Local recruitment: Program Associate (Internet of Water)

Our Mission

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy seeks to improve quality of life through the effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, we integrate theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide. With locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix; and Beijing, we organize our work around six goals: low-carbon, climate-resilient communities and regions; efficient and equitable tax systems; reduced poverty and spatial inequality; fiscally healthy communities and regions; sustainably managed land and water resources; and functional land markets and reduced informality. 

Center for Geospatial Solutions Overview

The Lincoln Institute’s Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) generates data insights that help partners to design and implement equitable land, water, and climate solutions. 

Internet of Water Overview

In our effort to address the impacts of climate change, including drought, flooding, pollution, and other water-related challenges, information is perhaps the most important solution. How much water is available for use in a particular location? What is the quality? How is it used? Answering such questions is the mission of the Lincoln Institute’s new Internet of Water Initiative—so named because it aims to do for water what the internet did for real estate, weather forecasts, and countless other sources of data. The initiative, housed at CGS, standardizes and connects water-related data in the United States from thousands of different sources to enable better decisions, ultimately making communities more sustainable and resilient.  The Internet of Water Initiative modernizes existing systems for managing water data and help government agencies and private organizations coordinate with each other and make their data more accessible. The initiative continues a project that began in 2018 at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions, which will continue to play a key role as a partner in the new Internet of Water Coalition.  In addition to the Lincoln Institute and the Nicholas Institute at Duke, core members of the coalition include the Water Data Collaborative, the Western States Water Council, and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences. The Internet of Water Coalition will provide a forum for dialogue among participating agencies and organizations, while the Internet of Water Initiative at Lincoln will develop new technology and foster its adoption.  

Position Overview

The Program Associate position reports to the Director, Internet of Water Initiative. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is looking for a Program Associate to join the Internet of Water team at CGS. As a member of the IoW team, you will provide critical event planning, meeting scheduling, note taking, travel coordination, and other administrative support for the Director and Associate Directors of the IoW Initiative.  The Program Associate will support scheduling critical high-level meetings with senior leaders from public, private, and non-profit sectors and will also support event planning tasks for virtual and in-person meetings of groups from 2 to 30 people. Candidates should be comfortable and willing to perform a range of administrative tasks, as administrative support is a significant portion of the role. 

The IoW team values forthright feedback, initiative, cooperation and teamwork, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and accepting responsibility. 

This is a full-time at 37.5 hours/week position in metro Washington, DC or remotely anywhere in the United States, COVID permitting, reporting to the Director, Internet of Water Initiative. Some domestic travel may be required up to 10%. 

What You’ll Do – Support IoW Stakeholder Engagement (50%)

• Support the Associate Director for Stakeholder Engagement in managing stakeholder data and communications for approximately 50 to 100 IoW stakeholders, organized into nine separate stakeholder groups. 
• Support the Associate Director for Stakeholder Engagement in collaboration with the IoW Coalition Chair and Vice Chair, ensure the successful executions of all meetings and events, including the development agendas and materials prepared in advance of each meeting; record actions and provide meeting summaries, and maintain records and manage updates to all Coalition documents and materials including membership lists, and the coalition charter. 
• Facilitate virtual meetings of IoW Coalition working groups, and work with IoW Coalition partners in the development and implementation of the IoW Peer-2-Peer Network and its webinar series. 
• Work with Lincoln and IoW communications staff to develop presentations and other public facing materials for the Initiative.

What You’ll Do – Support Other CGS/IoW Client Stakeholder Engagement (30%)

• Support IoW Initiative Director and Associate Directors in the successful execution of two Federal roundtable events annually sponsored by the Department of Energy including the development agendas and materials prepared in advance of each meeting; record actions and provide meeting summaries; maintain Federal records and manage updates to all Roundtable documents and participant lists. 
• Support IoW Associate Director for Stakeholder Engagement in the successful execution of Department of Energy stakeholder engagement activities, including the maintenance of all stakeholder lists for the HydroSource and Intelligent Watersheds Program; the development of agendas and materials prepared in advance of each meeting; record actions and provide meeting summaries, and maintain Federal records. 

What You’ll Do – Provide Administrative Support to the IoW Director and team (20%)

• Provide general administrative support to the IoW Director and team, including all internal and external meeting scheduling, expense receipt processing, conference attendance and travel support.  
• Provide confidential administrative assistance in maintaining IoW records and compliance with requests from other parts of the Lincoln Institute. 
• Support the IoW Director in reviewing project finances and financial statements, proofreading and checking numbers.  
• Support CGS/IoW liaise with the array of programs and centers at Lincoln Institute

What You’ll Need

• 2-5 years’ professional experience working in a fast-paced administrative environment supporting a creative team; 
• 2-5 years’ professional experience with scheduling with senior officials in Federal and state government agencies; 
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience;  
• Extraordinary attention to detail; 
• Excellent work ethic; 
• Proofreading skills for both words and numbers; 
• Willingness to support and organize details for team members 
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently; 
• Experience with a wide range of office software including MS Office, Adobe, Airtable Raiser’s Edge, and others; 
• Understanding about environmental sciences and water resources management, policy, and/or data a plus. 

Compensation Overview

The salary market range for this role is $53K-$59K depending on level of education and years of experience. 

Our Benefits

Benefits highlights include but are not limited to (a) 3x employer contribution towards retirement matching your employee contribution up to 15%, (b) health insurance, (c) dental insurance, (d) vision insurance, (e) 100% reimbursement of the health care deductible through a health reimbursement account, (f) short-term disability coverage, (g) long term disability coverage, (h) paid parental leave, (i) voluntary insurances such as accident insurance, (j) health care flexible spending, (k) dependent care flexible spending, (l) paid time off for holidays, vacation, personal, sick, bereavement, and jury duty, (m) office closure between December 24 – Jan 1 each calendar year, (n) flexible schedule and option for a compressed 4 day workweek, (o) tuition and staff development reimbursement, (p) pet insurance, and (q) Employee Assistance Program.  

Our Values

We support a culture of forthright feedback, initiative, cooperation and teamwork, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and accepting responsibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy is dedicated to creating an inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), ancestry, citizenship status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.