As a member of the university’s core climate action, sustainability, and energy team, the primary role of the Director of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Energy is to work collaboratively with the Virginia Tech community to conceive, develop, implement, maintain, and measure short and long-term frameworks highlighted in the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment, Beyond Boundaries 2047: The Campus Plan, and Virginia Tech Design and Construction Standards by:
• Directing both the Office of Energy Management (OEM) and the Office of Sustainability (OS) and leading a team of nearly 20 full-time professionals.
o Within the OEM,
Maintaining a deep level of knowledge, technical expertise, and understanding of campus climate action and energy programming – in order to support best practices in design and operations.
Evaluating energy use and designing energy programs that increase efficiency and reduce energy-related costs.
Overseeing the delivery of long-term sustainable building environments, systems, and initiatives – focusing on (but not necessarily limited to) - energy efficiencies, building automation, instrumentation controls and metering, utility optimization, and distribution system best practices,
Professionally guiding and partnering with Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities team members in project delivery, providing associated oversight and analysis for scopes ranging from large scale multiyear multimillion-dollar campus and infrastructure systems, new capital construction projects, existing building evaluations, and other smaller scale construction and renovation projects.
o Within the OS,
Managing campus-wide programs, leveraging the campus as a learning laboratory for faculty and students (Green RFP, Green Office Certification, Green Lab Certification, Green Tailgate, Green Grad, Sustainability Week, Earth Week, and other strategic sustainability initiatives).
Overseeing a campus-wide sustainability internship program, fostering partnerships in both the division and the academy.
Maintaining a university-wide public presence to nurture communication, outreach, and engagement while expanding the network of sustainability support on campus.
• Coordinating strategic planning efforts and conceiving, developing, and implementing new programs that expand and strengthen assigned responsibilities.
• Seeking grant-funding opportunities for the university and preparing and submitting these grants.
• Documenting, measuring, and reporting on campus climate action, sustainability, and energy initiatives.
• Championing the delivery of climate action, sustainability, and energy initiatives to promote campus carbon neutrality, cost reduction, occupant health and wellness, and campus sustainability excellence.
This position
• will report directly to the Assistant Vice President for Infrastructure and Chief Sustainability Officer,
• will interact routinely with a wide variety of university faculty and staff, as well as external constituents,
• will make decisions independently and work autonomously in developing and implementing new programs with a strategic intent to advance the university’s sustainability commitment,
• must be detail, action, solution, and results oriented and dedicated to the mission of the university’s sustainability program,
• will represent the university in scheduled events on and off campus, and
• will require evening and/or weekend responsibilities during peak times.