Program Manager I, Multifamily Affordable Housing

The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County's air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities.

The Program Manager I – Multifamily Affordable Housing (Grade 23) position will join the team working to implement these policies within the Energy, Climate, and Compliance Division (ECCD) in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). ECCD is responsible for the management and implementation of a variety of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainability policies and initiatives consistent with the goals of Montgomery County to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energy.

The Multifamily/Affordable Housing Energy Manager (Program Manager I) works on key programs related to energy use in multifamily buildings and associated building energy performance programs, with a strong focus on affordable housing. This position will serve as the primary support in the Department for multifamily building owners and managers while they navigate Energy Benchmarking and Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) requirements and various support programs.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders (building owners, industry groups, advocacy groups, etc.) on building energy performance programs through trainings and meetings, developing materials, and maintaining partnerships.
• Working to ensure that affordable housing providers receive the technical support they need to meet energy, climate change, and clean energy goals.
• Researching and designing recommendations and innovative strategies to address building energy performance in multifamily and affordable housing.
• Developing and delivering training on building energy efficiency and related policies.
• Building collaborative partnerships with and between various housing, environmental, and financing agencies to coordinate and develop programs to support building energy efficiency to multiple constituencies (developers, tenants, housing providers, and staff).

Qualifications

• To educate the multifamily and affordable housing community about building energy performance requirements and available resources and incentives, the candidate will need skills in training development, implementation, and meeting facilitation among diverse and multiple stakeholder groups, in particular with multifamily owners and boards, affordable housing providers and residents, non-profits, and local governments
• The ideal candidate will have strong communications skill and be able to develop clear, engaging outreach materials to present complex and technical concepts to diverse audiences and be able to deal tactfully, effectively, and equitably with people.
• Bilingual applicants in the Spanish/English languages are encouraged to apply. If the candidate selected for this position possesses multilingual skills, they will be required to successfully pass an examination assessing oral communication, reading comprehension, and interpreting skills. For Advanced proficiency, the candidate must also pass an examination requiring translating text from Spanish to English and vice versa.
• This position requires possession of a valid driver's license and the ability to drive a County vehicle to attend meetings, engagement events, and perform work at locations outside the office, which includes locations throughout Montgomery County that may not be accessible via public transit.
• Occasional evening or weekend work outside of normal business hours may be required.
• To ensure a positive workplace and to comply with federal, state and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience: Considerable (3 years) of professional experience in a program/specialization area directly related to communications, outreach, or stakeholder management in the energy, building, multifamily/affordable housing, sustainability, environmental, environmental justice, or related fields.
• Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree.
• Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
• License: Possession of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant's state of residence when required for job-related duties.

Preferred Criteria:

• There are NO Preferred Criteria Assessments. All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified”, placed on the eligible list, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications of the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as a “Transfer” candidate and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Direct experience working in affordable housing
• Direct experience working on energy efficiency, renewable energy, or sustainability programs with multifamily and affordable housing audiences
• Bilingual in Spanish/English or advanced proficiency in Spanish. **Please indicate on your resume**

Note: If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.