Job Title: Climate Financing Specialist

Supervisor: Dave Reidmiller 

Pay Grade:  9  Pay Grade Range: $74,100 to $133,400

Salary:  $80,000 - $95,000 

Overview 

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) develops and delivers collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. We are dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it. To learn more, visit gmri.org.

The foremost global ocean challenge is climate change as it represents an existential threat to coastal communities as we know them. Through the work of GMRI’s Climate Center, we aim to empower coastal communities and businesses to thrive in a warmer world by leveraging climate action from the local to the global level. We do this through a user-centered science-engagement-solutions framework for delivering climate services to coastal and marine stakeholders. 

GMRI is seeking applicants for a Climate Financing Specialist to work under the supervision of Dr. Dave Reidmiller, Director of GMRI’s Climate Center. The incumbent will join a rapidly growing Climate Center team that is working to integrate and elevate the climate-related work across the organization while charting new directions for us to provide climate services to coastal communities across the region. In partnership with external stakeholders, the incumbent will work closely with other GMRI staff—especially our Municipal Climate Action Program Manager—to: 

1. Support municipalities in navigating and accessing public (e.g., federal and state) and private (e.g., foundation) sources of financing to undertake priority climate adaptation and mitigation actions, 
2. Build capacity among municipal officials, business leaders, and coastal residents and property owners to identify and secure financing increase their resilience to climate risks and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and
3. Design incentive programs and other innovative financial tools, mechanisms, and programming to accelerate climate action.

A core goal for the Climate Financing Specialist is to help municipal officials match projects with targeted funding (i.e., grant) opportunities to reduce the complexities of financing and, more broadly, accelerate climate adaptation and mitigation action throughout the region’s coastal zone. This will entail providing coastal communities with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to build climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Importantly, the incumbent must engage in these complex issues with a positive attitude, humility, and be capable of adapting their approach to the unique circumstances of any given stakeholder they’re engaging with.

This position provides a critical climate service by enabling regional coastal stakeholders to overcome a clearly-stated barrier to more ambitious climate action. Illustrative projects the incumbent could work on include: (a) supporting municipalities in piecing together the resources needed to elevate an economically important causeway vulnerable to high-tide flooding, (b) helping water management authorities design a novel rate scheme that facilities the integration of new technologies to defend wastewater treatment facilities against rising seas, or (c) crafting an innovative regional incentive program that would enable coastal residents to protect their septic systems or wells from saltwater intrusion. 

The incumbent would collaborate with external partners (e.g., regional planning organizations) to address the gap in technical understanding of best practices for financing mechanisms, especially innovative ones by serving as a resource for municipalities to get engaged deeper on more complex solutions. The incumbent would also work closely with regional experts (e.g., New England Environmental Finance Center) to ensure GMRI’s new Climate Financing capacity complements and adds value to the existing regional climate service landscape. 

This full-time, permanent position enjoys full support for two years thanks to generous philanthropic support. Like peers in the organization, the incumbent will be expected to secure external funding to sustain this position, with increasing responsibility for doing so over time. 

Position-Specific Responsibilities/Tasks:

• Build relationships with municipal officials, business leaders, and coastal residents and property owners to understand the barriers they experience in accessing finance for climate action
• Identify sources of funding for priority climate adaptation and mitigation strategies
• Support coastal and marine stakeholders in navigating and accessing public and private sources of financing for priority climate strategies
• Build capacity among coastal and marine stakeholders to effectively and efficiently secure financing for ambitious climate action (support with grant writing and management, as appropriate)
• Collaborate with municipal, regional, state, and federal government officials to advance innovations in the realm of climate financing policy
• Collaborate with non-profit, academic, and industry experts to design climate financing resources, tools, programs, etc. responsive to various user needs
• Develop resources (e.g., workshops, guidebooks, web tools) for municipalities, businesses, and coastal residents and property owners for simplifying the process for accessing finance to implement climate actions
• Synthesize and share results in academic journal articles, white papers, technical reports, regional and national workshops, as well as industry and technical conferences
• Stay up-to-date on the latest disciplinary literature, best practices, grant programs, etc. related to financing climate action—and share that knowledge with GMRI staff

Other General Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to the development and submission of funding proposals to federal and state government agencies, foundations, etc. to sustain Climate Financing capacity at GMRI
• Contribute to Development Department events and media interviews, as requested
• Develop content related to portfolio for GMRI website and other forums (e.g., project pages, white papers, blog posts, social media), in collaboration with the Communications Department
• Hold membership and/or leadership roles within and outside the organization
• Lead and/or participate in project team meetings and workshops
• Lead and/or contribute to Climate Center and GMRI meetings, as well as budget, data management, and workflow management efforts
• Serve as a thought partner to other Climate Center staff, including its Director, to chart strategic directions and capitalize on emerging opportunities for the program
• Seek out and participate in professional development programs
• Travel to and present at, as appropriate, program events and workshops, project team meetings, regional stakeholder meetings, and relevant conferences

Position-Specific Responsibilities/Tasks:

• Build relationships with municipal officials, business leaders, and coastal residents and property owners to understand the barriers they experience in accessing finance for climate action
• Identify sources of funding for priority climate adaptation and mitigation strategies
• Support coastal and marine stakeholders in navigating and accessing public and private sources of financing for priority climate strategies
• Build capacity among coastal and marine stakeholders to effectively and efficiently secure financing for ambitious climate action (support with grant writing and management, as appropriate)
• Collaborate with municipal, regional, state, and federal government officials to advance innovations in the realm of climate financing policy
• Collaborate with non-profit, academic, and industry experts to design climate financing resources, tools, programs, etc. responsive to various user needs
• Develop resources (e.g., workshops, guidebooks, web tools) for municipalities, businesses, and coastal residents and property owners for simplifying the process for accessing finance to implement climate actions
• Synthesize and share results in academic journal articles, white papers, technical reports, regional and national workshops, as well as industry and technical conferences
• Stay up-to-date on the latest disciplinary literature, best practices, grant programs, etc. related to financing climate action—and share that knowledge with GMRI staff

Other General Responsibilities:

• Lead and contribute to the development and submission of funding proposals to federal and state government agencies, foundations, etc. to sustain Climate Financing capacity at GMRI
• Contribute to Development Department events and media interviews, as requested
• Develop content related to portfolio for GMRI website and other forums (e.g., project pages, white papers, blog posts, social media), in collaboration with the Communications Department
• Hold membership and/or leadership roles within and outside the organization
• Lead and/or participate in project team meetings and workshops
• Lead and/or contribute to Climate Center and GMRI meetings, as well as budget, data management, and workflow management efforts
• Serve as a thought partner to other Climate Center staff, including its Director, to chart strategic directions and capitalize on emerging opportunities for the program
• Seek out and participate in professional development programs
• Travel to and present at, as appropriate, program events and workshops, project team meetings, regional stakeholder meetings, and relevant conferences

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., economics/finance, climate/environmental policy, business administration, urban planning, etc.) with 5+ years of relevant work experience
• Knowledge of best practices in financing environmental action
• Experience in environmental finance and funding mechanisms and opportunities
• Experience in building professional relationships and networks 
• Experience managing projects in a team environment, including developing project plans and managing timelines and budgets
• Experience interacting with public and/or private sector stakeholders respectfully and appropriately
• Experience translating complex information for non-expert audiences
• Strong written and oral communication skills, as well as experience communicating results in a wide variety of formats (e.g., blogs, videos, social media) targeted to specific audiences
• Self-starting and comfort seeking out external collaborations and partnerships
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Eligible to work in the United States

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with 8+ years of relevant work experience
• Experience securing competitively-awarded external funding
• Knowledge of climate adaptation and/or mitigation projects and programs and how they came to fruition
• Knowledge of climate impacts in the Gulf of Maine, as well as adaptation and mitigation options relevant to coastal and marine stakeholders in the region

Diversity and Inclusion:

GMRI has a long-standing policy and commitment to providing equal access and equal employment opportunities in all terms, conditions, processes, and benefits of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. GMRI's employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status.

Applicants and employees are encouraged to voluntarily self-identify their race/ethnicity, gender, disability status and veteran status to assist GMRI in fulfilling various data reporting requirements of the federal government. This self-identification is completely voluntary, will be kept confidential and separate from your application data, and used only to meet federal reporting requirements. Providing or declining to provide this information will not result in adverse action of any kind.

Salary and Benefits:

Gulf of Maine Research Institute offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Salary: $80,000 - $95,000

Application Instructions:

All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the successful candidate has been selected.

Per GMRI’s Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all GMRI personnel are required to maintain full vaccination status against COVID-19, as defined by CDC, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved.