Sustainability Associate - Climate Education

About the Opportunity 

Start Date: September 2nd, 2025

Length of Fellowship: 10 months

Do you want to empower youth and help shape the next generation of climate leaders? As a Sustainability Associate - Climate Education in the Climate Corps Fellowship program, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to impactful climate resiliency & sustainability initiatives with San Mateo County. This is a hybrid position with an expectation of 2 days onsite and 3 days remote work per week, and the ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.

This position requires the employee to be physically located in Redwood City, CA, at the time of hire.  Only candidates currently residing within commuting distance of the onsite location will be considered.

The Sustainability Associate - Climate Education Fellow will play a pivotal role in advancing climate mitigation and resiliency by coordinating youth education programs within San Mateo County. They will support the implementation of the Youth Climate Ambassadors and Youth Exploring Climate Science programs, which focus on leadership development and climate science education. Through mentoring and coordinating workshops, the Fellow will inspire and equip students with the skills necessary for climate action. Additionally, they will work closely with the Communications team, honing communication skills and engaging the community on sustainability topics. There will be other learning opportunities across the other department program areas, such as waste reduction and climate mitigation/adaptation.

Projects you will be working on include:

• Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) Program: Support the coordination and mentorship of high school students in climate leadership and management of workshops and in-person retreats.
• Youth Exploring Climate Science (YECS) Program: Coordinate, schedule, and lead educational field trips across San Mateo County, collaborating with community partners to deliver an engaging climate science curriculum.

This position offers a unique opportunity to build your leadership and facilitation skills while making a lasting impact on climate education and youth engagement in San Mateo County. If you’re passionate about environmental education, climate science, community engagement, and inspiring youth to take environmental action, then this could be the opportunity for you!

About Our Partner: San Mateo County

The San Mateo County Sustainability Department strives to improve the sustainability of the County’s operations and the greater community through work in areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency, resource conservation, climate resiliency, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. San Mateo County, CA, is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest cities in California.

Here, at the Sustainability Department, we:

• Are passionate about protecting and saving the environment while serving our community.
• Are compassionate and empathetic to the needs of our colleagues, community members, and stakeholders.
• Actively work to ensure inclusion in our programs.
• Value varied life experiences and strive to create a workplace that is welcoming to all. 

What You’ll Do

• Support program coordination and implementation of the Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) youth leadership program and the Youth Exploring Climate Science (YECS) field trip program.
• Provide mentorship to high school students and guidance on community impact projects and leadership skills.
• Assist in developing program materials and resources for students.
• Facilitate portions of 10 evening virtual YCA workshops and 3 in-person retreats, and assist in community-building activities.
• Coordinate YCA staff meeting logistics and communications with YCA student participants.
• Coordinate, schedule, and lead field trips in San Mateo County to County parks and other outdoor locations in the county for 7th through 12th grade students about climate science and related topics such as sea level rise, wildfire science, and biodiversity.
• Develop and update website content for the YECS and YCA sites.
• Accurately record and track data on program activities and outcomes.
• Assist with meeting facilitation, website updates, blog posts, social media, outreach events, and other duties as needed.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong understanding of climate change and sustainability issues.
• Environmental science teaching experience or experience as an environmental educator – demonstrated success in informal or formal education for grades K-12.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of project management, implementation, and evaluation.
• Experience working with communities from varied backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills – able to easily connect and engage with youth, stakeholders, and the public, and distill complex concepts to a variety of audiences with varying ages.
• Time management and prioritization skills – able to effectively manage time between multiple projects.
• Bilingual language skills (Spanish or Mandarin) preferred.
• A valid CA Driver’s License; you will have access to a County vehicle for site visits.
• A college degree is preferred but not required.
• The ability to work onsite on a hybrid basis (2 days onsite and 3 days remote work per week) as well as occasional evenings and weekends.
• Coursework or related experience in environmental fields (e.g., internships, volunteer work) is preferred.
• Commitment to a fair workplace that honors the experiences, voices, viewpoints, and values of all individuals.
• Authorization to work in the United States for the duration of the fellowship (SEI is unable to sponsor visas).
• May require occasional moving about to accomplish tasks, moving from one worksite to another, or adjusting or moving objects under 25-50 pounds in all directions.

We encourage everyone interested in this position to apply, even if you don’t meet every qualification. We value all perspectives and believe that a unique background can bring significant strengths to this role, even if some qualifications are not fully met.

What We Provide and Why This is a Game-Changer for Your Career

• A fixed, monthly stipend of $3570.
• $1000 end-of-program financial award.​
• Health care coverage with 100% of health care insurance premiums covered by the employer.
• Comprehensive career-readiness training, including interview prep, salary negotiation, and resume building.
• Panels, workshops, and networking with climate resilience industry professionals.
• Professional networking and learning opportunities.
• University of California Climate Stewards Certification equips you to lead community and ecosystem resilience initiatives.