Working Title: Clean Communities & Economic Development Director, Southwest Virginia

State Role Title: N/A

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

College/Division: Virginia Clean Cities (VCC)

Department: 534561 - VCC Entity Agreement FY 2024

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? Yes. This is a grant-funded position and is contingent upon continued funding.

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 11/9/2024

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The university is committed to expanding diversity, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting superlative teaching and scholarship. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

Virginia Clean Cities at James Madison University advances air quality improvement, economic opportunity, and energy security through deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure, education programs, and other petroleum reduction activities. VCC serves the Commonwealth of Virginia and surrounding states through a grant-funded project portfolio. The Clean Communities Economic Development Director, Southwest Virginia will oversee the expansion of efforts to advance air quality improvement, economic opportunity, and energy security through deployment of alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure, educational programs, and other petroleum reduction efforts. Initial focus areas encompass Southwest Virginia to the Roanoke Valley. The incumbent will also service as an additional rural environmental stewardship and clean energy economy transition leader for VCC and related programs at JMU in mission to serve all people.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist with management of existing and future Virginia Clean Cities grant portfolio.
• Work collaboratively in a remote team environment.
• Prioritize project activities and establishing timelines for implementation. Establish work groups to share the workload, build support for goals, and facilitate progress.
• Represent the Coalition and communicate effectively in a variety of public and private forums, workshops including national conferences, meetings, fundraisers, dedication ceremonies, and media events. Regional travel is expected.
• Educate stakeholders about related programs, policies and regulations.
• Generate positive, frequent media coverage.
• Meet with representatives for local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, other divisions/departments, interest groups, consultants, the media and other relevant parties to coordinate work and exchange information.
• Facilitate communications among membership. Create content for the Coalition web site, newsletter, as well as current stakeholder mail and email distribution lists.
• Organize and facilitate meetings and events.
• Provide public education, facilitate member recruitment and develop media contacts.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Knowledge of federal and State grant funding and the development of grant proposals.
• An understanding of legal and regulatory environment and government programs, including laws, incentives, regulatory mandates and grant programs.
• An understanding of intergovernmental relations, political implications and barriers.
• Considerable political insight, negotiating skills, and strong consensus building skills.
• Functional understanding of technical issues related to alternative fuels and alternative fuel technologies (e.g., electric vehicles, natural gas, propane, biofuels, efficiency, etc.).
• Candidates must demonstrate professional experience in energy and/or environmental fields.
• Experience working with state and local governmental agencies.
• Expertise with and knowledge of environmental regulations/programs, environmental justice issues, and grant writing.
• Project management experience in strategic planning, organizing, and managing multiple priorities and programs
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work with a minimal amount of supervision.
• Experience with preparing and managing budgets.
• Research, evaluation and analytic skills.
• Experience with preparing and presenting technical materials to audiences.
• Excellent computer skills, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases and website content creation.
• Excellent customer service skills.

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.