Senior Specialist, Urban Resilience

Job Description

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 5,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI's Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI's experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

SG&R’s Water portfolio has delivered innovative, breakthrough solutions in key development sectors, including water sector governance, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, solid waste management, urbanization, economic livelihood development, community engagement, and institutional capacity building. Our work spans the Africa continent with a growing presence in South Asia.

RTI International is recruiting for a Senior Specialist, Urban Resilience to join the team. The Senior Specialist will serve as a project manager for complex USAID-funded urban resilience programs, contribute to RTI’s thought leadership in areas of integrated solid waste management, ocean plastics reduction, circular economy, and urban resilience, and serve as a proposal leader or lead technical writer for proposals in response to USAID and donor-funded solicitations.

This position will report to the Director and would be based in Washington, DC, or the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (RTI headquarters). Telecommuting will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The position will be expected to travel internationally up to 25% of the time.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support implementation of USAID-funded projects in the urban resilience sector, including those that reduce ocean plastics. This includes supporting the Chief of Party, Program Manager, and/or Water Division Director in the definition and execution of project activities; the development of plans, schedules, budgets and high-quality deliverables; and review of scope and deliverables by sub-contractors or sub-awardees.
• Takes leading role in thought leadership, contributing to the scientific stature of RTI and the Urban Resilience team. Stays current on international development trends, tools, and approaches related to urban resilience, circular economy, solid waste management, and reducing ocean plastics. Shares knowledge both internally and externally through publications, blogs, presentations, conferences, workshops, and other platforms. Mentors early career staff in technical areas.
• Contribute to business development by leading and/or supporting capture and proposal efforts with a focus on serving as a technical contributor for proposal solutioning, conceptualizing technical approaches, and identifying teaming strategies related to urban resilience, circular economy, SWM and/or ocean plastics bids.
• Collaborates with other RTI technical experts to identify and analyze opportunities for collaboration, synergies and program expansion in urban resilience, specifically solid waste management and ocean plastics.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in natural resource management, international development, urban resilience, water, environment or relevant discipline and 12 years of relevant experience or a Master's degree in relevant discipline and 10 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum of five years of progressive professional experience supporting solid waste management, circular economy and/or urban resilience activities funded.
• Experience supporting technical implementation of USAID, other donor-funded or international projects.
• Demonstrated writing skills, such as technical proposals, academic or research assignments, or similar.
• Demonstrated experience and professional interest in one or more of the following areas: circular economy, ocean plastics, ‘5R’s’, urban service delivery, and/or solid waste management.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Previous experience supporting business development, including experience with proposal capture, proposal management and/or proposal technical writing, with a preference for experience with USAID.
• Experience working as part of multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams in dispersed locations is a plus.
• Must work effectively under deadlines, both independently and as a team member.
• Fluency in Spanish, French and/or another language is a plus.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States.

RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

About the Organization