Job Description

Description

Join one of the transportation sector’s most diverse and innovative engineering teams. The Port Authority’s airports, ports, ferries, tunnels, bridges, bus terminals and rail transportation systems are among the region’s most important transportation facilities. As the first U.S. transportation agency to set a net‑zero target for all greenhouse gas emissions, the Port Authority is pursuing a variety of ambitious decarbonization and climate resilience initiatives. This position is located at 4 World Trade Center in NYC.

The Senior Specialist (“Specialist”), Sustainable Building Design and Decarbonization will work under the supervision of the Senior Program Manager, Sustainable Design and Construction and will be a key contributor to ongoing and anticipated critical agency net zero initiatives. This includes playing a key role in developing and implementing the Engineering Department’s energy decarbonization program strategy. The Specialist will be responsible for program coordination and day‑to‑day program oversight focused on energy resilience and decarbonization.

In addition to decarbonization, the Specialist will also serve as a people manager, Subject Matter Expert, task lead, or project manager for a wide variety of PA Capital Projects, initiatives, pilots, guideline/standard updates, and more. Port Authority facilities cover a wide variety of occupancy types including retail, hospitality, commercial offices, airport terminals and lounges, aviation hangars, transportation terminals, warehouses, operations centers, and substations.

Responsibilities

• Program oversight for Facility‑specific assessments and strategic planning exercises focused on energy resilience and decarbonization, management of internal and/or consultant teams.
• Participate in energy management and decarbonization programs, which may include data collection, benchmarking, Building Energy Modeling (BEM), energy audits, and refrigerant upgrades, for example.
• Contribute to the development and continuing evolution of energy resilience and decarbonization resources, including guidelines, manuals, standards, specifications, tools, and job aids.
• Lead or support collaboration across the Engineering Department, with other units of the Authority, with the Authority’s tenants and partners, with utilities, and with industry.
• Coordinate the development and deployment of training programs to increase the technical capacity of Port Authority staff.
• Collaborate with academic and industry partners and advisors to advance applied research and innovation initiatives related to energy resilience and decarbonization.
• Provide thorough and timely reporting on program and project statuses, including development and maintenance of dashboards and creation of PowerPoint decks and written reports.
• Perform deadline‑driven technical audit and review services for sustainable design and construction, including analyzing and reviewing drawings, calculations, specifications, LEED documentation, reports and studies for compliance with PA standards, and preparation of review comments.
• Work with agency design teams, consultants, and tenants and their design teams (Architects/Engineers of Record) to successfully implement the agency’s Sustainable Design Guidelines and related standards, which may include meeting with internal and external partners to provide project‑specific guidance, discussing review comments, and resolving issues constructively and in a timely manner.
• Track project status and performance metrics; reporting out at bi‑monthly meetings and contributing to unit performance reports.
• Support updates to the Authority's guidelines, manuals, bulletins, specifications, and implementation tools for sustainable and resilient design and construction.
• Lead or participate in collaborations, initiatives, and/or pilots to advance agency and industry sustainability and resilience practices.
• Supervise junior staff in the development of technical work; ensure proper coordination with all appropriate internal and external stakeholders; perform quality control review; monitor work progress, especially schedules and budgets, to meet project delivery metrics.
• Mentor junior staff to ensure appropriate development of technical and management skills and knowledge. Promote team spirit, creativity and professional development.
• Manage and proactively forecast staff workload.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a relevant scientific or public policy discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of 7+ years of diverse experience in sustainable building design and construction.
• LEED Accredited Professional credential with specialty in either Building Design & Construction or Interior Design & Construction.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with sustainability, building science, integrated design and 3rd party certification processes.
• Knowledge of New Jersey, New York State and/or New York City Building Codes.
• Demonstrated expertise in reading / interpreting drawings, notes and specifications.
• Ability to work collaboratively and constructively within multi‑disciplinary teams, exhibit strong organization and communication skills (oral and written), provide outstanding quality control of all deliverables, and deliver all services on‑time.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a technical, policy, or administrative discipline relevant to the above‑listed Responsibilities.
• Certified Energy Manager (CEM).
• Experience with multi‑stressor climate risk analysis.
• Hands‑on experience with designing and/or managing electrification, energy resilience, and/or decarbonization projects.

Selection Process

The application process varies by position, but typically includes an initial phone interview for qualified candidates, followed by a more in‑depth interview(s) and/or assessment(s). Selected candidates who are made a conditional job offer will be asked to undergo a background check.

Compensation, Benefits & On‑Site Collaboration Requirements

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offers a competitive benefits package and a professional environment that supports development and recognizes achievement. Click here for more information about benefits, our culture, and career development opportunities.

Compensation range: Minimum: $116,194 Midpoint: $151,150 Maximum: $185,900

In accordance with Port Authority policy, this position permits employees to work remotely a maximum of one day per week. In‑person collaboration is essential to how the Port Authority conducts business, and regular in‑office days or team collaboration days may be required for business needs.

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