The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.
If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or jobs@unr.edu. For UNR Med professional job postings, please contact the Office of Professional Recruitment at (775) 784-6778.
Job Description
The University of Nevada, Reno is accepting applications for a Sustainability Manager. The Sustainability Manager serves as the University of Nevada, Reno’s campus-wide sustainability lead, coordinating sustainability planning, implementation, reporting, and engagement across academic, research, administrative, and operational units. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Compliance and Research Administration, the position advances institutional goals related to energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, emissions tracking, carbon neutrality, sustainable transportation, and climate resilience.
The Sustainability Manager leads high-impact, data-driven initiatives; develops and manages strategic sustainability programs; standardizes reporting using established frameworks such as STARS; and advises on campus operations and capital planning decisions. The position collaborates closely with students, faculty, staff, and external partners to integrate sustainability into operations, curriculum, and applied learning opportunities, while fostering campus-wide engagement and supporting long-term financial, environmental, and cultural sustainability.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead the development, implementation, and coordination of university-wide sustainability programs and initiatives aligned with institutional priorities.
Translate sustainability goals into actionable plans, institutional standards, and measurable outcomes related to energy, water, waste, and emissions.
Coordinate sustainability planning and reporting activities with other campus units to improve transparency, consistency, and accountability.
Develop and maintain sustainability metrics, key performance indicators, and reporting protocols; lead submissions to external sustainability frameworks (e.g., STARS).
Compile, analyze, validate, and present sustainability data and reports for university leadership and external stakeholders.
Identify, evaluate, and pursue external funding opportunities, including state, federal, and private grants, to support sustainability initiatives.
Design and implement sustainability support programs that promote efficiency, innovation, and participation across campus units.
Support waste minimization, recycling, hazardous materials reduction, and resource conservation efforts through program development and coordination.
Collaborate with academic and research units to support sustainability integration into curriculum, research, and applied learning opportunities.
Develop and coordinate sustainability communications, outreach activities, and campus-wide engagement events.
Build and maintain partnerships with internal stakeholders and external organizations to advance shared sustainability goals.
Monitor emerging sustainability best practices and recommend improvements to institutional programs and policies.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree and four (4) years of related professional experience, OR
Master’s degree and two (2) years of related professional experience
Related Experience:
Experience coordinating a sustainability program or set of initiatives within a complex organization (e.g., university, government agency, large institution, or multi-unit organization).
Experience supporting or leading implementation of sustainability strategies or action plans, that produced measurable outcomes (areas like carbon neutrality, zero waste, energy or water conservation, climate resilience, or sustainable transportation.
Project or program management experience involving strategic planning, budgeting, and cross-functional coordination
A valid Class “C” driver’s license or higher operator’s license is required within 30 days of appointment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience coordinating collaboration among operational, academic, or community partners to advance sustainability initiatives
Experience using sustainability data and reporting tools (e.g., STARS, SIMAP, Energy Star Portfolio Manager)
Experience applying sustainability frameworks in the built environment (e.g., LEED, Envision, or Living Building Challenge)
Schedule and Travel Requirements
Occasional evenings and weekends required in support of the operational schedule
May require travel on a limited basis
May require participation in regional or national conferences, site visits, or peer benchmarking trips in support of the university’s sustainability initiatives
Compensation Grade
Administrative Faculty - C
To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit: Salary Schedules and select Administrative Faculty by Grade. Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.
Remarkable Retirement!
Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada.
Perks of Working at UNR
Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
Generous annual and sick leave and life insurance – Faculty Benefits
E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers an annual or semester membership and family membership options. E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
No state income tax!
Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees
The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner. Faculty Grants-in-Aid
Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program
The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program
Department Information
Research & Innovation exists as a service organization for the University faculty. We focus on enhancing research enterprise by supporting collaboration and innovation. We strive to provide faculty with the resources necessary to succeed in their goals of educating students, conducting research and contributing to regional economic development. We are focused on managing the support organizations that assist faculty in obtaining and managing funding, conducting research with integrity and in a safe and healthy environment, and facilitating connections with industry. We want to continue to build a collaborative University setting where faculty can form connections and work on interdisciplinary research that produces discoveries with wide ranging effects.
For more information, please visit Research & Innovation
Contact Information
Search Coordinator - Lauren Davie, ldavie@unr.edu
Exempt
YesFull-Time Equivalent
100.0%Required Attachment(s)
Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at jobs@unr.edu.
Please attach the following documents to your application:
1) Resume
2) Cover Letter that details qualifications and experience related to above job duties
3) Contact Information for three supervisory references – Please make note if you do not want your present employer contacted unless necessary to determine your qualifications for the position.
This posting is open until filled
Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. Lists of eligible candidates will be established and hiring may occur early in the recruiting process. Recruitment will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received or a hiring decision has been made.
Posting Close Date
Note to Applicant
A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.
HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.
References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.
Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.
As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.
For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.
Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.
The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes).
About Us
The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.
Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”
Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.
The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.
Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.
Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.
The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.
Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.
For more information, please visit the University’s website.