About The State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

Job Description

The Sustainability Coordinator will support the overall mission of the SUNY sustainability team, with a focus on supporting engagement with and among the campus network of sustainability stakeholders and implementing a communications strategy, as well as overseeing and growing the SUNY Climate Corps Internship Program.                                                                                                                                                          

Duties and Responsibilities

• Organize engagement for obtaining feedback on the draft SUNY Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, August-October 2024.
• Assist with organization of an annual SUNY sustainability conference and provide support for other engagement committees such as the Sustainability Advisory Committee, including working groups, and other regular meetings of the SUNY Sustainability network.
• Help develop and implement a communications strategy, including overhauling and maintaining the internal and external facing sustainability pages on the SUNY website with edited content, updated course and program listings, updated (constantly) postings on research across the system, developing short videos and other engaging content, and  drafting Instagram, Linked In, and other social media posts.
• Help facilitate outreach and engagement with communities around campuses, particularly with regard to student-led initiatives like community gardening, tree planting, resilience planning, etc.
• Amplify the work of campus engagement activities from action on biking and recycling and tree planting, to career fairs, to outdoor recreational activities, to hosting speaker and film series, to conducting surveys and sustainability assessments, and to communicating progress (and challenges) on energy investments, waste programs, electric vehicles, composting, and other initiatives.
• Facilitate and enhance SUNY's pages and experience on the SustainChain platform.
• Oversee all aspects of the SUNY Climate Corp. internship program, including recruitment of agency opportunities and student applications, tracking postings on the Handshake and similar platforms and progress in the hiring process, coordinating programs to mentor students and opportunities for student to share experiences, creating awards and recognition, tracking agency MOUs, invoices, and payments, and reporting on the program to the grantor.
• Work with other SUNY offices to facilitate recruiting drives for high school students interested in environmental programs.

Additional Information:

• A typical five-day workweek, but may require evening and weekend (primarily remote style) work to meet pressing obligations and emerging situations.
• Travel to campuses will be required.
• Travel to conferences may be required.
• Up to 20% travel likely.
• Will require coordination with other departments at SUNY System Administration, especially communications and the new VC for workforce development.
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Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in sustainability, communications, or a related field; an Associate's degree and two years of experience may be substituted for a Bachelor's degree.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to create and foster professional connections and build a network of stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently when necessary, generating and following up on leads, anticipating project needs, and initiating own work, while also understanding appropriate times to seek guidance and authorization.
• Willingness to pitch in and help on team projects.
• Strong written, oral, and visual communications skills.
• Use of Microsoft Office software suite.
• Driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated commitment to the sustainability field.
• Knowledge of environmental and climate change issues.
• Design, photography, and video creation and editing skills.
• Skills in social media.
• Web design.
• Demonstrated eagerness in teamwork through work, study, or play.
• Experience in project management.
• Experience in the higher education sector.

Additional Information:

• Salary is dependent on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, experience, education, training, and certifications. The range for this position is $50,000-$60,000.
• This position is part of the United University Professions Union.  State title Staff Assistant SL-2.
• Excellent Benefit Package which includes: NYS health insurance, free dental and vision coverage, competitive retirement options, tuition assistance, parental leave at full pay, and generous vacation, sick, and holiday time. Generous amount of time off: 13 days of paid holidays per year; 15 days of vacation and 15 days of sick time accrued for the first year of employment.  Then increases thereafter.  Please see our UUP benefits summary for additional information.
• This position will be based in Albany or New York City.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Application Instructions:

Interested candidates are invited to apply online. Please submit a cover letter, resume and four professional references when applying. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

State University of New York System Administration is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction, or retaliation.

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation.  If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@oer.ny.gov.

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