Senior Management, including contributing to the identification of potential future projects or program opportunities.
• Participation in agency wide meetings and initiatives.
• Compile and analyze demographic, environmental, and infrastructure data for public use and internal planning of climate resilient implementation
• Support the integration of outreach outcomes into planning documents or project reports
• Work with BRPC staff and Community Partners to coordinate logistics and participation tracking for virtual and in-person public meetings, workshops, and stakeholder sessions
• Prepare outreach materials including presentations, flyers, social media content, and web updates
• Assist with implementation, collection, and interpretation of surveys and other public input tools
• Support staff and community partners in off-site, field assessment to analyze infrastructure or site conditions
• Support program staff in compiling materials for grant applications

ADDITIONAL FELLOWSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to the responsibilities at the host institution outlined above, RAY Fellows will spend, on average, 2-4 hours per week (5-10% of work time) on the following:

• Actively communicating and building community with their RAY Fellow cohort and previous RAY Fellows.
• Meeting regularly with mentors both inside and outside the host institution.
• Attending monthly professional development webinars, trainings, and other opportunities to build knowledge and skills as scheduled.
• Developing a Personal Leadership Plan (PLP) in their 2nd year with the support of supervisor(s), mentors, RAY program staff, and their RAY Fellow cohort. The PLP will serve as a tool for self-reflection, planning, and assessing progress towards professional, personal, and leadership goals.
• Preparing and leading an hour-long end-of-fellowship webinar highlighting their Fellowship experience.

RAY Fellows will also attend:

• A 3-day Orientation Retreat in late Summer/Fall 2026.
• A 3-day Mid-Fellowship Leadership Retreat in Fall 2027.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Eligible RAY Fellow applicants will:

• Come from a background underrepresented in conservation and clean energy and demonstrate a commitment to the shared values of the importance of promoting fairness, acknowledging various perspectives, and fostering a welcoming environment.
• Be no more than 3 years out of college and have a Bachelor's Degree by July 2026 (we are not considering individuals with graduate degrees at this time).
• Have not had a full-time job in conservation or clean energy.
• Have the ability to work in the United States and commit to the entire fellowship.

SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

• A Bachelor’s degree by the time of employment in planning, public administration, environmental science or closely related environmental field. Associate’s degree and two years of relevant experience may be substituted for a Bachelor’s degree.
• An interest in the field of conservation.
• Demonstrated capacity to work well both independently and as part of a team.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively with local officials, agency staff, and a diversity of community members.
• Ability to participate in public meetings in all parts of the region at all times of year
• Ability to collect, interpret, and present findings from quantitative and qualitative data from community me collected through community engagement
• An eagerness to learn.

TERM / LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT

This is a two-year, full-time fellowship (one year with a one year renewal) starting on or after July 15, 2026. At BRPC full-time is 35-hour per week. Core hours are 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Thursday, though you may work a flexible schedule as agreed upon with your supervisor. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be required for public meetings, training, or other events.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Work is primarily sedentary with regular computer use in a professional office environment. While this is primarily an on-site position with some off-site (local) travel required for field work, public meetings, and events which may occur outside standard business hours. Please note that reliable transportation is required as our county is primarily rural with limited public transportation. Occasional lifting (up to 25 lbs.), bending, or standing is required for event set up. Field work will require walking on uneven terrain such as roadside medians, field, and in buildings that are not ADA accessible.

COMPENSATION

The Fellowship is compensated and sponsored by BRPC, who offers a competitive benefits package as well as training and professional development opportunities. Benefits include pension investment, Employee Assistance Program, Health and Medical, Paid Time Off and Sick Time as well as federal holidays. Please note full-time employees of BRPC do not pay into Social Security during their time. Salary range for the Associate Planner Position is $46,300.80 – $58,840.60.

BRPC is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. BRPC’s organizational policies, practices, and decisions regarding employment, hiring, assignment, promotion, compensation, volunteerism, internships and other terms and conditions of employment or voluntary service shall not be based on a person’s race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, mental or physical disability, ancestry, military discharge status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, source of income, parental status, housing status, or other protected status, in accordance with applicable law.

BRPC is continually seeking to diversify its staff, particularly to broaden opportunities for individuals from groups that are historically excluded in the sciences and in environmental advocacy.