Host: City of Issaquah, WA
Region: Washington
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation (e.g.,sea level rise planning, environmental justice, climate migration planning), Climate Mitigation, Disaster Response and Preparedness / Emergency Management (e.g.,flood prevention, wildfire prevention, coastal protection), Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Project Management, Community Outreach, Marketing,

Remote or On-Site Placement

Hybrid

Service Needs & Plans

1. This position supports the two person team at the City of Issaquah’s Office of Sustainability. This position may also engage with the Emergency Management Team. This position will interact with many departments at the City as well as local and regional partners.
2. This position will support projects that relate to likely climate impacts in Issaquah, including extreme heat, flooding and wildfire. This position will support community members that are at higher risk for climate impacts.

Project Description

1. Climate resilience. This position will support the City of Issaquah as it rolls out a climate resilience communication campaign and continues to develop concepts around resilience hubs. These projects build upon the climate vulnerability assessment with the goal of providing resources for the community members at highest risk for climate impacts. The Fellow will support the maintenance of current communication strategies (e.g. keeping a storymap up to date) as well as have the opportunity to build new tools. The fellow will also support continued development of a resilience hub, which may include work with city departments or local partners. We anticipate having a grant in place by this time to build the resilience hub and therefore the Fellow would participate in the concept development, marketing, and actual implementation.

2. If grant or city funds are secured, this position will support the roll out of an electrification rebate program for low income housing and small businesses. The Fellow would support marketing of the program, processing paperwork, answering questions from the public, and generate reports on implementation.

3. The City plans to begin an update to the Climate Action Plan in 2025. The Fellow may support hosting listening sessions or focus groups, Tribal engagement, data analysis to inform revisions and proposals for plan revisions.

Desired Skills

We are looking for someone that is nimble, as priorities may change based on community or Council interest. We are also looking for someone that is eager to learn!

Organization & Workplace Highlights

The City of Issaquah has a staff of approximately 250 employees. We have a hybrid workforce, with a requirement for staff to be in the office 1 day a week, although Sustainability staff are often in 2-3 days. We are committed to our SALMON values and there is a heavy emphasis on a positive employee experience and retention. Staff have received training in DEI and we have an internal committee that works on equity issues as well as a City Board focused on Equity. Equity is at the heart of the work of the Office of Sustainability, with each of our programs have a focus or component focused on community members that have been historically marginalized. Our City offers regular trainings, fun events, and a great support network.

Community Highlights

Issaquah is a community of about 40,000 people and has grown rapidly in the last 15 years. Affectionally known as “trailhead city”, we are located 17 miles East of Seattle and surrounding by the Issaquah Alps. Our community is very engaged, and for the most part, supportive of climate and sustainability initiatives (our biggest criticism is that we aren’t doing enough, fast enough). The City prides itself in having many community festivals, with the largest event, Salmon Days, happening in October which attracts over 150,000 to our community over a weekend. With Issaquah, you get a little bit of everything with a historic downtown, all the amenities of a big city, transit into Seattle, and mountains out your backdoor.