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Community Development Officer - Climate Resilence
Island Institute
Marketing & Communications, Customer Service
Rockland, ME, USA
USD 58,401-58,401 / year
Posted on Aug 11, 2025
Island Institute has an exciting opportunity for someone passionate about working with island and coastal communities as a Community Development Officer (CDO). This position will support our Climate Resilience team as part of the Center for Climate and Community.
As a CDO, you will help manage projects that strengthen the resilience of Maine’s island and coastal communities, including initiatives in climate and clean energy planning. The role requires strong facilitation, community engagement, and project management skills, along with the ability to travel regularly along the Maine coast to attend and lead meetings.
Headquartered in Rockland, Maine, Island Institute is a leading community development organization dedicated to navigating climate and economic changes with Maine’s island and coastal communities, expanding opportunities, and delivering effective solutions. Our culture thrives on collaboration and creativity, driven by a vision where Maine’s island and coastal communities thrive in a rapidly changing world, serving as models of innovation.
The ideal candidate will bring:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Digital literacy to support hybrid and virtual meetings
- Experience working on a small, collaborative team with diverse external partners, including state and federal agencies
- A background in translating technical information into clear, community-focused insights and solutions
- An interest in relationship building, process-oriented development, and fostering meaningful community engagement
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in sustainability, climate studies, environmental science, planning, communication, or a related field; advanced degree.
- 2+ years of work experience with proven success in facilitation, specifically convening stakeholder groups in in-person, hybrid and virtual formats; project management; engagement with diverse partners while maintaining relationships across sectors; and translating technical information to a variety of collaborators.
- 1+ years of professional work experience with demonstrated content expertise related to climate resilience or clean energy transitions work. Experience in and knowledge of municipal climate planning and / or electric grid resiliency a plus.
- Excellent public speaking and written communication.
- Digital literacy: ability and willingness to navigate multiple digital platforms and conduct virtual and hybrid meetings.
- Experience collaborating with technical experts and translating scientific data to meet community needs and values.
- Proficiency in GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS) and ability to analyze and visualize spatial data.
Key Responsibilities:
- Facilitation and Community Engagement: Facilitate meetings and workshops with internal teams, community partners, and external stakeholders; plan and execute public events to educate and engage communities on climate resilience topics; develop and maintain strong relationships with community leaders, organizations, and stakeholders; implement community engagement strategies that align with local values and priorities.
- Communication and Collaboration: Communicate effectively in written and verbal formats to diverse audiences, including community members, technical experts, and policymakers; work collaboratively on a small team while managing relationships with a wide range of external partners, including state, federal and regional partners; translate complex scientific and technical information into actionable recommendations and relatable insights for communities; foster partnerships with technical experts and community leaders to co-develop clean energy and climate resilience strategies.
- Project Management Support: Assist with the management of multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely and successful delivery of project objectives; maintain project timelines, budgets, and work plans; coordinate with internal and external partners to implement project activities effectively; serve as topical advisor to appropriate Island Institute Fellows; monitor and evaluate project progress, adjusting plans as necessary to meet goals.
- Climate Thought Leadership: Familiarity and experience with climate resilience strategies and community planning, especially for rural and island communities, and experience with providing culturally-appropriate communication around climate resilience and clean energy.
What we offer:
- A benefits program to include health, dental, vision, company provided life insurance, and a 403b plan with an employer match of up to 6% after a year of service.
- A generous paid time off policy.
- 12 paid holidays and 2 paid floating holidays.
- Island Institute membership benefits.
- Hybrid work environment.
Physical Demands and Work Environment:
The physical demands and work environment characteristics 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.
- The employee is required to sit, enter data using computer keyboard and mouse, stand, walk, bend over occasionally, and move about the office space as well as between building floors. There is no requirement to lift and/or move weights of more than 15 pounds.
- The employee will be expected to travel on occasion by boat and ferry to various islands and remote coastal locations.
- There will be times when working long hours in the evenings and weekends will be required.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.
Base pay for this position is $58,401 with a range that depends on experience and skills related to position responsibilities and qualifications. Most initial offers are made below the midpoint of the range and are based on factors such as relevant experience, skills alignment, and internal equity. Recognizing that no candidate will possess all the relevant skills and experience, we encourage you to apply if you align with many of the qualifications for and interests in this role.
While there is no deadline for submitting your application, the application period will close when the position is filled. Contact Susan Haversat at shaversat@islandinstitute.org if reasonable accommodation is required to complete the application.
Based in Rockland, Maine, the Island Institute is a nonprofit organization, and an equal opportunity "at-will" employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities based upon an individual's ability and qualifications. We do not discriminate against people on the basis of race, citizenship, ancestry, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, mental or physical disability.