Zero Waste Coordinator

• Setting goals and priorities in support of the university's zero waste commitment and developing and implementing supporting strategies.
• Managing and assigning tasks to a zero-waste team, which may include full-time staff, part-time staff, student employees, and contractors.
• Overseeing the efficient management of all waste streams and waste-related vendor contracts, including municipal solid waste, single-stream recycling, electronics recycling, organics composting, cardboard textile and furniture donations, secure document shredding, and scrap metal recycling.
• Providing guidance, direction, and training to collaborators involved in zero waste actions across the Division of Safety and Operations and across the university.
• Continuously analyzing waste collection data to drive decision-making processes, identify inefficiencies, and develop strategies for operational improvements and contract adjustments as needed.
• Leading stakeholder meetings to track progress and address issues and collaborate with custodial, grounds, dining, transportation, and contractor colleagues as needed to accomplish zero waste goals.
• Overseeing waste infrastructure maintenance and ensuring compliance with GW design standards and specifications.
• Serving as a technical resource when issues arise regarding waste reduction, collection, and disposal across all divisions at the university.
• Ensuring the university's compliance with local waste management regulations and providing timely registration and accurate reporting of solid waste diversion data to relevant District of Columbia agencies.
• Recruiting appropriate resources to fund, staff, and otherwise enable zero waste strategy implementation from appropriate university leaders, while maintaining sensitivity to competing priorities and the need to center issues of environmental justice and social equity.
• Assessing the feasibility and modeling the economics of proposed projects with a mindset of cost-effectiveness and resource stewardship.
  
  

Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 2 years of relevant professional experience, or, a Master's degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

• A passion for developing and implementing sustainability initiatives in an institutional or similar setting.
• Demonstrated experience managing other team members, building relationships, and working collaboratively.
• Strong knowledge of the issues and challenges related to materials recovery and zero waste. A working knowledge of energy and climate change, water conservation and quality, food systems, transportation alternatives, and/or urban biodiversity is highly desirable.
• Experience and skills at managing process projects, cross-functional teams, and facilitating group processes and meetings, as well as in change management.
• Highly motivated and self-directed, comfortable working in a loosely structured environment both independently and as part of a team, willing and able to assume a high level of responsibility for a project from start to finish, show initiative to seize and develop new opportunities, and persistence with organizational change.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrating tact and diplomacy to consistently interact effectively and flexibly with diverse groups of people including executive management.
• Experience with peer education and training, particularly in an operations-focused environment.
  
  

How is pay for new employees determined at GW?

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.