ANCA Seeks an Energy Program Coordinator to help with recent Grant as the Adirondack Region Energy $mart Communities Coordinator
 
Contact for more details:
 
Kate Fish
Adirondack North Country Association
kfish@adirondack.org
518-891-6200
 
 

The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) seeks to hire a creative, self-motivated, experienced and  knowledgeable person to help build ANCA’s new energy program and to act as the  part-time Regional Coordinator for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) New York Energy $martSM (E$C) Program in the central Adirondacks .

 
 
ANCA is a fifty-five year old private, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Saranac Lake, New York. It has long-standing programs in a variety of community and economic development areas and benefits from a wide range of funding sources and membership support.   ANCA is building an Energy Program into its core program focus areas as part its mission to improve the economic viability of North Country communities.   Improving energy efficiency of buildings, reducing local reliance on imported fossil fuel, and building regional capacity to serve regional energy needs have a potentially huge impact on local economies.   
ANCA’s energy coordinator will be working with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Jefferson County to provide energy education, outreach services and clean energy business development through implementation of NYSERDA’s New York State $mart Communities Program within the ten North Country counties.   Cornell Cooperative Extension, in partnership with ANCA and the Council for International Trade, Technology, Education and Communication (CITEC) has been awarded a two–year grant from NYSERDA to coordinate the Energy $mart Communities program.   The partnership (CCE/ANCA/CITEC) will develop and implement an outreach and education plan targeted at educating home owners, community leaders, businesses and the general public on the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable resources, and increasing participation in the NYSERDA programs.
 
ANCA is seeking an Energy Program Coordinator to implement the NYSERDA program in the Central Adirondack region; this area is defined as Franklin, Western Essex, Northern Herkimer and Northern Hamilton Counties, Eastern St Lawrence Counties, and to help build a broader energy program with ANCA.   
 
The Coordinator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
 
NYSERDA Program
·         Increase the awareness of NYSERDA programs in the region, including  
o        having a working knowledge of NYSERDA’s Residential Efficiency & Affordability Program (REAP), Research & Development (R&D), and Energy Efficiency Services (EES) offerings, and to be able to stimulate, encourage and support participation in all NYSERDA programs;
·         Help develop and implement a Regional Implementation Plan for the entire region working with Coordinators based in other sections of the North Country, including:
o        Create and implement strategies to promote NYSERDA’s energy efficiency and renewable energy programs that will assist NYSERDA in reaching its goal in the “ 45 x 15” Initiative (obtaining 45% of New York’s electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean renewable energy by 2015};
o        Develop outreach opportunities that build relationships with businesses, residents, local and regional governments, economic development agencies, and other community-based organizations;
o        Develop creativenew ways to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy to serve communities’ energy efficiency and climate protection goals;
o        Provide information and opportunities to help municipal, business and residential customers manage and reduce their energy costs through energy audits and energy retrofits;
o        Promote to and recruit builders, contractors, retailers, realtors, code officials, architects, engineers and others into the residential, commercial/industrial and R&D programs, as directed by ANCA and NYSERDA;
o        Provide assistance to energy-related businesses and entrepreneurs in the region by implementation of initiatives that increase the awareness of local and NYSERDA business assistance services that are available to early-stage clean energy businesses. Work with planners in their communities to ensure that energy is addressed in local ordinances and growth plans;
·         Attend meetings and complete reporting requirements as directed by ANCA and NYSERDA and/or the Services and Support Contractor;
·         Organize community outreach and media events including speaker management, event marketing/outreach, and logistics.
 
ANCA Program
·         Track funding opportunities and help write grant applications as needed to expand the position and build on ANCA’s Sustainable Energy Program;
·         Help to represent ANCA to outside audience and build a new constituency for the organization in the energy efficiency and renewable energy arena;
·         Maintain a database of partnerships and projects
 
Scope
This position will be established as a one-year part-time appointment that may be continued after one year and may also expand to full-time in the future; both options are dependent on funding.
 
Desired Qualifications
Leadership/Management
·         Leadership experience, especially with local officials, residents, businesses, and community-based organizations.
·         Excellent project management skills – detail-oriented, organized and able to prioritize and manage multiple projects at once.
·         Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving ability.
·         Entrepreneurial self-starter, creative, collegial, hard-working, and demonstrates a positive attitude and strong ethical fiber.
·         Ability to work well independently and collaboratively in a team setting.
 
Communication & Interpersonal Relations
·         Excellent verbal and written communication skills – able to communicate with multiple audiences including public officials, business owners, property owners and residents.
·         Strong demonstrated, public speaking skills – ability to speak effectively and persuasively
·         Ability to work effectively with volunteers
·         Experienced in event planning
 
Preferred Qualifications
Topical [At Minimum a Strong Interest and Willingness to Learn must be Demonstrated]
·         Knowledge and familiarity with NYSERDA and its programs
·         An interest in the environment and a commitment to reducing energy use
·         Familiarity with the region and experience working with municipal officials and/or knowledge of municipal initiatives in sustainability issues preferred
·         Background in building science, residential/commercial energy efficiency and/or renewable energy
 
Minimum Educational Requirements:
·         A Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, business, natural or environmental science, engineering, architecture, planning or related discipline plus three years of relevant experience as described above, or
·         An Associate’s degree plus five years of relevant experience as described above.
·         Strong computer skills with MS Office suite of products.
            Island in the Wind
 
 
 
 
This is a detailed report on a Danish community that transformed its economy and community by jumping off carbon. Read The New Yorker article. Could the Adirondacks benefit from this approach?
 
You also might be interested in the notes in the Permaculture section linked below, written by members of the ADKCAP Steering Committee.
 
 Read about creating a Local Energy Committee (LEC) for your municipality or region.  A LEC can be the catalyst for driving change and reducing energy use and cost in your area.  A LEC may also give a municipality the capacity to conduct an energy inventory - the first step to reducing energy use through benchmarking and creating cost effective recommendations.