Another Lehigh Valley city is hiring a sustainability manager. Here's what they'll do

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — For the last few years, city officials have been working with an engineering firm to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stem the effects of climate change.

Now, they’re ready for that work to be done in-house.

“There was just so much background work that needed to be done before there could really be work for a sustainability manager to do,” said Angela Stein, the city’s director of mayor's initiatives. “We are still under contract with WSP, the engineering firm.

“Once this person would be hired, [we’re] hoping for a little overlap for training purposes, but then this would essentially take that spot of the contract.”

With a Climate Action Plan already in place, and work well underway to realize its goals, city officials are in the process of hiring a sustainability coordinator to spearhead the effort going forward. Once filled, the city will be the second in the Lehigh Valley, following Allentown, to carve out a position for a dedicated sustainability manager to oversee environmental initiatives and bolster community engagement.

“Right now, we're undergoing interviews,” Stein said, adding there’s been two interviews already, with two scheduled for this week. The city is no longer accepting applications.

What does a sustainability coordinator do?

The demand for workers specializing in sustainability has grown over recent years, and cities across Pennsylvania have created positions focused solely on mitigating the impacts of climate change.

So far, Erie, Reading and Harrisburg all have sustainability coordinators or managers. And, in March 2023, Allentown officials hired Veronika Vostinak as the city’s first-ever sustainability coordinator.

Budgeted for one year after the annual process turned contentious, the position is focused on creating and facilitating sustainability initiatives while capturing grant funding to cover the cost of related projects.

Allentown does not have a published climate action plan. However, the city’s Environmental Advisory Council in July 2021 submitted to council a climate action report.

Bethlehem’s climate action plan was published in April 2021. Among other goals, it lays out a roadmap to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings and transportation by 2030. Officials also set a 33% reduction of community-wide emissions by 2025.

During an update in November, officials doubled-down, announcing a new goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions community wide by 60% come 2030 and grab a net-zero status come 2040.

For Bethlehem, the position is about implementing the plans that are already in place, Stein said.

Examples of responsibilities listed for the position include “leads planning and implementation of City sustainability initiatives and programs; collaborates with the Environmental Advisory Council, departments and stakeholders to implement green infrastructure projects; researches and applies for grants and funding opportunities to support sustainability projects and initiatives within the city.”

In addition, there are tasks like collecting and analyzing sustainability data and metrics, ensuring compliance with local sustainability regulations and goals, and developing and implementing educational programs, among others.

Based in the engineering office of Public Works, the position’s salary is listed at $64,000 to $88,000, based on experience, and applications are being accepted on an ongoing basis.

The minimum qualifications are a bachelor's degree in environmental science, sustainability, environmental engineering or a related field and “at least five years of increasingly professional experience in the field of conservation and sustainability, preferably in the public sector. Grant writing and project management experience preferred.”