FloodWise Communities Program Specialist

Overview

Job

Location:

Twin Cities

Job Family:
Administration-Community Rels

Full/Part Time:
Full-Time

Regular/Temporary:
Regular

Job Code: 9341S1

Employee Class:
Acad Prof and Admin

Full-time, one year appointment. Supervisor:
Heidi Roop. Salary Range: $89,500 - $105,000 depending on experience. Apply By:
Open until filled, application reviews will begin February 3rd, 2026. Priority applications considered by February 4th, 2026. This position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship.

The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) is seeking a full-time Flood Wise Communities Program Specialist to join our team and work in collaboration with the Great Lakes NOAA CAP/RISA team (GLISA) to help build community resilience to current and emerging flood risks in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region. We are looking for a dedicated individual to join our team who possesses the expertise and experience to facilitate the research, engagement, and planning required to help communities across the region accelerate the implementation of flood risk reduction and resilience strategies.

This position is also part of a new, national initiative called the Strengthening Human Infrastructure Project (SHIP), supported by the Aspen Global Change Institute. By joining our team at the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact toward building resilience and readiness for weather and climate risks in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region.

We offer a collaborative and supportive work environment, opportunities for professional growth, and the chance to be at the forefront of community-centered climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

We seek applicants with a proven record of experience, expertise, and capabilities to help communities across the state and region use resilience frameworks and approaches to understand, plan, and manage changing flood risks. You will lead efforts to identify and develop changing flood risk information, assess community needs and capabilities, strategically design, develop, deliver, and evaluate education and technical support processes to assist communities across Minnesota and the Great Lakes region in understanding climate risks and comparing, selecting, and implementing different resilience strategies.

This will include serving as a trusted expert, advisor, and educator capable of collaborating closely with GLISA and MCAP staff to refine, develop, and deliver research-based technical assistance and educational training and resources, such as the Flood Wise Communities program.

The Flood Wise Communities process guides practitioners through a municipal stormwater vulnerability assessment using a web-based tool with customized climate and socioeconomic information and a series of stepwise assessments. The assessment process focuses on identifying factors that may stress individual stormwater system components and the surrounding community due to impacts from weather and climate events, and guides communities to prioritize actions to adapt to these stressors.

It was co-developed between GLISA and a cohort of Great Lakes cities starting in 2017 and has since been implemented in 75+ communities across the Great Lakes and U.S. Gulf coast.

• Lead the strategic expansion, deployment, and evaluation of the Flood Wise Communities Program in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region (35%). Work with community organizations, local governments, GLISA, and MCAP faculty to develop a strategic implementation and scaling plan for deploying the Flood Wise Communities program across Minnesota and the Great Lakes region.
• Lead development of a community prioritization process to guide targeted recruitment and participation of rural, at-risk communities in Minnesota and Great Lakes geographies where the Flood Wise Communities program has not yet been delivered. This process should include a range of criteria such as flood risk vulnerability, community characteristics, and resource and climate services access, and communities not yet served by state community climate resilience funding.
• Train a cohort of MCAP Extension educators and staff in Minnesota's Regional Development Organizations (RDOs) to be able to collaborate in delivering flood risk programming and resources on an ongoing basis with MCAP and GLISA.
• Work with trained Extension educators and RDO staff to complete the Flood Wise Communities program with at least 5-10 communities informed by the prioritization process.
• Expand existing program evaluation strategies to track program outcomes and implementation actions, as well as learning and tailoring the support program participants need following participation. This will include identifying additional hazards or impact areas where communities need similar frameworks, tools, and resources to accelerate planning and preparedness.

• Design, test, and deploy decision support resources to support flood risk…