HEAT Squad Community Engagement Specialist
NeighborWorks of Western Vermont
This position is part of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps (VHCB AmeriCorps). The VHCB AmeriCorps program supports the innovative dual-goal approach to creating stable affordable housing opportunities for Vermont residents while preserving the natural and working landscape. VHCB is a national service program that places AmeriCorps members with non-profit housing or land and energy conservation organizations around the state.
NeighborWorks of Western Vermont located in West Rutland is a one-stop-shop, providing all the answers and support a homebuyer or homeowner needs – homebuyer education, realty, lending, energy efficiency and home repair. What makes NeighborWorks of Western Vermont different is our non-profit mission: to build great communities, one dream home at a time. HEAT Squad is a non-profit service of NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, helping homeowners to save money on energy bills and improve the comfort of their home.
The goal of this position is to educate and engage with Vermont homeowners about energy efficiency (weatherization, technologies, renewables, behavioral changes) resulting in home energy audits (especially in low to moderate income households) and ultimately to completed efficiency improvements to the home. This position will work to increase outreach efforts of the HEAT Squad and foster new relationships with employers, contractors, service providers, and homeowners throughout our service area.
Essential Functions:
- Work alongside the HEAT Squad team to educate, inform, and engage with the public about residential energy audits and efficiency improvements.
- Responsible for implementation and execution of various outreach strategies and initiatives, working with community leaders, energy committees, and other grassroots organizations to further the mission of the program.
- Intake and audit scheduling with homeowners, providing education about the energy audit and next steps in the process.
- Outreach to employers to foster relationships and offer and complete employee presentations
- Other functions based on the skillset of the member within AmeriCorp guidelines.
Marginal Functions:
- Complete post-efficiency improvement home visits to determine actual energy usage compared to projected energy savings, interviewing homeowners to determine the effects of the efficiency improvements on their behaviors and to determine the likelihood of further efficiency upgrades and/or behavioral changes.
- Helping launch the subscription service of HEAT Squad: following up with homeowners annually, connecting them to contractors for various home check-ups/tune-ups, reviewing their energy bills for discrepancies
- Creating material for a quarterly energy efficiency themed newsletter
- Overall assistance for the HEAT Squad team, working closely with the Program Manager, Program Assistant, and Marketing/Outreach members.
- Attend meetings, webinars, trainings, and events that are related to and/or associated with energy efficiency and technologies and/or healthcare, may make presentations at events.
- Helping with related program paperwork, filing, data entry, data tracking, phone calls, and calculations as necessary.
Desired Qualifications:
- Good people skills, outgoing, team player, self-directed, computer skills, and leadership abilities.
- Strong desire to be exposed to and willingness to help diverse populations.
- Reliable, independent transportation is an absolute must and ability to attend local and national trainings is required.
- Capable of effective oral and written communication with all members of society, and comfortable with public speaking.
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, leadership skills, and personable are all a must.
- Ability to maintain focus and productivity in an “open space” environment with routine distractions.
- Equally effective working independently as well as part of a team.
- Aptitude for learning about energy efficiency, building science and weatherization techniques, willingness to attend trainings and seminars.
- Some minor math skills are required for computing energy usage compared to typical usage can be taught by NeighborWorks staff.
- Strong computer skills. Familiar with Microsoft Office, including Word, Publisher, PowerPoint and Excel, and willingness to learn CRM Salesforce.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Be US citizen or have permanent resident status (call with questions about this);
- Be at least 18 years of age upon entering the Pre-Service Orientation (there is no upper age limit), or 17 years of age with written parental permission that has been verified by phone;
- Be a high school graduate or have a GED certificate, or be willing to work towards their GED as part of service-year. A candidate may not drop out of high school to join AmeriCorps. If a member has a documented medical reason/professional opinion why they cannot finish high school, they might be eligible; call in this case;
- Has not been convicted of murder or sexual assault and is willing to undergo an National Service Criminal History Check
- Be committed to the VHCB AmeriCorps program, and its ethic of service and personal and professional development of its participants;
- Have the ability and enthusiasm to drive to, attend, and participate in required trainings and events, and be prepared to drive up to 2-3 hours each way.
- Willingness to participate in support and collaborate with fellow VHCB AmeriCorps members, and members from other AmeriCorps Programs.
- Willingness to participate in a self-designed Independent Service Project and other VHCB AmeriCorps Program Initiatives.
Additional Information:
Service will be primarily performed in an office setting but will include some outdoor, public, on-site service time as well. Attendance at events in evenings and weekends may be required.
Position begins September 11th, 2017 and ends August 10th, 2018.
This position is Full Time: Requires 1,700 hours and serves approximately 40 hours per week for 11 months. Member will receive a living allowance of $17,850 (pre-tax), and an education award of $5,815 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of service. Other benefits include health insurance, federal school loan forbearance, and various training opportunities.
To Apply: For questions about this position or to send your resume and cover letter:
Melanie Paskevich
HEAT Squad, Program Manager
110 Marble Street
West Rutland, VT 05777
(802) 797-8610
Application deadline: August 16, 2017
Additional information on AmeriCorps is available at www.americorps.org.
The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) is sponsoring this AmeriCorps position through their AmeriCorps Program. VHCB is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Positions are open to all applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran’s status, religion or creed.
