Senior Associate - Carbon Free Transportation

Job Description:

Do you love solving challenging problems, writing and research, and working in groups? Do you also have the self-motivation, curiosity, creativity and ability to persuade others toward meaningful results? Are you passionate about the clean energy transition? If yes, then join our growing team!

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is seeking a Senior Associate to support the Carbon Free Transportation Team.

We highly encourage individuals of underrepresented groups to apply!

Program Overview:
 

Our Carbon-Free Transportation team is spearheading a rapid and equitable transition to clean transportation in India, China, the United States, Europe, and the Global South. We work to accelerate the pace and scale of vehicle electrification from the grid up and de-risk the EV transition to unlock private investment.

The future of mobility must be:

1. Electric: making zero tailpipe emissions the norm in a 1.5°C-aligned timeframe

2. Connected: building out smart and ubiquitous infrastructure

3. Equitable: developing healthy, accessible, and affordable transportation for all

Our strategy includes:

• Policy and implementation support for national and subnational governments

• Advanced data analysis to provide decision-makers with actionable information

• Industry convening and co-creation to define new pathways and initiate positive ambition loops

• Communications campaigns to create unavoidable visibility and irreversible demand for zero pollution products and services

• Finance solutions to ensure equitable access to loans and clean vehicles and to unlock multilateral and bilateral development finance and channel it to the highest impact e-mobility programs globally 

Position Overview:

As a Senior Associate, you are a creative problem solver who uses your quantitative, technical, and analytical abilities to conduct compelling research and facilitate a range of stakeholders and partners seeking to develop solutions that accelerate the decarbonization of the transportation sector globally.

We look for aptitude at solving challenging problems, thinking in numbers, and working in groups. We expect self-motivation, curiosity, creativity, the ability to drive oneself and others toward meaningful results, and a passion for making the world better. RMI Senior Associates are independent contributors and work closely with colleagues on projects under the direction of more senior staff. They have begun to develop expertise in the content area of their program within RMI and can provide support internally to RMI on that topic.

We invite candidates with a variety of skillsets, educational and work backgrounds!

Your key responsibilities as a Senior Associate include:

• Provide core research, quantitative analysis, support to our projects.

• Design and create innovative problem-solving approaches and quantitative models to effectively address key questions and challenges posed by our research goals and clients. 

• Locate and manage high quality data that sheds new light on problems and solutions.

• Synthesize recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports.

• Present quantitative information in a clear, visual format.

• Engage with external experts via interviews, conferences, and respond to outreach requests.

• Structure and guide the work of more junior team members.

• Contribute publicly at conferences, share expertise in response to media requests, discuss our work with clients and donors, and direct RMI research collaborations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• An undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in an applicable field such as engineering, environmental or physical sciences and at least 4 years cumulative work experience in a related field (or equivalent timeframe inclusive of a post graduate degree) in a related field

• Ability to design, create, and run Excel-based models.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Personal qualities: intellectual curiosity, flexible mindset, and a passion for impact and environmental sustainability.

Preferred knowledge, skills, experience, and competencies:  

• Interest in decarbonizing global transportation systems.

• Work experience and interest in the clean energy and/or clean transportation sectors.

• Graduate degree in an applicable field.

• Comfort working in both collaborative team settings as well as independently managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

• Willingness to plunge into new areas of work and to learn