Building Decarbonization Intern

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT :

The Community Development Department (CDD) is the planning agency for the City of Cambridge. CDD’s mission is to foster a livable, sustainable, just, and equitable community; it engages and collaborates with community partners, other government agencies, businesses, and residents to make Cambridge a desirable place to live, work, learn, play, and innovate. The Environment / Sustainability team, primarily coordinates the City’s efforts to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions and to make Cambridge a climate resilient community.

ABOUT THE ROLE :

Cambridge’s Net Zero Action Plan, the City’s climate strategy for buildings, identifies policies and programs to help Cambridge achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. Reaching this goal will require decarbonizing buildings through electrification, efficiency, and access to renewable energy. Last year, Cambridge adopted one of the most stringent building performance standards in the country, requiring the largest nonresidential buildings to reach net zero by 2035. Cambridge is working to implement these requirements and support building owners with decarbonization. Other key initiatives are supporting residential electrification at scale, increasing access to renewable electricity, and piloting retrofit financing models. The Building Decarbonization Intern will support implementation of these and related initiatives and help explore new strategies for building decarbonization in Cambridge.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Supporting the implementation of the large building performance standards, referred to as the BEUDO (Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance) amendments. This work will include communication with building owners, data benchmarking and analysis, researching policy questions, and collaborating on implementation strategy.
• Creating content and documents on building decarbonization, for residents, businesses, and project partners. This may include case studies, outreach content, and presentations.
• Analyzing information and program metrics to support targeted outreach and measure outcomes.
• Supporting the work of the Cambridge Climate Committee as they advise on the equitable implementation of the Net Zero Action Plan.
• Researching developments in the field of climate policy and programs and emerging decarbonization solutions to inform Cambridge’s strategy.
• Assisting with additional energy and climate related tasks as assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS :

Education & Experience :

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

WORK ENVIRONMENT : Standard office environment. Fluorescent lighting and air conditioning. Moderate noise level. Some outdoor events. Will have to engage with partners via Zoom or Teams. This position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City’s Telework Policy, depending on operational needs. Occasional in-person evening meetings are expected (approximately once a month).

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

START DATE AND DURATION :   June start date with a minimum six-month commitment.The intern may request working additional hours per week in some months and fewer in others (e.g., summer vs. fall), such that the average over the six-month period is 18.5 hrs / wk or less.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS :

Please upload the following documents to complete your application :