Sustainability Science Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About Brightworks Sustainability

One of the first sustainability consulting firms in the United States, Brightworks Sustainability has enjoyed a position of leadership and innovation in sustainability since its founding in 2001. We help our clients establish and implement operational sustainability programs that reduce their environmental footprints, advance their sustainability journeys, and increase their operational performance.

Brightworks’ creative and multi-disciplinary staff offer expertise in the following areas:

• Sustainable and Healthy Buildings

• Sustainable and Healthy Materials

• Energy Analysis and Optimization

• Building Performance, Operations, and Maintenance

• Corporate Sustainability and ESG Programs

Our major clients include leading technology firms, higher education institutions, life science organizations, and municipal entities. We provide our clients with unique solutions for the challenges they face meeting sustainability, innovation and community impact goals. unique to their organizations.

Your Experience as a Member of Brightworks’ Team

Our team members routinely cite the following aspects of their experience at Brightworks as most valuable to them:

• Making a difference

• High degree of flexibility

• Learning and growth

• Amazing colleagues

• Great clients and projects

• Recognition for performance
• Competitive compensation

You will be treated as an important strategic contributor, and you will be expected to make important contributions to the business while growing professionally, intellectually, personally, socially, and financially.

A certified B Corp since 2010, Brightworks Sustainability is committed to benefiting society while serving its customers. Brightworks has received B Corp’s “Best for the Environment” and “Best for Workers” honors.

Compensation / Total Rewards

Brightworks Sustainability has the highest Living Wage certification level of Leading Plus. Our salaries are competitive and commensurate with experience.

Additionally, we provide generous employee benefits that include:

• Medical – Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee

• Dental- Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee

• Vision – Monthly Premium 100% Paid for Employee

• Life and Short-Term & Long-term Disability Insurance- Monthly Premiums 100% Paid for Employee

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Paid time off – starting at 4 weeks PTO accrual annually

• Paid holidays – 11 per year

• Paid Volunteer Time – 8 hours per year

• Paid Parental Leave – up to 12 weeks family bonding leave for either parent, in addition to 6-8 weeks childbirth recovery

• 401(k) plan with many sustainable & socially equitable fund options

• Company 401(k) match
• Company Charitable Donation match

• Sustainable Commuting & Connectivity Subsidy

• Employee Fitness Benefit

• Hybrid schedules – 2 work-from-home days per week

• Flexible schedules

Equal Employment

We are committed to an inclusive workforce that fully represents many different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints. This is demonstrated by the representation of women in leadership roles, as well as a workforce that is strengthened by the significant contributions of our many employees from a variety of backgrounds, including our Latinx, LGBTQI+ and AAPI communities. We remain dedicated to enhancing our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging (IDEB) strategy that fosters connections and creates a welcoming environment for all.

We invite and encourage ALL diverse candidates to apply to join our team.

About This Role

The Materials Analyst is involved in research, modeling, analysis, and coordination for our Embodied Carbon and Healthy and Sustainable Materials service areas. Materials Analysts work directly with Materials Specialists and senior staff to support project analysis, as well as with project teams and other internal Brightworks’ practices. This role recommends sustainable products and sustainability performance criteria to design and construction teams based on understanding building products and the range of sustainability achievements in the market today. This may include supporting clients in shaping and achieving materials goals related to embodied carbon, circularity, health, and equity. The role works on projects both at the building and portfolio scale, including strategizing around how to communicate requirements clearly and reduce barriers for the project teams to implement them.

The Embodied Carbon-focused Analyst role has a strong emphasis on performing Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) analyses, interpreting the findings, and developing reduction strategies for our clients. Circularity and deconstruction are growing areas of this practice.

Essential Duties For This Role

• Review and interpret design drawings, design models (EC), specifications, and submittals as requested.

• Research and recommend potential solutions for reducing a building project’s embodied carbon, chemical footprint, or materials impact.

• Perform technical analysis on one or more of WBLCA, EC3, screening of Red List chemicals using Pharos, healthy materials recommendations, etc.).

• Keep abreast of the latest advancements and thinking for materials optimization and share knowledge with the rest of the staff.

• Communicate complex findings in a simple and concise format that can be understood by non-technical experts.

• Provide design review to confirm compliance with owner’s project requirements, and other client and project goals.

• Review and interpret sustainability documentation such as environmental product declarations (EPDs, ingredient disclosures, multi-attribute labels, VOC emissions certificates) and review the details of certifications and labels standards as needed.

Embodied Carbon-Specific

• Check and sort through a Revit model and isolate systems to check the quality for WBLCA quantity extraction.

• Document material quantities, product data, and material details while moving data from Revit to OneClick LCA online.

• Select appropriate LCA data and/or EPDs for all materials.

• Use OneClick LCA and/or Tally Revit plug-in to run the WBLCA.

• Evaluate, summarize, and communicate WBLCA results.

Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Possesses a thorough understanding of material attributes and considerations and/or how to research this information.

• Knowledge and competency reading drawings, specifications, and product documentation (HPDs, EPDs, product certifications, etc.).

• Knowledge and competency using relevant software to support one or more of WBLCA, EC3, embodied carbon, or healthy and sustainable materials.

• Applies sound and diverse knowledge of materials principles and practices to a broad array of assignments.

• Understand the materials landscape to leverage industry resources to independently solve problems encountered.

• Familiarity with reviewing ingredient disclosures (HPD, Declare, etc.), ecolabels and certifications related to material health, and standards for VOC emissions.

• Working knowledge of general types of material health impacts, high-impact product categories, and major substances or materials that should be avoided.

• Fluency in using Excel and data management tools.

Grade Responsibilities

• Perform work requiring independent judgement in evaluation, delivery, and occasionally the adaptation/modification of standard approach.

• Support quality delivery through reviewer role participation in QA/QC processes.

• Demonstrate sound planning and control of one’s own work.

• Communicate in an efficient, professional, and timely way with stakeholders.

• Exemplify and support a culture of collaboration, cooperation, open and direct communication, and team.

• Knowledge and competency using relevant software including the full Microsoft Office suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams) and Deltek VantagePoint.

• Support the business function by completing required administrative activities (such as timesheets and expense reports) accurately and on time.

Education & Experience

• This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, e.g., engineering, architecture, construction management, environmental science, sustainability, planning, or related disciplines. Relevant coursework or internships in sustainability, green building, or project management.

• At least three years of experience in a complementary field or sustainability project management including at least one year of experience in technical materials related work (one or more of WBLCA, EC3, embodied carbon, circularity, deconstruction, or healthy and sustainable materials).

Eligibility: At this time, we are only considering candidates who are eligible to work in the United States without the need for company sponsorship now or in the future.

Travel Requirements: This position may require infrequent travel for up to 5% of the position, including overnight or multiple days.

Job Details

Classification: Full-time, non-exempt

Direct Reports: None

Compensation: The hourly rate range for this position in Portland, OR is $34.83 - $39.07. The hourly rate range for this position in Oakland and New York is $41.46 - $46.51.

Starting pay offered may vary depending on geographic region, external market value, internal pay equity, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. Starting salary offers will typically be made in the bottom half of the listed range. In compliance with Equal Pay for Equal Work Acts, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Location: This position is targeted for our Oakland office but may be filled in any Brightworks office location in the US (Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York). Please indicate your preferred office location(s) in your application and in your cover letter.

Brightworks offers hybrid work schedules.

This position is not eligible to be fully remote.

Visa Sponsorship: This position is not eligible for sponsorship.