Director of Sustainability

Job Description

Summary: The Sustainability Director oversees the Sustainability Plan and helps integrate sustainability into all aspects of campus (planning, projects, operations, academic programs, student and faculty research, civic engagement, and community outreach).

The position is responsible for creating and fostering a culture of sustainability on campus by identifying opportunities for improvement, starting and coordinating new activities, broadly communicating efforts and serving as a catalyst for units and individuals who are implementing (or interested in implementing) sustainability efforts or programs.

The Sustainability Director will engage with Senior Leadership, Principal Officers, Faculty, Staff, Students and members of the Charlotte community to foster sustainability broadly across campus and will be expected to frequently influence decisions being made by these constituents in order to develop accountability and stewardship of campus resources and our impact on the environment.

The Sustainability Director will have significant responsibility for formulating and administering policies and programs, managing resources, and will function with a high degree of autonomy.

The Sustainability Director reports to the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration. This position is exempt from provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not eligible to earn overtime pay or compensatory time off for additional hours worked. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Facilitate and manage the Queens Sustainability Plan and support the campus to refine, track, and implement goals and benchmarks
• Provide expertise, strategic guidance and support to operational units and academic divisions
• Identify opportunities for innovation and increased educational efforts that ensure the university is a mindful environmental steward
• Create centralized communication and promote successes
• Maintain a central space for coordination of campus sustainability activities, educational initiatives, noteworthy campus achievements, reporting and national rankings
• Promote a culture of sustainability
• Work to advance strategies for how to care for environmental spaces, human communities and advance sustainability initiatives across campus
• Integrate sustainability into the classroom
• Build bridges between operations, teaching and research to establish Queens University as a living learning laboratory in which students can learn and apply sustainability principles and techniques
• Supervise and mentor interns and students who engage with our campus sustainability efforts
• Oversee programming budget for materials, training, etc. related to campus sustainability initiatives and education

Non-Essential Duties:

• Other duties and special projects may be assigned to meet department and University needs

Qualifications

Experience, Knowledge and Skills Required:

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Presentation skills required to deliver proposals and presentations to varying groups of individuals
• Exceptional communication skills, interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and the ability to effectively interact and build trusted relationships with diverse internal and external constituencies
• Superlative and creative problem-solving, analysis, and conflict-resolution skills to manage complex tasks and/or those that require balancing competing interests
• Thorough and current knowledge of sustainability practices, and applicable laws and regulations
• Ability to create, interpret, and execute a budget
• Ability to analyze and understand research and to identify relevant and valuable information
• Bachelor’s degree in sustainability, urban or environmental planning, environmental science, or a related field OR equivalent combination of training and/or experience

Application Process
Does this sound like a good fit? Click on the green “I’m interested” button and submit:

1. A cover letter addressing the position qualifications and experience
2. Current résumé
3. Salary requirements
4. Contact information for three professional references.

Applications received by February 2, 2024 will receive first consideration. Queens will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.

Additional Information

About Queens University of Charlotte

Located in the heart of the nation’s second-fastest-growing metropolitan area, Queens University of Charlotte leverages the city’s diverse and thriving environment as an extended classroom. Nationally recognized for undergraduate programs in international and interdisciplinary education, Queens blends the best of liberal arts learning with professional preparation and community engagement. Focused on supporting success for diverse learners, faculty build close and collaborative relationships with students and help them build intentional and individualized roadmaps for flourishing at Queens and beyond. At the graduate program level, the University offers innovative educational experiences that help learners advance professionally and retool for new opportunities. Our environs afford faculty myriad opportunities to advance their own professional growth and teaching and research interests by collaborating with vibrant industry, non-profit, and community organization sectors.

Because of our history of innovation and our legacy of strong leadership, Queens is positioned to be among the new forerunners of American higher education. This is a defining moment for Queens. While other institutions are focused on sustaining and surviving, we are thinking much bigger.

Institutions that understand what is needed and are willing to reimagine what is possible can position themselves to thrive and strengthen their market position after the pandemic with innovative approaches that are deeply connected to the world and its greatest challenges.

By 2030, Queens aspires to become the leading, private, national university of Charlotte with deep, meaningful, and reciprocal connections to the needs of our local community and economy; inventive and multidisciplinary academic programs that are connected to the world’s most pressing challenges and biggest areas of opportunity; a fully connected, integrated, and innovative set of experiences that support holistic wellness and wellbeing; a culture of continuous improvement and investment that enables faculty and staff to flourish and achieve their full potential; and a comprehensive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion that begins on campus and radiates throughout the community.

Benefits

Queens offers comprehensive benefits to eligible employees, including: medical, dental and vision insurance, domestic partner benefits, a 403b retirement plan, with two options (pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) contributions) with a generous match, vacation and generous paid holidays, tuition remission and tuition exchange, Queens-paid life insurance, supplemental life insurance, dependent life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care, Health Savings Account), sick leave and long-term disability leave, paid parental leave, FMLA leave when eligible, reduced cost meals at Morrison Dining Hall, employee assistance program (EAP), free access to the Levine Center, wellness programs. In addition, employees may choose benefits such as pet insurance, critical care insurance and legal assistance.

Queens University of Charlotte is an equal opportunity employer and is firmly committed to supporting and celebrating all forms of diversity. Queens does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, national origin, disability, political beliefs, veteran status, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic programs, employment and hiring policies, or other University-administered programs.

Any individual with a disability who needs any reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to apply for a position or otherwise to participate in Queens' job search/selection process should contact the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at 704.337.2222.

Physical Requirements (with or without reasonable accommodation) require ability to

• Remain in a stationary position, most of the time.
• Exchange accurate information with students, faculty and staff, frequently.
• Read reports, create presentations, use a computer system, most of the time 
• Communicate with students, faculty and staff, most of the time. 
• Write, type, and use the computer, telephone, copier, and other office equipment systems, most of the time. 
• Move about inside the workspace to access resources and office equipment, and attend meetings across campus, regularly. 
• Exert moderate force to move objects, occasionally. 
• Think critically, concentrate on the task at hand, and respond quickly to changes in conditions, most of the time.

Work Conditions 

• Must be able to work in office environment while having contact with students, faculty staff, parents, vendors on any given day.
• Work has deadlines, multiple interruptions, high volume and can be stressful. 

Nothing in this job description restricts the university’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time; this description reflects the university’s assignment of essential functions, it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned; this job description is subject to change at any time.