Associate / Senior Associate - Carbon-Free Buildings

Do you love solving challenging problems, thinking about systemic change, and working in teams? Do you also have the self-motivation, curiosity, creativity and ability to persuade others toward meaningful results? Do you have a passion for making the world a better place? If yes, then join our growing team!

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is seeking an Associate or Senior Associate (entry or mid-level research and collaboration position) to focus on housing finance and policy within the Carbon-Free Buildings team. RMIers bring a variety of skillsets, and we welcome candidates with diverse educational and professional backgrounds. We will carefully review each application to determine the appropriate starting position level, and this will be communicated during the interview process.

Application Deadline: Sunday, May 23rd at 12am MT

Program

RMI's Carbon-Free Buildings program seeks to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from US buildings by 2050 through market and policy solutions that support a just, equitable transition for all. The team balances research, technical analysis, communication, stakeholder convening and facilitation, and collaboration to achieve its goals.

Position Overview

RMI is seeking exceptional candidates to fill an Associate or Senior Associate position within our Carbon-Free Buildings program's Finance the Future (FTF) initiative, which is working to position housing finance as a primary driver for decarbonizing American homes while improving affordability, health and safety, equity and resilience outcomes. Specifically, FTF is focused on targeted market and policy engagements to (i) scale products that can finance home efficiency, electrification, and resilience upgrades nationwide, and (ii) ensure the integration and disclosure of key data (e.g. home energy and climate risk data) in business processes to support market development.

As an RMI Associate or Senior Associate, you are a creative problem solver who uses your quantitative, qualitative, technical and analytical abilities to conduct compelling research and assessment around relevant issues. You will be an independent contributor and will work closely with colleagues under the direction of more senior staff to craft visionary yet practical solutions for our research goals and external audiences.

Key Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities for this position will include:

• Lead research, data management and quantitative analysis, presenting results in a clear visual format to support market and policy engagements
• Develop innovative problem-solving approaches to drive new insights and address questions/gaps posed by key external stakeholders (e.g. market actors, policymakers)
• Synthesize findings and recommendations to produce compelling thought leadership (reports, blogs, articles), presentation decks, briefings, etc
• Support external engagement with market actors around solution development, and engage directly with industry experts via phone interviews, conferences, etc
• Coordinate and share insights with other finance-related work streams across the Carbon-Free Buildings program and RMI

Minimum Qualifications

• A graduate degree or equivalent experience in an applicable field such as finance, policy, clean energy, building science, economics, business consulting, risk management OR undergraduate degree and 2-4 years of cumulative work experience with excellent references
• Excellent writing skills, visual presentation capability, verbal communication, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent quantitative analysis skills; ability to convert data and analysis results into insights

Additional Qualifications

• High attention to detail, emotional intelligence, curiosity, and ability to collaborate
• Comfort working with ambiguity and willingness to plunge into unfamiliar disciplines
• A passion for scaling market-based solutions to climate change
• Familiarity with lending, capital markets, financial analysis, utility programs, residential energy technologies, property-related climate risk and/or relevant federal policy a strong plus

Location

This position will remain remote through the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the COVID-19 situation improves, it is expected that candidates will live near one of RMI's US locations in Oakland, CA, Washington, D.C., New York City, Boulder or Basalt, Colorado.

Compensation

The incoming Associate salary range is $68,000 - $75,000 and the incoming Senior Associate salary range is $76,500-$85,000. Salary and level are dependent on experience that will be vetted throughout the interview process. Both levels have an additional 5% bonus target.

Benefits  

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:  

• Medical, dental, vision insurance  
• 403b retirement options (5% match immediately)  
• Life, AD&D, short-term and long-term disability  
• Professional and personal development (including LinkedIn Learning access)  
• Generous paid time off 
• Parental leave  
• Commuter and wellness benefits  
• Casual work environment  

Diversity    

Increasing the diversity of thought, perspectives, ideas and opinions within RMI is a critical change element supporting our long-term sustainability and mission to build a clean, prosperous, and secure energy future.  

We strive for a level of diversity that reflects the communities we serve. Achieving this-regardless of ability, race, ethnicity, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, socioeconomic class, educational attainment or other social identities-is critical to the success of each RMIer and collectively as an organization, ensuring that we:    

• Have the different array of thinking that comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures, enabling us to solve some of the world's greatest challenges.  
• Strive for a culture of inclusion and belonging by treating others with dignity, respect and appreciation enabling them to feel welcomed, supported and valued.  
• Effectively connect, communicate and build long-lasting relationships with decision makers, stakeholders and constituents within diverse communities.  

 RMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

About RMI

RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world's most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.