Summary

Spark Northwest is seeking an experienced Project Manager to join our team of local clean energy innovators. This person will work closely with community partners, providing coaching and support to develop clean energy plans and projects. A focus area for the new project manager will be working with rural and remote groups, including Tribal Nations, to engage in energy planning with support from technical advisors from the national laboratories. Another area of focus will be partnering with a variety of community-based organizations interested in pursuing clean energy projects. Some examples include: a food bank seeking grant-writing help to add solar to their facility or a community center hoping to create an energy resilience hub with solar and battery storage. A successful candidate will need to be sensitive and responsive to each group’s culture and workflow. They will also need to have project management experience, providing step-by-step assistance to walk projects from planning and design to funding and installation. This position reports to the Program Director and works closely with program staff.

Spark Northwest envisions a resilient Pacific Northwest where clean energy is abundant and its benefits are shared equitably. We partner with communities to build renewable energy and efficiency projects, prioritizing projects that benefit Black, Indigenous, people of color and people with low wealth. We also advocate for policy change to ensure a just transition to clean energy. We work in Oregon and Washington and have an office in Seattle. We are a small but mighty staff of eleven.

In keeping with our mission to advance clean energy that builds power and wealth in marginalized communities, we especially value candidates who have lived or professional experience in BIPOC, immigrant, rural, Native and low-wealth communities that have been underrepresented in the sector. We highly encourage people with that knowledge and experience to apply.

Responsibilities

Engage with Communities to Develop Energy Plans and Projects (70%)

• Work closely with community partners with the goal of developing clean energy plans and projects that build power, wealth, and resilience in their communities.
• Cultivate trusted, durable relationships with community partners, collaborators and funders.
• Plan and implement outreach events to educate partners and communities on the basics of clean energy through workshops, tabling and other efforts.
• Cultivate planning teams made up of a diverse group of collaborators; schedule and facilitate fun, productive meetings.
• Help evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of project concepts and provide guidance on implementation based on the needs and priorities of the community. Interpret technical analysis completed by others in a way that is easily digestible for the specific community.
• Support partner project funding by aligning available funding opportunities with community needs.
• Provide follow-through and follow-up to move an idea to a realistic energy plan and/or a tangible, funded project.
• Identify opportunities to improve the representation and understanding of our partners’ challenges in clean energy.
• Administer project work plans, budget, schedule, and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements.
• Actively manage and coordinate day-to-day interaction with clients and project collaborators. Build consensus and lead teams with multiple project collaborators including government, utilities, and community groups to ensure project milestones and deliverables are met.

Project Administration (15%)

• Manage all aspects of individual projects, including developing work plans with partners, budgets, schedules and contracts.
• Develop assessment tools to evaluate and report on project effectiveness.
• Document project activities and prepare monthly and/or quarterly invoice reports to project funders.
• Supervise other staff on project work as needed.

Contribute to the success of Spark Northwest (15%)

• Act as a mentor and technical resource to staff.
• Provide technical support for project scopes and budgets, and grant applications.
• Participate in developing organizational goals and strategic plans.
• Contribute to written communication materials, such as newsletters, website, fact sheets, news releases, presentations, and reports.
• Represent Spark Northwest at events, conferences, and other public forums.

Skills, Experience and Abilities 

The successful candidate will share our passion for creating solutions for our most pressing energy, environmental, and social justice challenges. They will be a motivated self-starter, have great teamwork skills, and will thrive in a lively, nimble organization. Ideally, they will have substantial experience developing and managing clean energy projects. We understand that no one person will have all of the skills and experiences listed below, so if you meet several categories and believe you would be a good fit for Spark Northwest, please consider applying.

The following are required skills and experiences: The following are desired skills and experiences, roughly in order of importance:

• Five years or more of project management or similar experience
• Experience developing projects and working with contractors in the energy sector or in a related sector like construction
• Experience in facilitating community meetings both online and in-person
• Experience in preparing and delivering presentations both online and in-person
• Knowledge of clean energy technologies/methods such as solar, heat pumps, weatherization
• Have strong execution skills and an inclusive, collaborative approach
• Have lived and/or work experience in BIPOC, immigrant, rural, Native or low-wealth communities
• Be able to juggle multiple priorities and unexpected outcomes
• Experience working with public funders
• Familiarity with project management approaches, tools and software such as Asana
• Experience with using MS Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
• Are willing and able to travel throughout the region

Benefits and Compensation

The Project Manager II salary range is $85,000 to $93,000 annually. In addition to salary, benefits include: health and dental insurance, four weeks paid flexible time off, an additional 12 paid holidays, paid sick leave, retirement plan, professional development allowance, and public transit subsidy.

Location

We require that employees reside (or plan to reside) in Oregon or Washington. We offer a flexible work environment with a self-determined mix of in-person and remote work. We have an office located in downtown Seattle, where we periodically gather for in-person collaboration. Some travel for meetings with community partners is expected. For remote work, employees need access to internet and phone. If this is a barrier, we can make accommodations.

To Apply

Position will remain open until filled, but applications received by March 20 will receive priority consideration. Expected start date is mid-May.

Please submit the following to jobs@sparknorthwest.org with the subject line: “Your Name, Project Manager”:

• A cover letter. Please select three things from the Skills, Experiences and Abilities listed above and
• provide examples of how your experiences align with those areas.
• A current resume with duration or dates of employment
• One work product example that you created (e.g., flyer, grant application, PPT presentation, video, etc.)
• Optional: please let us know in your email how you heard about this job announcement so that we can streamline future recruiting processes.

No phone inquiries please. 

Spark Northwest is an equal opportunity employer who does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant due to gender, race, color, religion, national origin, political ideology, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status. Background checks may be performed. An interesting past is not an exclusion for working with our team. We ask applicants to be open to discussing any findings with us as we may have questions. We believe in grace, forgiveness, and second chances.