Host: City of Concord
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Mitigation, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Water Policy
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Project Management, Community Outreach, Marketing,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – Would need to be onsite weekly but not daily. Schedule to be determined in partnership with the Fellow.

Service Needs & Plans

The City of Concord has a Climate Action Plan (CAP) and it incorporates a number of community engagement opportunities, including outreach on the City’s polystyrene ban and water and energy efficiency policies, we have not yet implemented for lack of staffing. Additionally, creating a strategy for future implementation of those programs that have yet to be implemented.

We intend to integrate our Fellow into our Planning Department assisting them in making large strides in engaging our community on climate action plan goals and behaviors and working cross departmentally within the organization to do the same.

Project Description

1. Create a framework to complete remaining policies in the CAP that have yet to undertaken by the City. Fellow would begin implementation of four or five Climate Action Plan programs that the City has not yet undertaken, which will likely involve community engagement and partnership with regional partner agencies.

2. While supported by the Planning Director and other City staff, the Fellow will be the lead in this effort.

3. Deliverables include: Creation of an implementation plan for CAP programs, a timeframe for implementation, and necessary resources for completion. Additionally, development of engagement strategies, social media posts, articles, web information, defining programs, creating partnership networks, attending community events and representing the City.

4. Due to the lack of staff resources, the Fellow will play a pivotal role with the City to advance its progress implementing its Climate Action Plan.

Desired Skills

The City is looking for a Fellow to be able to develop and manage community relationships which includes members of the public, partner agencies, and community stakeholders. They will develop marketing materials, social media posts, and attend community meetings to represent the City’s mission and goals of implementing its Climate Action Plan. Amend and update the City’s website around climate issues to be user-friendly and provide a helpful resource for the public.

An additional skill set includes project management to identify programs still requiring implementation and the creation a short- and long-term strategy for achieving full CAP implementation. This project requires the participation of various City departments and will require good oral and written communication in a collaborative working environment.

A Spanish speaker is highly desirable, but not required.

Organization & Workplace Highlights

The City of Concord is a mission-centered organization, with City Manager Valerie J. Barone overseeing a staff of 425 full-time employees committed to realizing the organization’s long-standing Mission, Vision, and Values. Concord provides a full range of services including: police protection, recreational activities, community and economic development, street improvements and maintenance services, parks maintenance, sewer, and general administrative and support services. In addition, the City oversees management of the Concord Pavilion, Diablo Creek Golf Course, and Camp Concord in South Lake Tahoe, California. Here at the City, we encourage learning, knowledge-sharing, collaboration and strong departmental alignment; we welcome employee and community input, striving for excellence in all our work and community partnerships.

The City of Concord offers the opportunity to take part in a collaborative and exciting work experience, where you can grow in your career while working alongside the community to make Concord a city of the highest quality. Among organizational values focused on integrity, trust and a commitment to serve our community, the City values both the uniqueness of each individual and the contribution made and synergy created by different experiences and perspectives. The City is an organization that serves its diverse community, and an employer that invests in its employees’ professional and personal development, values work-life balance, is dedicated to employee wellness.

A Fellowship with the City of Concord offers the unique opportunity to gain hands-on, real-world experience while growing your professional network, serving as a foundation for an exciting, mission-centered career in public service.

Community Highlights

Nestled in the foothills of Mt. Diablo, Concord is a major East Bay community located 29 miles east of San Francisco and 58 miles north of San Jose. With a population of nearly 125,000 residents occupying an area of 31 square miles, Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County.

Concord has much to offer; its local lifestyle reflects a careful blending of the City’s early California heritage, along with modern planned development. It is a harmonious community of quiet neighborhoods, an excellent park system, convenient shopping centers, large preserves of open space, a state-of-the-art hospital, and wide array of restaurants featuring cuisines from around the globe.

Concord residents enjoy a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild winters. The ideal weather and natural beauty of Concord make the area ideal for visitors and locals seeking active outdoor activities, such as hiking along the dozens of trails.

In Concord, where “Families Come First,” one is never far from a park or an open green space for active play or just relaxing.

Todos Santos Plaza, the heart of downtown Concord, features a year-round farmers’ market, a wildly popular summer concert series, several seasonal and community celebrations, and it serves as a wonderful outdoor space for all to enjoy.
The Concord City Council has pledged its commitment to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community for all.

Concord’s diversity is reflected in its demographics – the median age of a Concord resident is 40; 43% of residents speak a language other than English at home; 31% identify as Latino or Hispanic; the median household income is $104,000; and 39% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In a 2023 survey of residents, 70 languages were identified as being actively used in Concord.

Major projects that the City has identified as priorities for the 2024-25 fiscal year include: implementation of Concord’s homeless strategic plan; implementation of the City’s Housing Element; advancing development of the Concord Naval Weapons Station reuse project; updating the City’s Economic Development strategy; and addressing the City’s unfunded infrastructure needs.

With 425 full-time employees, Concord is a lean organization whose staff is committed to fulfilling its mission: to join with our community to make Concord a city of the highest quality by providing responsive, cost-effective, and innovative local government services.