Host: Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Region: Colorado
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Mitigation, Energy Efficiency, Transportation / Mobility, Policy Analysis
Skills Needed: Project Management, Research, Data Analysis, Writing for a lay audience,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – Most SWEEP staff work remotely or in a hybrid fashion. Ideally, a Fellow would also have the capacity to work remotely, with regular in-person visits to our offices in Denver or Boulder for team-building. SWEEP offers flexibility based on the Fellow’s preferences, ability, and desire to work independently and the demands of a particular project activity.

Service Needs & Plans

Transportation is the largest source of climate-changing pollution, and a leading source of soot, smog, and noise pollution. Communities located near busy roadways suffer the largest impacts, often as the result of a long history of exploitative land-use policies. Getting around also consumes more of the typical family budget than any other expense besides housing. Further, low-income families are being pushed to take on higher transportation costs as high housing costs drive affordable living options further away from employment and community centers.

Solving these problems will require coordinated and sustained action across all levels of government. The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) works to catalyze that action through research and data analysis, policy development, advocacy, education, communications, and partnerships. We develop, advocate for, and implement non-partisan climate and clean energy strategies that work across the political spectrum. Efficiency is our orienting principle as we pursue cost-effective solutions to make the energy used in our buildings, industries, and transportation systems as clean and low carbon as possible, focusing first on meeting the needs of communities disadvantaged by the ongoing impact of historic inequities. Our staff are thought leaders, technical experts, policy specialists and relationship-builders. We work within broad coalitions, providing crucial strategic and intellectual support, as well as access to key decision-makers, complementing the people-power that our allies often bring.

SWEEP seeks the support of a research fellow to increase our capacity to provide thought leadership, policy guidance, and targeted education efforts aimed at helping accelerate the decarbonization of our transportation system.

Project Description

Following the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, SWEEP’s Transportation Program works to accelerate vehicle electrification, increase investment in multimodal and active transportation infrastructure and service, promote location-efficient community design, and build widely-shared prosperity. The goal of this project is to help accelerate transportation decarbonization across Colorado and the U.S. Southwest, increasing the chances that we will meet our climate protection goals while maximizing co-benefits, including cost savings and equity.

SWEEP believes that the solutions to decarbonizing our transportation system are clear. However, that clarity is not always widely shared by decision-makers, key constituencies, and the broader public. That’s where the Research Fellow will come in.

• The Research Fellow will generate compelling research and policy analysis to help elevate the profile of key transportation decarbonization policies, programs, and actions. Research projects will focus on illustrating problems, cataloging policy solutions, illustrating the benefits of action, and/or drafting case studies to showcase steps forward that are worth replicating.
• The Research Fellow will contribute to SWEEP’s thought leadership work, helping decision-makers, businesses, and individuals better understand and take advantage of available opportunities to improve our transportation system.
• The Research Fellow will work closely with the SWEEP Transportation Program and Communications staff to ensure that the work is timely, compelling, reaches key audiences, and creates real impact.

During the course of their year with CivicSpark, the Research Fellow will produce at least one publication per month, whether a report, fact-sheet, blog-post, webinar presentation, or similar product. Topic areas may include:

* Quantifying how access to at-home EV charging at multifamily buildings gives access to cost savings versus public fast charging, for drivers in each electric utility service territory in the region;
* Researching and writing a report about what transportation decarbonization measures should be included in state and local climate action plans that are due to EPA in 2025 as part of the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program;
* Researching and writing a scorecard evaluating state and local governments’ use of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for efficient and equitable transportation projects;
* Reporting on how a selected commercial fleet has begun to electrify its vehicles, highlighting benefits and any challenges left to resolve;
* Reporting on how well local governments are using the direct-pay provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act to facilitate electric vehicle acquisition;
* Writing a status update on the spread of EV-ready language in local government building codes across the region; and/or
* Other ideas.

The Research Fellow will work with the Transportation Program and Communications staff to determine how best to distribute the results of their work, which will likely include online publication, submission of articles to trade journals or newspapers, webinars, and conferences.

With the support of the Research Fellow, SWEEP will be able to increase our influence and relevance in key decisions that community leaders will be making over the course of the next year and beyond – whether that is a fleet manager deciding whether or not to electrify a vehicle; a utility deciding how to design a multifamily charging program; or a local government deciding what steps to include in a climate action plan. Through the Research Fellow’s work, a larger number of communities and individuals across the region will become more aware of opportunities to make progress.

Desired Skills

The successful SWEEP Research Fellow applicant will bring:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Solid research and policy analysis skills
• Ability to work well with others and also to be self-sufficient
• Passion for energy efficiency, electrification and other climate solutions
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusivity

Although not required, exceptional applicants will also bring subject matter expertise in terms of:

• Clean energy/efficiency/climate policy,
• Transportation electrification,
• Multimodal transportation, and/or
• Related topics.

Organization & Workplace Highlights

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project is a small non-profit organization with 16 staff spread across five states. The largest number of our staff live in Colorado. We have a small office in Boulder, and access to coworking space in the Alliance Center, near the largest transit hub in downtown Denver. Our staff work in small teams covering buildings, transportation, utilities, and industry; and we collaborate across program boundaries as opportunities arise.

Our staff bring substantial experience and expertise to the job. We are well-respected as thought leaders and policy experts in the areas where we work. Staff also tend to spend a substantial portion of their work hours working independently. Many staff work remotely, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Transportation team staff are based in Denver, where in-person meetings would be most likely to happen.

SWEEP is committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our program work, in the workplace, and on our board of directors. Our program work includes both a recognition of the deep structural hurdles faced by communities of color and a commitment to tackle them by focusing investments where they are most needed.

Internally, we strive to foster a workplace culture of policies and practices that demonstrate our commitment to equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a more diverse and inclusive organization and conservation movement. We encourage applicants from all cultures, race, ethnicity, geographies, political affiliation, sexual orientations, gender identities, and all other identities protected by law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Working with SWEEP will provide the Research Fellow with greater knowledge and experience in transportation decarbonization, policy analysis, and writing, as well as an expanded contact network of relevant professionals. These resources will help position the Fellow to launch a career in climate or clean energy, whether in the Southwest or nationally.

Community Highlights

While SWEEP works across the Southwest United States, this fellowship position will be based in Colorado. Most of our staff are in the Denver / Boulder metropolitan area.

Colorado offers many exciting opportunities for recreation, culture and community. Many of our staff enjoy playing outdoors in our free time, and we would be happy to share our local knowledge with an incoming fellow.