Duties & Responsibilities
- Directs F&S Waste Management & Recycling (WMR) program, including goal identification and implementation of waste reduction programs for the Urbana campus, and help achieve goals described in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) and State Waste Reduction Plan. This includes project planning, policy development and implementation
- Lead the campus’ zero waste program. Ideate, identify, and execute objectives that address reducing landfilled waste. This includes program development, project management, policy development, and metric tracking
- Serve as the primary point of contact, industry expertise and technical knowledge at F&S for inquiries related to recycling, composting, and waste reduction to ensure responsiveness to common problems and concerns
- Develop rates for services, oversee the finances of WMR including financial management and the unit’s budget allocation
- Manage administrative operation of the Waste Transfer Station
- Serves as primary advisor to the Director, Transportation & Building Services regarding overall major program development, management, and operations of WMR.
- Seek funding for zero waste initiatives including materials, equipment, programming, and services, through preparation of business cases, grant writing, and other means. Prepare reports, such as those reflecting status of recycling programs on a volumetric basis and from a financial standpoint. Acts as primary liaison between external agencies and responsible units to ensure compliance with university/agency, federal, state, and sponsor regulations governing grants and contracts.
- Provides information to the community to increase awareness of campus recycling efforts and programs. Chair the Zero Waste iCAP Team. This includes participating in campus-wide sustainability events with iCAP Teams and F&S Sustainability. Present updates on Zero Waste efforts at seminars, classes, and other forums, as needed.
- Provides supervision and management of work assigned to contracted and support staff.
- Engage student groups, faculty, staff, and volunteers to participate in recycling events, education, and outreach. Serve as a resource for students, faculty, staff, and community members interested in improving sustainable waste management programs on campus and in the local community.
- Creates, interprets, develops and implements policies and procedures to program workers; provides primary support to a unit administrator or other executive, and assumes full direction for an office, administrative, or operational matters in the absence of the unit administrator.
- Represent the University in regional and national zero waste planning and advocacy discussions, such as the Zero Waste Alliance, the Campus and University Recycling Coalition, and the Big Ten and Friends Sustainability Group.
- Maintain records on total and categorical recycled materials for participating campus units. Provide regular reports to leadership and the public, as needed. This includes updating the iCAP Portal and F&S website with relevant information about Zero Waste. Support the Mission, Vision, Values and Guiding Principles of Facilities & Services.
- Other related duties as assigned.
Additional Physical Demands
Environmental Demands:
Work Environment:
• May be exposed to chemicals, heat, cold, dust, fumes, noise, and inclement weather.
• Can require the ability to multitask on given assignments.
• Certain assignments can be stressful at times.
• The employee is expected to support the Mission, Vision, Values, Guiding Principles and management operational directions and philosophies of Facilities and Services.
Minimum Qualifications
1. Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Environmental Sciences, Public Administration/Policy or related field.
2. A total of one (1) year of experience in education, training and/or work experience in Waste Management, Recycling Programs, and/or Sustainability.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- • Thorough understanding of University sustainability goals for waste reduction.
- • This position requires a thorough understanding of the issues and forces related to zero waste programs; strong organizational and project management skills; strong written and verbal communication skills; willingness to speak publicly and to the media; ability to manage student volunteers, work with students in an academic setting, and work collaboratively with students, staff, faculty, and off-campus community members.