Overall Objectives
Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow[1] seeks candidates to apply for the position of Climate Resilience Coordinator to support the objectives of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow by helping to:
1. lead municipal initiatives and activities on the Blue Hill Peninsula that address climate resilience, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction,
2. strengthen municipal capacity for planning, community organizing and education on climate issues,
3. engage priority populations in efforts to improve the social resilience of towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula, i.e., reduce social vulnerability within towns,
4. identify sources of government and non-government funding and financing for municipal climate resilience energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction, and
5. sustain progress that Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow has accomplished in developing capacity, self-confidence and expertise among elected and appointed town officials who address climate change inter-locally in conjunction with state and federal policymakers.
Coordination Team
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will provide services as part of a team that is composed of three co-coordinators:
· Co-Coordinator for Planning and Follow-up: Debbie Grimmig, whose main responsibility has been and will continue to be taking and preparing meeting minutes
· Co-Coordinator for Meeting Facilitation and Mentoring: Jesse Minor, whose main responsibility has been co-facilitating monthly meetings and whose responsibilities will be increased to include mentoring of the Climate Resilience Coordinator and leadership development.
· Co-Coordinator for Leadership Development: Allen Kratz, whose main responsibility has been planning and co-facilitating monthly meetings and whose responsibilities will be increased to include mentoring of the Climate Resilience Coordinator and leadership development.
Climate Resilience Coordinator’s Scope of Services
Task #1 - Monthly Networking Zoom Meeting --Preparation, Facilitation and Follow-up
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will
1.. Work with the three co-coordinators of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow to:
a. Identify current and emerging climate change issues on the Blue Hill Peninsula with emphasis on climate resilience, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction,
b. identify subject-matter experts to be featured presenters during monthly meetings of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow,
c. plan, schedule and facilitate monthly Zoom meetings of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow,
d. develop, finetune and implement ideas appropriate for follow-up action by towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula that subject-matter experts have presented during monthly Zoom meeting discussions, with an emphasis on climate mitigation and climate adaptation commitments that towns have made in their recent comprehensive plans,
e. create and maintain a website for Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow as a way of disseminating and archiving meeting minutes (prepared by one of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow’s co-coordinators),
f. attend meetings of the Maine Climate Council and its working groups in person or virtually and brief Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow on relevant information and action items from those meetings,
g. continue building relationships with:
I. Congressional delegation staff who provide information regarding federal programs, federal grants and earmarks
II. State policymakers, e.g., legislators, Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Environmental Protection; Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Marine Resources; Superintendent of Insurance, Transportation; and, Efficiency Maine.
III. Hancock County commissioners
IV. Hancock County Emergency Management Agency
V. Hancock County Planning Commission
VI. Statewide network of Community Resilience Partnership’s Regional Coordinators
VII. Maine Office of Community Affairs.
Regarding 1(d) above, the attached sample work plan shows how showing how the Climate Resilience Coordinator can use meetings as the basis for follow-up actions.
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will devote eight hours per month to this task.
Task #2 -- Improved Social Resilience
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will be Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow’s primary liaison with and support the work of Elizabeth Hertz, of Blue Sky Planning Solutions, the consultant who has been hired to conduct a social resilience pilot project in the towns of Blue Hill, Castine, Penobscot and Surry. This will include but not be limited to tasks such as scheduling and support for Advisory Committee meetings, developing and maintaining contact data, preparing outreach materials, data gathering, and support for a final project event.
In performing Task 1 and Task 3 the Climate Resilience Coordinator will gain information and insights that will support the social vulnerability consultant’s work.
Reciprocally, information and insights gained through Task 2 with the social vulnerability consultant will support the Climate Resilience Coordinator’s performance of Task 1 and Task 3.
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will devote 48 hours per month to this task.
Task #3 -- Technical Assistance on Funding Climate Resilience Recommendations
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will use the comprehensive town plan in each of the nine towns as the basis for helping each town identify a specific climate-resilience recommendation in the plan and for identifying a source or sources of potential funding to advance that recommendation.
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will advise town officials on ways and means by which they can apply for potential funding or financing. In pursuing this task, the Climate Resilience Coordinator will provide technical advice rather than write grant applications.
The status of the plans is as follows:
Blue Hill – approved
Brooklin – approved
Brooklin – approved
Castine – approved
Deer Isle – approved
Penobscot – approved
Sedgwick – in process
Stonington – approved
Surry – approved
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will devote 24 hours per month to this task.
Resources Available to the Climate Resilience Coordinator
To support the work of the Climate Resilience Coordinator, Blue Hill Peninsula tomorrow will provide the following resources at no cost to the Climate Resilience Coordinator:
1. Professional-level Zoom account
2. Website domain, e.g., Hover
3. Website hosting, e.g., SquareSpace
4. On-line subscriptions to the following weekly news sources:
· Weekly Packet, covering Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick and Surry
· Castine Patriot, covering Castine and Penobscot
· Island Ad-Vantage, covering Deer Isle and Stonington
· Ellsworth American – Hancock County
5. On-line subscription to the Bangor Daily News
6. No-cost subscription to the Maine Monitor
Desired Skills
Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow is seeking to hire a candidate who has a demonstrated:
1. interest in climate resilience, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction
2. sensitivity to the multiple roles and needs of public officials and community members.
3. self-motivation and ability to take initiative and work remotely with minimal supervision.
4. ability to “connect the dots” among people, among funding sources and among ideas.
5. ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written communication, including written memos and social media postings.
6. ability to support programmatic objectives through website management, social media, internet research, online document sharing, preparation of spreadsheets, virtual-meeting management and other skills typical of community organizing.
Credentialling that demonstrates expertise in Institutional Review Board (IRB) administration and human research protection programs (HRPPs) is a plus but not required.
Prospective candidates are encouraged to apply on the basis of their relevant experience and expertise gained in the workplace, in their home community and in formal and/or informal educational settings. There is no educational requirement for this position. Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their submitting a letter describing their relevant skills and experience and an oral interview.
Prospective candidates are invited to attend the monthly Zoom meeting of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025. The Zoom link is; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85820225921?pwd=Ko0w5X6zQmL87uGvQ4fBNErGzFj8t8.1
Remuneration
The Climate Resilience Coordinator will provide services as an Independent Contractor. The contract will be with the Town of Surry , which is acting on behalf of itself and other towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula as grant manager and fiscal agent, at the rate of $50 per hour for 80 hours per month for 12 consecutive months, for total remuneration of $48,000. Remuneration will be paid on a recurring monthly basis.
To Apply
To be considered for this position by Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow, candidates should email a letter addressed to the co-coordinators of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow that includes a resume and three letters of reference by Friday, August 1, 2025 to:
Allen Kratz, Co-Coordinator
Debbie Grimmig Co-Coordinator
Jesse Minor, Co-Coordinator
Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow
The subject line must state: Climate Resilience Coordinator
First-round interviews via Zoom will be scheduled during the week of Monday, August 11, 2025.
Oral interviews for top-ranked candidates will take place in person in Blue Hill on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 and in Castine on Wednesday, August 20, 2025
The candidates selected for oral interviews are encouraged to attend the monthly Zoom meeting of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025.
The intent is for the selected candidate to begin work on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 for a 12-month contract through August 31, 2026.
Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow is committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.
Any revisions to this announcement will be posted on the website of Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow. Candidates are responsible for checking the website for any new information.
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Attached: Sample Work Plan
[1] Initiated in June 2021 with financial support from the Island Institute, and subsequently by the Onion Foundation plus anonymous private donors, Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow is a monthly Zoom forum in which elected and appointed officials and community leaders from Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Deer Isle, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Stonington and Surry discuss interlocal ways of funding climate resilience, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction.