Senior Manager, Contractor Development (SoCal)

EMERALD CITIES COLLABORATIVE BACKGROUND The Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) is a national non-profit organization that partners with labor unions, community organizations, social justice advocates, development intermediaries, research and technical assistance providers, and socially responsible businesses dedicated to building high road – sustainable, just and inclusive – regional economies. ECC envisions a future in which American cities are the greenest and most equitable in the world, leading the way to head off global climate change while creating a vital new economic sector with historically under-represented communities as central actors and beneficiaries in this new economy. Visit our website for more information: http://www.emeraldcities.org/ ECC-Southern California (ECC SoCal) ECC-SoCal ensures that equity-focused sustainable development projects are implemented by connecting residents and businesses from disadvantaged communities to jobs and contract opportunities in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green infrastructure. Specifically, ECC-SoCal is the workforce education and training implementer for the Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN), a network of over 200 government agencies. SoCalREN is organized to provide project development, financing, and workforce services to government agencies to help meet California’s energy efficiency goals. The three major programs include: 1) E-Contractor – an academy, a series of workshops and coaching services for small and diverse contractors in green building skills; 2) ACES – a high school program that provides high school and college credits and industry skills certificates in energy-related fields; and 3) GPC - a workforce training program for emancipated foster and homeless individuals in energy efficiency. This position will focus on implementing a Contractor Development Program that builds regional contractor capacity to execute decarbonization and clean energy projects by leveraging the E-Contractor Academy (ECA) Program, providing on-call technical assistance, facilitating contractor access to skilled labor, and transitioning youth to apprenticeship and journeyman into licensed contractors. The E-Contractor Program introduces contractors to project pipelines in building decarbonization and clean energy. Project owners represent state and city government, utilities, affordable housing developers, and general contractors pursuing construction and retrofit projects. The E-Contractor Program's major focus of work is supporting the development of small and diverse contractors with: · Training, both business and technical/professional, through ECC’s E-Contractor Program · Connection to pipelines of projects, especially those that decarbonize buildings and provide renewable energy. · Support in navigating often challenging project procurement processes. · Support connecting to a network of back-office service providers in the legal, bonding, and insurance, information technology, marketing, and accounting fields. · Consultation on growth strategies and access to capital. OVERVIEW OF POSITION The Senior Manager for Contractor Development will have lead responsibility for expanding regional contractor capacity to bid and execute decarbonization and clean energy projects, providing on-call technical assistance, facilitating contractor access to skilled labor, and transitioning ACES and GPC youth to union apprenticeship and journeyman into licensed contractors. The Senior Manager for Contractor Development will connect contractors to project pipelines, identify the core business capacities necessary to bid and deliver public works projects, provide training through E-Contractor, and promote partnerships with larger contracting firms for teaming agreements. The position will be based in Southern California. The Senior Manager for Contractor Development provides leadership, direct engagement with, and support to small and diverse contractors. The Senior Manager for Contractor Development will be part of the Southern CA regional team and will work closely with other regional and national ECC staff responsible for the various aspects of our Contractor Development Program. The Senior Manager for the Contractor Development Program will report to the SoCal Regional Director. The position is full-time and salaried, depending on experience. ECC offers excellent benefits. This position will be hybrid, with the expectation that the successful candidate will spend at least a couple of days a week in person. Location: Southern, California (Pasadena). Hybrid. Some local travel is required. Attendance required for ECC and SoCalREN meetings that are held in person. Locations may vary. Job Type: Full-Time, Exempt Salary: $105,000-$135,000 MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES Emerald Cities Collaborative · Participate in national team meetings, in-person and virtual. · Collaborate and share knowledge with other Emerald Cities Regions. SoCalREN · Attend and participate in SoCalREN monthly, quarterly meetings, and events. · Working with SoCalREN contract managers to ensure compliance with their requirements. · Assist with monthly and quarterly program compliance reporting. E-Contractor Academy · Develop opportunities with project pipelines suitable for small and diverse contractors: Maintain existing ECC relationships and build new relationships with various types of project pipeline “owners” including municipal and institutional building owners, utility programs, state energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, large general contractors, ESCOs, affordable housing developers, and real estate portfolio managers. Document the procurement requirements of different project owners. · Work to strengthen procurement policies, contract terms, and project requirements to expand inclusive participation in construction projects. Apply subject matter expertise in construction operations and inclusive workforce practices to advise municipal and institutional owners, utility programs, state energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, large general contractors, ESCOs, affordable housing developers, and real estate portfolio managers on strategies that broaden access for small, disadvantaged, and historically underutilized businesses while maintaining competitive, merit-based selection standards. · Build relationships with and support ECC-affiliated small and diverse contractors in accessing these project pipelines: - Facilitate connections (e.g., networking for deal development, mentor/protege relationships) between ECC-affiliated contractors, general contractors, subcontractors, and project owners. - Provide business coaching to ECC-affiliated contractors (e.g., communicating their value proposition to potential clients, accessing bonding and insurance, accessing capital, and applying for certifications). - Assist ECC-affiliated contractors with responding to bid requests (e.g., helping contractors understand and comply with construction procurement requirements, understanding the capabilities required to fulfill project work and how best to represent them, doing accurate estimating, and understanding and negotiating bonding and insurance requirements and payment terms). - Refer ECC-affiliated contractors to program partners and resources, such as bonding agents, marketing experts, back-office support, etc. Contractor Development · Implement a Contractor Development Program that builds regional contractor capacity to execute decarbonization and clean energy projects by leveraging the E-Contractor Academy (ECA) Program, providing on-call technical assistance, facilitating contractor access to skilled labor, and transitioning youth to apprenticeship and journeyman into licensed contractors. Workforce Development · Define training principles and/or curriculum that will address contractor capacity challenges. · Establish framework to facilitate contractor access to skilled labor for both union and non-union contractors. · Define the pipeline to increase regional contractor capacity through competitive growth and new licensed contractors. · Support contractor employee training to increase contractor capacity. · Expose ACES and GPC graduates to careers in construction through union apprenticeship and community college degree and certificate programs. Contractor Development and E-Contractor Metrics and Capacity Building Support · Track Contractor Development activities and performance. · Track E-Contractor program participants' performance on required metrics. · Work with other members of the ECC team to develop the E-Contractor curriculum and other contractor support programs. EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS The ideal candidate has direct experience in the construction trades and a strong grasp of working with businesses and/or workers within systems promoting diverse procurement. We realize this is a rare combination, so a foundation in one and aptitude for the other would also be highly valued. Required · Minimum of 10 years of experience in the construction industry. · Demonstrated commitment to advancing equitable access to opportunity and fostering inclusive workforce and contractor engagement practices. · Comprehensive knowledge of the Southern California construction industry, particularly in building energy efficiency, renewable energy, building electrification, HVAC, and building operations. · Extensive knowledge of construction workforce development systems, including union apprenticeship, community college degree and certificate programs, and community training programs. · Extensive jobsite experience, including project delivery, QA/QC, project submittals, and schedule mitigation. · Experience reviewing and bidding on construction contracts. · Demonstrated leadership skills, with the initiative to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment. · Highly detail-oriented with strong administrative and management skills. · Excellent verbal and written communication skills. · Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities simultaneously including organizing and tracking contractor training courses, schedules, enrollment procedures, and contractor achievement. · Exercise sound judgment in high-pressure situations while consistently adhering to established protocols and procedures. · Proficiency in Microsoft Teams and related Microsoft 365 applications (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) to manage communications, documents, presentations, and data, along with other professional software as required. Preferred · Existing relationships with project pipeline “owners” including municipal and institutional building owners, utility programs, state energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, large general contractors, ESCOs, affordable housing developers, and real estate portfolio managers. · Experience expanding inclusive procurement and outreach strategies to increase participation of small, disadvantaged, and historically underutilized contractors on construction projects, particularly within large general contractor, government, or anchor institution environments. · Success in working with multiple constituencies – labor unions, community, industry, and government. HOW TO APPLY To be considered for this position, please complete the online application through Indeed. Emerald Cities Collaborative strongly encourages candidates from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the environmental and energy efficiency sectors to apply. We are committed to expanding access to opportunity and fostering an inclusive workplace environment. Emerald Cities Collaborative is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, veteran status, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Job Type: Full-time Pay: $105.00 - $135.00 per year Benefits: 401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Retirement plan Vision insurance Experience: construction industry: 10 years (Required) Location: Los Angeles, CA 90015 (Required) Ability to Commute: Los Angeles, CA 90015 (Preferred) Work Location: Hybrid remote in Los Angeles, CA 90015