Host: Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Infrastructure Development – including Broadband, Transportation / Mobility
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Research, Community Outreach, Data Analysis,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid – One-day-per-week required in office. The Fellow may choose to serve in-office up to five days per week.

Service Needs & Plans

As the Sacramento area is transitioning to a low-carbon economy, the Transportation and Climate Change Division of the Sac Metro Air District seeks to ensure its programs and investments enable all residents and businesses to have access to low-carbon, safe, and reliable transportation. With extreme heat, flood risks, and many disadvantaged communities, we hope to maximize co-benefits desired by our breathers. Investments could include mobility hubs, EV charging infrastructure, eBikes, active modes, microtransit, micromobility, and should forward community-identified priorities and values.

Project Description

The project will increase responsiveness of existing Sac Metro Air District transportation programs by identifying community needs and values through research and outreach. The Fellow will conduct interviews with District staff, community members, program participants (such as Clean Cars 4 All) and stakeholders to understand existing programs and where they may misalign with community needs. Research will also be conducted regarding existing transportation plans, outreach reports, available land and transformer capacity, to help determine geospatial for potential projects. Working under a project manager and along side a technical expert, the fellow will identify transportation needs, community priorities, and make recommendations for program changes and project implementation at the Sac Metro Air District. Based on the Fellow’s findings, Sac Metro Air District will align available funding to address key resiliency and priority community needs.

Desired Skills

The fellow will need to be able to work collaboratively in a team to determine project direction and share findings, but is expected to execute independently.

Site visits and field work are likely, so a drivers license is preferred.

GIS skills are a plus, but not required.

Organization & Workplace Highlights

The Sac Metro Air District is a local air quality District of 100 professionals working to meet state and federal clean air and climate goals for our 1.5 million breathers. We pride ourselves on our innovation and commitment to serving all, especially those in disadvantaged and underserved communities. Sac Metro Air District has been part of the CivicSpark program from the beginning and we commit to providing each Fellow with a signature project for their portfolio so they can forward their career goals, whether it be graduate school or the workforce. We have a hybrid office environment with one-day-per-week required, but the fellow may come in as often as five-days-per-week.

Community Highlights

Sacramento has the most diverse neighborhoods of any major American city, and is a microcosm for the nation with rural farms, suburban communities, a vibrant urban core, snow-capped mountains and flowing rivers. As the state capital, the fellow can have opportunities to network with regulators, advocates, and communities. Sacramento is also actively dealing with climate change and resilience is top-of-mind; wildfire smoke, increased heat, drought and flooding impact the region, and all exasperated by a legacy of redlining and racist policies.