Job Details
The University of Virginia's Office for Sustainability is seeking candidates for a dynamic role supporting wide-ranging sustainability initiatives. At UVA, labs contribute to one third of the university's energy use, despite accounting for only 10% of our square footage. To address the energy, water, and materials intensity of labs, in alignment with the UVA Sustainability Plan, UVA launched a Green Labs program in 2015. Now, with UVA's new commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050, our 500+ laboratories will play a critical role in achieving these goals.
The Sustainability Education & Outreach Specialist, Green Labs, is a core member of the University of Virginia's Office for Sustainability and will lead in implementing Green Labs initiatives across grounds. This position engages faculty, staff, administrators, and students participating in research through University-wide initiatives and sustainability projects. The Sustainability Education & Outreach Specialist sustains and advances existing programs including Green Labs Certification, the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, Shut the Sash fume hood programs, the Green Labs Working Group, program communications (i.e. social media), resource fairs, and other lab sustainability initiatives that help to conserve energy, water, and waste in campus research labs.
A successful candidate will demonstrate precision, accuracy, and innovation when developing new programs, tools, and resources, such as lab-specific landfill diversion opportunities, lab equipment best practices, signage, and awareness campaigns. To successfully deploy these tools and resources, the incumbent will engage a variety of area experts and stakeholder groups including UVA Environmental Health and Safety, members of the Green Labs Working Group, Sustainable Labs team members, and sustainability and University operations experts, among others both internal and external. This position will measure Green Labs program success, track and report metrics, monitor feedback, and create tools to gauge adoption of sustainability principles in University research spaces.
Responsibilities Include:
* Advances established initiatives such as Green Labs Certification, International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, and Shut the Sash.
* Supports lab occupants by facilitating and promoting safety and sustainability best practices (such as conserving energy, water, and waste) in research operations.
* Leads the Green Labs Working Group.
* Conceptualizes and develops new Green Labs initiatives, tools, and resources, such as specialized material recycling, cold storage programs, events, signage, and more, to raise awareness and adoption of Green Labs practices across UVA.
* Develops tools for measuring success, tracks and reports metrics, monitors feedback, and incorporates suggestions for improvement of ongoing Green Labs program efforts.
* Familiar with data visualization tools, techniques, best practices, and report development.
* Manages regular events (both virtual and in-person) such as the Green Labs Resource Fair, supporting the connection between researchers with resources for lab sustainability.
* In collaboration with the Sustainable Labs team and Associate Manager for Communications, maintains and updates the Green Labs website, weekly social media posts, resource guides, checklists, or any other outgoing print and digital communications tools pertaining to Green Labs (communications campaigns).
* Performs benchmarking, research, and collaborations within the UVA research community and with other Green Labs programs or institutions such as My Green Lab, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories, and more.
* Carries out site visits to research labs across grounds, directly engaging with research scientists in and around their labs and lab buildings.
* Writes case studies, whitepapers, articles, project profiles, and shares these with the UVA research community and broader Green Labs community (outlets such as AASHE network, My Green Lab, International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories, and more).
* Supports the development and implementation of outreach materials and initiatives connected to the Smart Labs program.
* Participate in sustainability committees or working groups as requested.
Required Education and Experience:
* Bachelor's degree in a related field
* A minimum of two years of professional experience plus a bachelor's degree in related field (ex. research science, health and safety, sustainability, or similar). Strong internship or graduate experience may be considered in lieu of full-time experience.
Required Skills and Abilities:
Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience with research, knowledge of sustainability issues, strong writing and communications skills, and a demonstrated ability to perform investigative research required for interpreting and communicating complex science and sustainability-related topics.
* Preference for experience working in, with, or around researchers and / or research labs.
* Prioritizes precision, accuracy, and innovation in their outputs.
* Demonstrated awareness, knowledge, and strong interest in sustainability and environmental issues; ability to translate the University's sustainability strategic aims and programs into persuasive communications materials (i.e. signage, newsletters, presentations, articles, social media engagement, and more).
* Experience coordinating and supporting in-person and virtual events and meetings.
* Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret information for reporting to University stakeholders
* Excellent oral and written communication in daily interactions. Proven ability to clearly articulate specific information on educational programs and outreach initiatives.
* Strong organizational skills to ensure all deliverables are high quality and submitted on time.
* Keen eye for lab safety, quality control, and attention to detail.
* Collaborative, innovative and solutions oriented, with a demonstrated enthusiasm for visiting laboratories and working directly with the incumbent's target audience to identify new research-specific sustainability opportunities.
* Demonstrated experience working in a professional setting managing several projects at once, working independently and as part of a team.
Anticipated Hiring Range: $55,000-$57,000 annually, commensurate with qualification and experience. This is a full-time, 40 hour per week exempt-level position with UVA benefits. We support workplace flexibility when appropriate but 100% remote work is not possible.
To Apply:
Please apply online, and search for R0060538 or "Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Specialist, Green Labs." Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. Complete an application and include all required documents:
* CV/Resume
* Cover Letter
The selected applicant will be required to complete a background check prior to their first day of employment per University policy.
Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.
References will be completed via UVA's standardized process SkillSurvey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process. A total of three references is required.
Questions regarding the position or application process should be directed to Jessica Speth, Academic Recruiter, at ...@virginia.edu.
The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician's Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.