Salary : $49,939.24 - $79,901.90 Annually Location : Roanoke, VA Job Type: Full Time Non-Exempt Job Number: 03008 Department: General Services Division: Director of General Services Opening Date: 07/30/2025 Closing Date: 8/27/2025 11:59 PM Eastern Description The City of Roanoke is a leader in sustainability and is searching for an energetic, enthusiastic person to support and grow the program. The Sustainability Assistant will work with the Sustainability Coordinator to provide research, develop, plan, and implement all Sustainability Programs and Projects within the organization and greater Roanoke community. Creates educational and communication materials, presentations, and online media. This position will manage public communications, create outreach materials, and engage with the community to provide education, increase awareness of our programs, and create collective solutions with a specific focus on equity, community health and wellbeing, and resilience. The Sustainability Assistant promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in internal operations and in the community based on the goals outlined in the Climate Action Plan, and will make recommendations that support the City's efforts to create an environmentally sustainable community. This position assists Sustainability Coordinator in minor administrative duties to support the City's various sustainability programs and initiatives. The City of Roanoke is an Equal Employment Opportunity/AA/M/F/Disability Employer. To elevate the performance of the organization, we are committed to respecting, celebrating, and embracing the collective mixture of differences and similarities between our employees as a rich tapestry. Our behaviors will demonstrate open communication, and we will seek opportunities to learn, recognizing and rewarding actions that promote acceptance while suspending judgment. By doing this, we will foster an inclusive, open work environment that delivers excellent service and creates a more vibrant and inviting community. This is a non-exempt position. Examples of Duties SUMMARY Performs routine to difficult administrative and technical work in support of the city's various sustainability programs and initiatives. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Program & Policy Development
- Research, identify, and help facilitate strategic implementation to reduce emissions, including but not limited to renewable and clean energy solutions, waste reduction, environmental quality (air and water pollution), and social climate justice
- Develop, coordinate with diverse internal and external stakeholders, and implement sustainability programs, such as; single use plastic reduction programs, Recycle Right, C-PACE, Solarize Roanoke, and future decarbonization and pollution reduction initiatives
- Assist in creating and implementing guiding Sustainability documents
- Perform complex technical support work related to ensuring the on-going success of our City's climate change goals, applicable policy, and supports the administration of a comprehensive sustainability program
- Research and propose policies, programs, and technologies that can be applied toward City goals (e.g. single use plastics reduction, 100% clean energy)
Community Engagement
- Develop reciprocal relationships with community groups, neighborhood associations, other City Departments and various commissions and foundations to enhance the quality of life for Roanoke citizens.
- Conduct regular public outreach to educate and engage with the public about sustainability and resilience initiatives, including outreach materials, community meetings, presentations, and events
- Develop verbal and graphic content for public communication on sustainability programs through a variety of media channels including news media, content of webpages, social media
- Collaborate with and participate in climate related/sustainability community groups and networks to support community-guided solutions to our City; respond to citizen concerns and inquiries
Funding and Grant Assistance
- Identify funding opportunities such as grants, develop applications, and help manage grants if awarded; implement and coordinate grant programs; collaborate with community partners and stakeholders
Professional Learning & Development
- Participate in continuing education and peer learning in fast-pace climate change field through conferences, work groups, webinars; utilize statewide and national sustainability groups and networks
- Stay current on environmental issues and laws, with the ability to conduct, interpret data, and apply scientific research to outreach, written material, and direct communication with the public
Other Tasks
- Assist in writing and compiling data for reports
- Utilize computer based applications (databases, GIS, Adobe products, internet, etc.) to support development of various sustainability programs, plans and projects, visual materials, social media posts, and to ensure the on-going maintenance of related record keeping and reporting
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES This position has no supervisory responsibilities Typical QualificationsQUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE Bachelor's Degree in Sustainability-related field or Associate Degree with 3 years of experience in Sustainability-related field like Natural Resources Have an education background, experience, and working knowledge of sustainability goals, principals, and solutions Have some knowledge of climate change, impacts, and effective solutions Communicate policies, practices, procedures, and technical information in a clear and concise manner both orally and in writing to diverse audiences with varying degrees of background knowledge and experience Supplemental Information LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to prepare reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization. REASONING ABILITY Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to manipulate, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk, stand, and/or sit for prolonged periods, sometimes outdoors and during inclement weather. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. The employee may occasionally be required to wear certain basic personal protective equipment. Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to adjust focus in all levels of lighting. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. As with any enforcement entity, the recipients of violation notices or abatement actions are typically irritated while a few may become very angry and even combative. At such times, the work environment may occasionally become loud and abusive. This is a job description and not an individualized position description. A job description defines the general character and scope of duties and responsibilities of all positions in a job classification, but it is not intended to describe and does not necessarily list the essential job functions for a given position in a classification. Overview of Benefits for Full-Time Employees: Paid leave is time off from work available for use by an employee upon approval by supervisor. The first 24 consecutive leave hours for any illness must be charged to paid leave with additional time charged to extended illness leave. Paid leave for employees of the city shall accrue as follows: Years of Service Hours Per Month Fire 24-hr shift Employees 0 - 4 12 19.75 5 - 9 14 22.75 10- 14 16 25.50 15 - 19 17 26.75 20 - 24 18 28.75 25 + 20 32 Extended Illness Leave: shall accrue at the rate of six (6) hours per month. Fire suppression employees shall accrue extended illness leave at nine (9) hours per month. Funeral Leave: for family, up to three consecutive days. Military Leave: Twenty-one work days per Federal fiscal year. Holidays: The City provides 96 hours of annual paid holiday time. Mental Health & Well-Being Leave: Employees receive 24 hours (Fire Suppression receives 34 hours) of Mental Health & Well-Being Leave upon hire. Certification of mental health diagnosis is not required and leave will not be paid out upon separation. Shared Leave Bank (effective 1/1/2023): Voluntary membership for full-time Employees who will be out for an extended period of time and has exhausted all other forms of leave. Members are required to provide 8 hours of their Extended Illness per fiscal year and at least 8 hours per assessment. Assessments will be limimted to 4 times per fiscal year (max of 40 hours per fiscal year). Health Insurance: Four coverage types are available: Employee only, Employee + 1 Child, Employee + Spouse and Family. Coverage is available through payroll deduction. Additionally, the city offers the following three Aetna Health Plan Options: PPO 750 - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; lower deductible and out-of-pocket maximums than other medical plans; and has higher employee premiums. This is comparable to the current insurance program. PPO/HRA 1500 - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; has higher deductible and out-of-pocket maximum than the PPO 300 plan; has lower employee premiums than the PPO 300 plan; and the employer makes contributions to an account through a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). The City of Roanoke contributes $500 for employee only coverage and $1,000 for all other tiers. Contributions are pro-rated dependent upon enrollment date. PPO/HDHP-HSA - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; has higher deductible and out-of-pocket maximum than other medical plans; has lower employee premiums; and both the employer and the employee make contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay for medical expenses which apply to the deductible. The City of Roanoke contributes towards the Health Savings Account (HSA), $1,600 for employee only coverage and $3,100 for all other tiers. Contributions are pro-rated dependent upon enrollment date. Optum RX (Pharmaceutical Benefits Manager) - Manages pharmacy benefits, processes employee pharmacy claims and answers employee pharmacy benefit questions. Aetna Health Plan 2025 Monthly Rates PPO 750 Employee Only: $74.49 Employee + Child: $278.42 Employee + Spouse: $653.08 Family: $714.04 PPO/HRA 1500 Employee Only: $48.24 Employee + Child: $236.42 Employee + Spouse: $600.58 Family: $609.04 PPO/HDHP-HSA Employee Only: $22.81 Employee + Child: $177.93 Employee + Spouse $498.08 Family: $500.51 Dental Insurance: Four coverage types are available: Family, Employee and Spouse, Employee and Child, and Employee only. Coverage is available through payroll deduction. Delta Dental 2025 Monthly Rates Employee: $2.80 Employee/Child: $18.88 Employee/Spouse: $18.88 Family: $49.36 Life Insurance: Paid by the City at no cost to employees. Coverage is equal to the annual salary rounded to the next highest thousand and then doubled. For an accidental death, the coverage would be twice this amount. Optional Life Insurance: Paid by the employee. Various amounts of coverage, including family members, available through payroll deduction. Long Term Disability Insurance: Designed to provide a monthly benefit to assist employees with bills and maintaining a standard of living when disabled as a result of a covered sickness or injury. Coverage is available through payroll deduction. Annual cost is your annual salary multiplied by .00255. This amount is half of the total premium and the City pays the other half. Retirement: Employees contribute 5% of salary and choose between participating in a traditional defined benefit plan or a hybrid program. Employees vest in the employer component of either plan upon completing five (5) years of service. Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Normal retirement after 55th birthday, and when combination of age and creditable service equals 85; or, 65th birthday if completed at least five years of creditable service. For sworn officers in Police and Fire/EMS, normal retirement after 50th birthday, and when combination of age and service equals 75; or, 65th birthday or older with 5 years of creditable service. An annual retirement benefit equals 2.0% of salary (based on an average of the highest five years) times the number of creditable years with a maximum of 63%. Early retirement options are available and reductions may apply based on age and service. Hybrid Program: Provides the characteristics of the traditional pension plan with that of a deferred compensation plan. The pension plan provides an annual benefit equaling 1% of salary (based on an average of the highest five years) times the number of creditable years with a maximum of 63%. The deferred compensation component provides for the employee contribution to be deposited in an account directed by the member. The combination of the two components is structured to provide approximately the same actuarial benefit as the Defined Benefit Pension Plan. International City Management Association - Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC) provides the third party administration of this deferred compensation plan for participating employees. Sheriff's Department Employees are covered b the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). Previous service covered by VRS may be portable to the Roanoke Retirement System. Retirement Health Savings Plan: All employees contribute 1% of salary to a 401(h) health savings account. Employees vest in the City match of 1% upon completing five (5) years of service. International City Management Association - Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC) provides the third party administration of this plan for participating employees. Deferred Compensation: Employees may voluntarily contribute salary deferred dollars into a City Sponsored 457 Plan. International City Management Association - Empower provides the third party administration of this deferred compensation plan for participating employees. Flexible Spending Account: Allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their pay checks to pay for child care and/or medical and dental expenses not covered by the City's health care or dental plans. You may also set aside pre-tax dollars to cover certain transit or parking expenses. Keep in mind only transit or parking expenses may be rolled over from year to year. Virginia College Savings Plan: Two plans to choose from at a reduced application fee, Virginia Prepaid Education Program and the Virginia Education Savings Trust. Employee Health Services: The City employee health services provides medical care for employees, retirees, and eligible spouses. Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support services available to assist employees facing life challenges. Pay Days: Direct deposit is required for all new employees. Paid bi-weekly, 26 pay periods per year. Vision Insurance: Paid by the Employee. Includes annual routine eye exam, discounts on eyeglass frames, eyeglass lenses and contact lenses. CEC 2025 Monthly Rates Employee: $6.68 Employee/Spouse: $12.69 Employee/Child(ren): $13.36 Family: $19.71 Discounts & Voluntary Benefits: Employees may access discounts through various national and local retailers. Discounts include 10% off auto insurance and 5% off home or renters insurance with Liberty Mutual. Voluntary benefits offered through Corestream. Critical Illness, Accident Insurance and Cancer Policies will be available through Colonial Life and Long Term Care will be available through Transamerica. All voluntary benefits may be payroll deducted.
