The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) connects and supports climate change adaptation professionals to advance innovation and excellence in the field. We believe that climate change is a real and serious danger to all sectors and systems; that adaptation and resilience build stronger, more prepared communities, ecosystems, and economies; and that equity and environmental justice should be major considerations in all work that adaptation professionals do. ASAP members are building essential climate resilience for communities, ecosystems, and economies across North America. The ASAP network keeps them connected, sharing, learning, and adapting.

ASAP is thrilled to announce that we are launching a Climate Adaptation Fellowship to support our applied research and field-building projects. Fellowship projects for Spring and Summer 2020 are focused in the Great Lakes region and cover the following topics:

  • Connecting For-Profit Climate Service Providers with Publicly Available Climate Data and Information

  • Preparing for Economic Opportunities and Climate Migration 

This is an extra‐budgetary, grant‐funded position.  At this time, resources are available to fund this fellowship part-time (20 hours/week) through May 31, 2021. This position will be paid hourly at a rate between $18 and $25 and does not include benefits. Location is U.S. based, but otherwise flexible. This position reports to the ASAP Deputy Director.

 

Project Descriptions and Associated Responsibilities


Connecting For-Profit Climate Service Providers with Publicly Available Climate Data and Information

ASAP is leading a pilot program in the Great Lakes region to strengthen connections between for-profit climate service providers and publicly available climate data, information, and services. This program is supporting development of high-quality adaptation products and services by building relationships between for profit climate service providers and the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA), a trusted resource for useful and usable climate information in the Great Lakes region. Through this pilot, ASAP and GLISA are learning about the state of the adaptation and resilience marketplace in the region and gaining a better understanding of how for-profit companies want to engage with boundary organizations to co-create climate resources for the adaptation and resilience marketplace. The ASAP Climate Adaptation Fellow will lead ASAP’s implementation of this pilot, which includes:

  • Managing a database of climate service providers operating in the Great Lakes region

  • Assessing for-profit climate service providers’ practices and needs regarding climate data and information

  • Planning and executing a workshop to strengthen for-profit service providers’ competencies for using and building upon vetted, publicly available regional climate data, information, services, and adaptation strategies.

  • Creating a plan to scale this work nationally and transfer the model to specific additional regions.


Preparing for Economic Opportunities and Climate Migration

ASAP is leading an applied climate research initiative to establish two methodologies for modeling climate opportunities across the Great Lakes region. 1) A methodology to assess patterns of growth in three industries (tourism, real estate, and agriculture) and compare how those patterns are likely to be affected by climate change; 2) A methodology for projecting climate-related migration that municipalities can adopt and integrate, along with regional climate data, into their capital, operational, and daily management decisions. The ASAP Climate Adaptation Fellow will lead ASAP’s implementation of this initiative, including:

  • Conducting a review of existing literature and reports related to the growth or change of the tourism, agricultural, and real estate industry in the Great Lakes region

  • Facilitating meetings with groups of industry representatives and municipal and state staff to inform methodology development. 

  • Facilitating collaboration across project partners as they work together to design the draft methodologies.

  • Planning and executing a Climate Informed Demography Workshop to bring together climatologists, community and state leaders, demographers, and climate-migration experts and researchers. 

  • Facilitating a seed grant competition for applied research teams to address needs identified during the workshop

  • Supporting the resulting network of applied research teams by convening project meetings, providing administrative support, fostering shared learning across teams, and connecting teams with complimentary experts.

  • Planning and executing a capstone convening where the research teams will share the methodologies they’ve developed.

 

Qualifications

  • At least one year of graduate-level coursework focused on climate change adaptation/climate resilience

  • Excellent group coordination and facilitation skills

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills

  • Experience participating in or managing applied research projects

  • Commitment to the principles of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion

  • Desire and ability to work both in a team and independently

  • Ability to manage time, remain organized, and pay attention to details

  • Proficiency in Google Suite (GMail, Google Hangouts, and Google Calendar)

  • Fluency in using video and audio calling, text, email, and digital calendar to connect and communicate across a remote team

 

Hiring Process

Deadline to apply is April 22. Applicants should be available to start between May 1-May 15. 

 

Black people, Indigenous Peoples, people of color, and people with low incomes are on the front lines of climate change. Therefore, the field of climate change adaptation must include professionals who can meaningfully represent the concerns of people with these identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage applications from people who identify as such.
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