Climate Action Project Assistant - temporary

About the Job

Climate Action Project Assistant

FM division Office of Sustainability

Job code 8422SU

Job class title Pro 2 Sustainability

January-June 2026

Position Overview

Facilities Management is a department within University Services which is composed of the departments and people who deliver the non-academic operations across the University of Minnesota system. Facilities Management (FM) is responsible for all buildings, grounds and the energy management needs of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. Facilities Management works to provide a safe, reliable and welcoming campus in support of the University's mission of teaching, research and outreach.

FM's responsibilities include over 25 million square feet in more than 280 buildings across 1200 acres in the Twin Cities.

The Office of Sustainability is a part of Facilities Management but serves the whole University by collaborating with departments and units across campus to advance the environmental and social sustainability goals of the institution, including carbon neutrality and all other strategies and goals of the 2023 Climate Action Plan.

The purpose of this position is to take clear point on several strategies of the 2023 Climate Action Plan. There are some strategies that do not relate directly to any one particular role at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This position will pull together key stakeholders, data, industry knowledge, etc to complete climate action strategies. This position acts as a project manager to gather all necessary information to make clear decisions and outcomes which lead to emissions reductions and climate adaptation.

Many of the "champions" for these strategies are within Facilities Management and some are across the institution. This position is responsible for building and sustaining institution-wide collaboration that delivers climate action. This is a temporary position, lasting no more than 12 months.

The role will oversee 2-3 projects at a time, including, but not limited to EV Fleet implementation, Landcare climate resilience strategies, IT climate resilience tactics, USponsored travel strategies, etc. The role will also offer lighter support for ongoing climate action oversight of the Office of Sustainability (data gathering, editing, administration, etc). This role will have moderate oversight from other lead staff of the Office of Sustainability.

Position Responsibilities

Coordinate Climate Action Projects (70%)

● Serve as point person for Climate Action Plan projects, including coordination, communications, deliverables, and reporting to ensure alignment with the Climate Action Plan

● Analyze supportive data for Climate Action Plan strategies, including, but not limited to: emissions impact, total cost of ownership, spatial analysis, and cost

● Coordinate with campus stakeholders to facilitate Climate Action Plan Implementation Steps into action: identify barriers, shared challenges, and opportunities to develop solutions.

Data & Administrative Support for Climate Action (20%)

● Broad support for Climate Action Plan with data analysis, events, project brainstorming, etc

● Support all regular Climate Action Champion project meetings by scheduling sessions, recording minutes, and tracking follow-up items to ensure team accountability

Miscellaneous (10%)

● Attend all required trainings

● Participate in all Office of Sustainability Team Meetings and plans

● Mentor student work within the Office

Physical and environmental requirements

Work is hybrid with typical office arrangement.

Qualifications

Position Qualifications

Required (minimum) qualifications

● BA/BS plus at least two years of experience or a combination of related education and work experience to equal at least six years.

● One year of project management experience

● Ability to collaborate and communicate with an interdisciplinary team

● Understanding of data gathering, cleaning, and visualization to inform decision-making

● Ability to evaluate data accuracy and make judgements on proxy information

● Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines in a timely manner and organize feedback from various perspectives

● Strong desire to learn and…