Second Nature is a Boston based non-profit organization working to create a sustainable society by transforming higher education through a variety of initiatives including the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a program which supports over 680 institutions in making healthy, just, and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education and provides a framework for implementing comprehensive plans in pursuit of climate change action and carbon neutrality.

Second Nature seeks the services of a Membership Assistant to support the recruitment, implementation, and outreach related to the Second Nature’s membership programs. This position places a strong emphasis on supporting the capacity of colleges and universities to advance comprehensive sustainability education and climate initiatives on campus. The Membership Assistant will work with Second Nature staff in support of the ACUPCC by assisting signatories in meeting reporting deadlines and recruitment of new signatories. The Membership Assistant may also support Second Nature’s Resilience program.

Responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

• communicating with ACUPCC signatories in support of their implementation goals
• database maintenance, including identifying database management improvements
• providing resources for campuses to reach carbon neutrality goals
• conducting market-research of the U.S. higher education sector to identify potential ACUPCC recruitment targets
• preparation of data for internal tracking and external grant reports
• ad hoc tasks (such as editing program documents and/or grant reports, blogging, etc.)
• contribute creative thinking on how to most effectively develop and implement program activities and actively participate in Second Nature staff meetings and activities

Qualifications

We seek an energetic, organized, go-getter who enjoys interacting with people and team collaboration. An ideal candidate is passionate about supporting the sustainability efforts of higher education institutions including a focus on supporting minority serving institutions. Other qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s required in sustainability, organizational management, environmental studies, marketing, or related fields
• Strong interest in energy, climate change or sustainability issues, and general knowledge of the ACUPCC, greenhouse gas accounting, and sustainability in higher education
• Demonstrate a proactive approach to creating and continually improving systems
• Experience with database management and customer relationship management software, preferably Salesforce
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Docs
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including professional telephone communications and good writing and data analysis ability
• Women and/or minority candidates are encouraged to apply
• Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen or resident alien to apply

Position Classification

This is an entry-level, full-time position with pay and benefits commensurate with experience. This position is based at the Second Nature office in downtown Boston, with some remote work and occasional travel. Preferred start date is June 15, 2015.