A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

The Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) oversees most major technology projects for the City of Philadelphia (CoP), ensures continuity of the City's technology operations, and finds new ways to help the public interact meaningfully with technology. OIT uses technology to help City employees do their work better and helps residents get what they need from municipal government.

What We Offer:

Impact - The work you do here matters to millions.

Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it?

Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs

Benefits - We care about your well being

Agency Description 

Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability (OOS) is responsible for implementing Greenworks: A Vision for a Sustainable Philadelphia, the City’s comprehensive sustainability plan. OOS works with partners to improve the quality of life in all Philadelphia neighborhoods, reduce the City’s carbon emissions, and prepare Philadelphia for a hotter, wetter future. The Energy Office, housed within OOS, manages municipal government energy operations. The team that makes up OOS works interdependently to achieve these goals by drawing upon the wide range of professional and lived experience among team members. Members often collaborate in workgroups of people with complementary skills to maximize OOS’s collective expertise.  

OOS prioritizes professional growth and development across the team. Learning and capacity building occurs in an individual and team context. The entire team convenes regularly to strengthen skills and competencies through training, knowledge exchange, resource sharing, and peer-to-peer support. In addition to all-staff development opportunities, team members create individualized professional development plans to develop specialized skills and explore areas of learning interest. 

The Senior Advisor for Climate Science and Risk Communications will have a vital role in ensuring a solid foundation of climate information that underpins climate resilience initiatives. The Senior Advisor will advance climate science and research so climate risk information can be embedded into decision-making and strengthen capacities to catalyze action.  The role will focus on increasing the relationship between research and practice by employing user-centered design to integrate the priorities of practitioners into the development of climate information products. 

The Senior Advisor will also focus on improving analytical capabilities and advancing collaborations to fill critical research gaps by bridging fields of knowledge. The Senior Advisor will leverage equitable and inclusive engagement techniques to work across disciplinary boundaries, facilitating learning and collaboration among diverse knowledge holders (i.e., academic institutions, government, and frontline communities) to co-produce research relevant to developing transformative climate resilience solutions. This responsibility includes building and maintaining an external committee to serve as an authoritative source of actionable information that makes connections across broad fields of knowledge, including earth, social, and health sciences.  

In support of these strategic priorities, the Senior Advisor will hone in on the following near-term objectives:  

• Strengthen climate risk management capabilities, including climate risk modeling, vulnerability assessments, and scenario analysis planning 

• Create a suite of outcome-based metrics that quantifies progress towards equitable, community resilience 

• Define best practices for the application of climate science data to planning processes and risk management  

• Develop learning resources to improve the general public understanding of climate risk and approaches to enhancing resilience 

• Lay the groundwork for the strategic direction of the Philadelphia Panel on Climate Science by identifying and prioritizing research needs 

This is a full-time, grant-funded position that runs through December 2023. It reports to the Chief Resilience Officer.  

Essential Functions 

• Develop guidance and provide technical assistance to support the inclusion of climate risk consideration into City planning, operations, and budget processes 

• Develop and maintain cutting-edge products that translate complex data into compelling narrative content, powerful visualizations, and interactive applications 

• Compose reports and briefing documents that interpret technical information and data into actionable direction 

• Perform research and data-based analysis to better understand vulnerability and risk with an improved understanding of the magnitude, frequency, and probabilities associated with climate hazards 

• Monitor trends in research and knowledge innovations and provide recommendations for programmatic changes based on the latest best practices and/or models 

• Provide staffing and administrative support to the Philadelphia Panel on Climate Science and Research as required for the Panel to perform its functions 

• Serve as a technical advisor and subject matter expert to external stakeholders on the use of the best available science in key planning processes and strategic initiatives   

• Bridge the gap between practice and research by building and stewarding interdisciplinary partnerships within the civic community, such as collaborations with Philadelphia’s Environmental Justice Advisory Commission. 

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Climate Science Expertise - Demonstrated understanding of climate scenarios, climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities; Familiarity with national and international assessment processes (i.e., Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA)); and expertise on using climate information in risk management strategies? 

• Research and Data Analysis - Well-versed in science research and statistics with the ability to critically analyze and interpret research results; the ability to sift through a vast array of informational resources and produce products (written or digital) that harvest meaningful insights. 

• Communication - Demonstrates strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate climate science and technical information into accessible forms and adapt styles to diverse audiences and different cultural environments. 

• Relationship Management - Relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences; Demonstrated experience (professional or non-professional) building and maintaining relationships with low-wealth and community of color communities and executing projects involving multiple constituencies. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• An interest in designing processes to facilitate knowledge co-creation 

• At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience (professional or non-professional) performing strategic data analysis and research[Text Wrapping Break] 

• Graduate Degree, or a combination of 6 years of education and/or relevant experience. 

• Familiarity with analytical tools and statistical software packages/ programming languages such as Tableau, R, and Python is preferred 

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000 

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Please note that effective September 1, 2021 the City of Philadelphia is requiring all new employees to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. 

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx