Energy, Utilities & Sustainability Associate

Launch your Sustainability Career with the Climate Corps Fellowship program!

SEI’s Climate Corps Fellowship program offers the chance to lead impactful climate and community resilience projects while gaining paid, hands-on experience. This full-time, bridge-to-career opportunity pairs fellows with host organizations, from local governments to nonprofits and businesses, to drive real-world change.

About the Opportunity 

Start Date: September 2nd, 2025

Length of Fellowship: 10 months

Do you want to help lead campus sustainability efforts and inspire the next generation of climate leaders? As an Energy, Utilities & Sustainability Associate in the Climate Corps Fellowship program, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to impactful climate resiliency & sustainability initiatives with Cal Poly. This is an on-site position with the expectation of on-site work up to 5 days per week.

This position requires the employee to be physically located in San Luis Obispo, CA, at the time of hire. Only candidates currently residing within commuting distance of the onsite location will be considered.

This role would be responsible for overseeing Cal Poly Green Campus, a group of 10-12 student interns who support campus sustainability initiatives. The role includes onboarding student interns, holding weekly meetings with team leads, and occasional one-on-one meetings. This position is responsible for facilitating and overseeing sustainability-focused projects and programs, including community-based events such as career panels, litter clean-ups, campus tours, and more. This role will also oversee programs such as graduation gown reuse, permanent thrift store initiatives, and tree planting projects.

Projects you will be working on include:

• Earth Week event coordination.
• Sustainability month event coordination.
• Waste audits and zero waste initiatives.

This position offers a unique opportunity to gain leadership and project management experience while developing your professional skills, growing your network, and contributing to Cal Poly’s sustainability goals.

About Our Partner: Cal Poly

The Facilities Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability team is dedicated to the responsible management of the natural resources needed to assure the continued efficient operations of the Cal Poly campus. Electricity, natural gas, water, and various other resources are critical to operating a successful university; Cal Poly is an award-winning leader in sustainability because we manage those resources using sustainability as a driving force in campus planning and operations. Read more about Cal Poly's commitment to sustainability on our guiding principles webpage.

What You’ll Do

• Team Coordination: Maintain team organization and communicate issues in a timely manner. Plan and lead quarterly group meetings, weekly team lead meetings, and volunteer appreciation events. Assist in conflict resolution among the Green Campus Team. Attend all Green Campus meetings and events.
• Project Management: Assist College Corps teams with the planning, execution, and monitoring of sustainability projects related to Water/Energy Conservation, Sustainability Visibility, Reuse/Zero Waste, and Tree Planting.
• Marketing: Support the development of the monthly sustainability newsletter and assist in the creation of recruitment marketing materials. Update and create website content for sustainability.calpoly.edu.
• Outreach: Recruit volunteers and assist with College Corps programs through frequent tabling. Occasionally will be expected to give presentations related to general sustainability to incoming students, student groups, or staff and faculty. Maintain excellent relationships with campus stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students.
• Volunteer Recruitment: Recruit, train, and supervise volunteers for sustainability programs.
• Set an excellent example for the Green Campus Team, including: reliability, positive attitude, team-player, accountability, communication, and conflict resolution.

What We’re Looking For

• Effective verbal and written communication.
• Effective leadership.
• Project management experience. 
• Strong organizational and communication.
• Public speaking experience.