City Jobs

Circular Economy Policy & Program Manager

Description

Background

In 2015, the City of New Orleans launched the world’s first plan focused entirely on city resilience, Resilient New Orleans. The resilience strategy also established the Office of Resilience & Sustainability (ORS) to coordinate projects and programs across city departments, public agencies, and with non-governmental partners. In 2017, the City of New Orleans released a comprehensive, communitywide climate action strategy and in 2022, an updated Climate Action Plan was released.  In 2019, the City, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, released a climate equity report focused on implementing these plans in ways that achieve equitable results for all New Orleanians. A core component of each of these plans is waste diversion, with the City’s current goal of increasing diversion rates to 25% by 2030.

 

Position Description

The City of New Orleans seeks a Circular Economy Policy & Program Manager to work in the Office of Resilience & Sustainability (ORS).  This position is responsible for working with the Chief Resilience Officer and Deputy Chief Resilience Officer to lead the development, planning, and implementation of programs designed to increase recycling, composting, and other waste diversion efforts across New Orleans. This role will focus on promoting sustainable materials management, managing related contracts, and working closely with city agencies, private haulers, businesses and community stakeholders to implement initiatives outlined in the Solid Waste Master Plan.  This position will serve as a central coordinator, ensuring cohesive and impactful progress toward the City’s waste reduction goals.

 

Responsibilities

  • Oversee the development and implementation of the City’s first Solid Waste Master Plan, ensuring alignment with the City’s climate action and sustainability strategies, and driving efforts to achieve a 25% diversion rate by 2030
  • Work closely with the Department of Sanitation, private haulers, and community partners to design and roll out innovative waste diversion initiatives, including partnerships and technical assistance for businesses and institutions working on circular economy strategies
  • Lead efforts to expand circular economy programs, including public education, outreach, and community engagement to boost participation rates across residential, commercial, municipal and institutional sectors
  • Develop educational materials and manage public campaigns to raise awareness about proper waste management practices, targeting residential, commercial, and industrial audiences, as well as private haulers and City employees
  • Develop and lead new waste diversion strategies, including addressing embodied carbon emissions through construction waste, organics, plastic reduction, e-waste, and other products whose full life-cycle represents a threat to the City’s environment
  • Represent the Office at public meetings, events and in response to media requests to communicate the office’s circular economy initiatives
  • Track and report on program performance, including metrics on recycling, composting, and waste reduction, with a focus on progress toward the City’s goal of a 25% recycling rate by 2030
  • Seek and secure grant funding to support recycling, composting, and circular economy initiatives, including programs targeting businesses and commercial entities
  • Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration to align efforts around materials management and sustainability, fostering a culture of resource efficiency within city operations
  • Develop and manage strong relationships with key stakeholders and partners in the community
  • Conduct research on circular economy policy initiatives and develop thorough and succinct analyses inclusive of nationwide and local best practices 
  • Conduct administrative tasks such as taking meeting minutes, managing contracted services, coordinating city processes, and drafting and circulating summary reports, and other needed tasks as they arise

 

Skills and Experience

 

  • Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in environmental studies, public administration, urban planning, or a related field preferred.
  • Minimum two years of experience in assisting with recycling, solid waste, or environmental education and operations
  • Knowledge of best practices in recycling, composting, and solid waste management (solid waste handling, recycling processing and marketing, and recycling and solid waste educational strategies), including familiarity with policy development and public education strategies.
  • Proven ability to manage projects and coordinate across multiple stakeholders
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience in community engagement and public outreach
  • Ability to analyze program performance, interpret data, and make recommendations for improvement
  • Experience securing and managing grant funding for sustainability projects
  • Familiarity with and commitment to racial equity and environmental justice issues
  • Exceptional strategic thinking and analytical skills with the ability to solve problems in nuanced situations
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a track record of building relationships with a variety of stakeholders and influence decision-making processes in a diplomatic and collaborative manner
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.)

 

Pluses

  • Experience working with municipal waste systems and private haulers
  • Background in climate policy, sustainability, or urban resilience
  • Experience living and working in New Orleans
  • Experience working within municipal government on policy, particularly related to environment, sustainability, resilience, equity, or public health
  • A track record of successful public education campaigns related to recycling or environmental issues

 

Travel

This position may require travel outside of the New Orleans metro area less than 5% of the time.

 

Salary

$75,000-$89,000

 

To Apply

To apply for this position, email a resume, brief cover letter, and a writing sample letter with Circular Economy Policy & Program Manager in the subject line to: Greg Nichols at grnichols@nola.gov. 

 

The City of New Orleans is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, creed, culture, or ancestry.