Director of Climate Risk

City of Cambridge; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Cambridge is seeking a Director of Climate Risk to lead climate risk management and resiliency programs across City departments. The role requires building innovative strategies, guiding staff, and coordinating with external partners to advance climate equity and resilience.

The position offers hybrid work options under the City Telework Policy. The ideal candidate has extensive government policy experience, a master’s in a related field, and a proven track record in strategic planning,

Qualifications

• Eight years’ successful experience managing complex policy development and program management in government or similar setting.
• Experience in equitable climate resilience policy and program development.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and program design for Cambridge’s climate risk management and resilience initiatives.
• Provide leadership to climate risk staff and consultants, manage teams, and evaluate performance.
• Advise on project strategy and coordinate multi-department planning and meetings.
• Convene cross-departmental groups to institutionalize climate risk strategies.
• Develop multi-year strategies and annual budgets; track procurement and reporting; prepare leadership presentations.
• Set goals and measure outcomes; support community engagement processes.

Skills

Strategic planning

Community engagement

Public speaking

Analytical skills

Team leadership

Policy implementation

Education

Master's degree in climate policy/engineering/urban planning

Job description

The Office of Sustainability (OoS) works across departments in the City of Cambridge to institutionalize climate change in our government operations, regulations, and investments. OoS coordinates the City’s efforts to move off fossil fuels by 2050; prepare our people and places for extreme weather; and, through experimentation and communications, lower the bar for other communities to do the same. Central to our strategies is increasing climate equity across race, wealth, and primary language. In doing so, we seek to make our community more welcoming, beautiful, and neighborly.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Climate Risk works across City departments and beyond to institutionalize climate risk management and resiliency policies and programs. This position will work to manage the operational and investment changes needed to prepare Cambridge’s people, places, and public services for extreme weather. The successful candidate will be innovative and motivated to tackle new challenges and support organizational excellence. They will work across multiple City departments and with external stakeholders and manage OoS professional staff. Their work will be guided by Cambridge’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment, Resilient Cambridge Plan, and Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, as well as current climate science and best practices from beyond the city.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS & DUTIES:

This senior leadership position requires extensive administrative, policy and program implementation and staff management experience. They will be a highly motivated, well-organized self-starter with excellent interpersonal, communications, and program management skills who enjoy interacting with diverse constituents. Because this is a new role in a new department, they will be comfortable with ambiguity and with developing programs from the ground up. Working with the Chief Climate Officer and other responsible City staff, job responsibilities include:

• Leading strategic planning and program design for Cambridge’s climate risk management and resilience programs.
• Providing leadership to assigned climate risk staff and consultants including managing consultant teams, fostering professional development and an inclusive team culture, setting work plans and priorities, conducting regular check-ins and performance evaluations, resolving staff concerns.
• Advising on project strategy in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, and coordinating team meetings and program-level planning.
• Convening cross-departmental working groups to develop and institutionalize climate risk management strategies.
• Developing multi-year strategies and annual work plans and budgets; track and coordinate budget, procurement processes, and required reporting; and support development of budget documents and presentations for City leadership across operating and grant funds.
• Setting goals and measuring outcomes including supporting an annual strategic planning process to evaluate progress toward climate mitigation goals.
• Supporting community and stakeholder engagement processes

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Experience

• Eight years’ successful experience managing complex policy development and program management in a government or similar setting, including five years in a supervisory role;
• Master’s degree in climate science or policy, engineering, emergency management, urban planning, or related field;
• Experience in policy and program development related to equitable climate resilience;
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong strategic planning, community engagement, communication, and public presentation skills.
  Ability to handle a dynamic workload with constantly changing priorities.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with senior leaders, subject matter experts, public, staff, and elected and appointed officials.
• Excellent analytical skills with high attention to detail.
• Deep sense of humility, curiosity, and learning-orientation.
• Good judgement, high ethical standards, and personal integrity.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Existing relationships with municipal, regional, and state climate practitioners.
• Experience with municipal governments or similar institutions.
• Familiarity with Commonwealth of Massachusetts climate policies and programs.
• Proficiency in one or more of Cambridge’s main languages, including Spanish, Amharic, Bangla, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, and Arabic; and
  Knowledge of the Cambridge community.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Works under the general direction of the Chief Climate Officer, exercising considerable independent judgment in planning and executing assignments; work is reviewed for alignment with City policies, progress toward climate goals, and effective coordination across departments and with external partners.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Provides supervision to a multidisciplinary team of professionals, technical staff, consultants, and interns; assigns work, sets priorities, provides coaching and performance feedback, and coordinates cross- departmental project teams.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Work is conducted primarily in a standard office environment which includes fluorescent lighting, air conditioning, computers, and other standard office equipment, but may also involve meetings in other offices or facilities as well as community events around the city. Position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City’s Telework Policy, depending on operational needs.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Standard office environment with fluorescent lighting, computers, standard office equipment, and air conditioning. Moderate noise level with a shared workstation. Work involved is both indoors in a professional office setting and outdoors at community events. This is a hybrid work position that requires being in the office at least two days per week, including Wednesdays.

The City of Cambridge’s workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse. Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.

COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY

The City of Cambridge is committed to providing fair, transparent, and competitive compensation to all employees. The salary range listed in this job posting reflects the full range for this position’s pay grade (Steps 1–10). New employees joining the organization are hired within the hiring range, Steps 1 through 5, with placement at the midpoint reserved for the most qualified candidates. Starting placement is based on directly related education and experience relative to the minimum qualifications of the position, required licenses or certifications, internal equity with current employees, and relevant labor market factors. Employees progress through the 10 steps over time through the City’s established step and pay progression policies.

This compensation philosophy applies to non‑union positions. For union positions, please refer to the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Current City employees applying to another position should refer to the Compensation & Classification Manual for the policies governing promotions, lateral transfers, and other internal salary changes.

ABOUT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE

The City of Cambridge is a diverse and vibrant community that 120,000 residents of different ethnic, racial, religious, U.S. nationals and other backgrounds call home. We take pride in our City’s diversity and strive to create a workplace that is reflective of the community we serve — one in which all employees can thrive. The City is also deeply committed to creating an environment in which all our employees are treated equitably and feel included. In joining our team, you would work in a workplace environment that advances and values antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI), and that is committed to embedding ADEI best practices and tenets in all aspects of our work. City of Cambridge residents are especially encouraged to apply to job openings.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The City of Cambridge is an Affluent Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ Community, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The City is committed to advancing a workforce culture of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.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 by contacting Human Resources at [e-mail].