Local recruitment: Funding Navigator Water Finance Manager

Background

At EPIC, we envision a future where every community benefits from investments in water infrastructure that provides safe, reliable, and affordable services and supports systems resilient to financial, workforce, and environmental challenges. We play an important role in making that happen, through direct work helping under-resourced communities secure funding and assistance, and through analysis and policy work to make systems-level change. EPIC’s Water Team was founded around the belief that there are solutions, innovations, capacities, and policy changes that can dramatically increase the speed and effectiveness with which we solve these problems. 

Working with national and local partners, EPIC’s Funding Navigator helps water utilities and municipalities, especially those serving under-resourced communities, invest in drinking water service, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management. If you are passionate about helping communities address their water challenges, have talent and hands-on experience managing projects, and have experience working with utilities, municipalities, government agencies, or community groups on infrastructure projects, we strongly encourage you to apply for this position.

Position Description

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Water, the Funding Navigator Water Finance Manager connects utilities in small, under-resourced municipalities with technical expertise to access state and federal funds for water infrastructure. We are looking for someone with experience managing utility or local government projects that involve teams of consultants and stakeholders. This position differs from our regional/national funding navigator managers and data managers on the water team, in that we seek a candidate who has expertise in water utility or municipal finance, including capital planning, funding and financing programs, grant or loan compliance, and public-sector budgeting processes. We seek candidates who can manage client projects within a small organizational structure and build key relationships with engineering and financial consultants, state and regional agencies, federal agencies, other technical assistance providers, and community-based organizations. The Funding Navigator Water Finance Manager is part of a team with expertise in engineering, utility/ municipal management and finance, community engagement, policy analysis, regulatory programs, and data science. 

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a working knowledge of state and federal infrastructure funding and financing programs. 
• Serve as EPIC’s team expert on utility and municipal finance matters, providing support and guidance to staff and external partners.
• Recruit and support communities, alongside EPIC staff and partners, through all stages of pursuing infrastructure funding, from early planning through application and award.
• Provide consistent, proactive outreach and follow-up with utility staff, municipal officials, community partners, and government agencies to sustain strong technical assistance relationships.
• Deliver technical assistance related to water infrastructure planning and delivery, including finance, capital budgeting, and rate or cost of service analysis.
• Coordinate and manage multi-stakeholder projects involving engineers, financial staff, regulators, consultants, and community organizations.
• Support management of program consultants and partners, including communications related to contracts and MOUs.
• Track and report on technical assistance activities and outcomes.
• Represent EPIC in webinars, convenings, and public forums; contribute to written products such as case studies, blogs, best-practice summaries, and grant reports.
• Support the Funding Navigator program through financial and data analysis, project budgeting, and assessment of cost-effectiveness and funding feasibility.
• Collaborate with program teams to develop and implement tools that help communities manage infrastructure funding, compliance, and reporting requirements.
• Contribute technical finance and economic analysis to reports, grant applications, and other program deliverables related to water systems.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree required; preferred fields include finance, engineering, environmental science, public administration, or a related discipline. Relevant certifications (e.g., project management, water or wastewater operations, environmental compliance) are a plus.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in one or more of the following: water infrastructure (including stormwater), water utility operations, utility or municipal finance, or other infrastructure project management. Graduate study and comparable experience may substitute for a portion of this requirement.
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating teams, including peers, contractors, or partners, to deliver complex projects on time and within scope.
• Working knowledge of, or demonstrated ability to quickly learn, state and federal water infrastructure funding and financing programs.
• Strong program and people management skills, with experience working directly with utility and municipal staff, community partners, and elected officials.
• Experience leading initiatives that require strategic thinking, independent judgment, and the ability to form and communicate clear recommendations, including on policy or program design questions.
• Proven ability to build and sustain trust-based relationships through proactive communication, collaboration, and follow-through, particularly in technical assistance settings or other community-centered settings.
• Experience facilitating meetings, workshops, or cross-sector discussions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical and financial concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.

Preferred

• Understand the financial or technical management of a water utility. 
• Work for or provide financial, engineering, operations, and/or management assistance to a water utility.
• Understand community-centered project development.
• Manage or monitor state or federal government funding programs, particularly state revolving funds.
• Maintain contacts within water utilities, trade or municipal associations, and local or state government agencies.

Location

This is a remote position that supports our work nationwide. We anticipate that this position could require travel 1-2 times per month for project meetings and regional convenings, but possibly more often depending on the candidate’s interest and the way in-person engagement is working for the candidate and potential partner communities. Travel for other national events will occur approximately 1-2 times per year. Work other than travel is done at the candidate’s home office. If in the DC area, you are welcome to work full- or part-time out of EPIC’s Washington, DC or College Park, MD offices.

Benefits

EPIC offers a generous benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance options, a 401(k) retirement plan with matching contributions, and generous paid time off. Additional benefits are designed to support staff in a remote work environment and to reflect EPIC’s commitment to equity and wellbeing.

Applying

Qualified candidates should send an email to Kaelyn Kobosko at kaelyn@policyinnovation.org with “Funding Navigator Manager” in the subject line. Please include a resume and a cover letter labeled with your last name, followed by the document type (e.g., “Ibrahim_Resume”). The cover letter should include your qualifications, experience, and interest in the position and EPIC’s mission. Please apply by February 13. We will review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

We believe that including more people from a broad diversity of backgrounds, including people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ people, is essential for achieving our mission. We strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

In addition, we know there is not one ideal candidate who has all these traits, so if you have a mix of interests, skills, and experience related to the above – and a passion for this work – please don’t let a gap in your strengths for this role stop you from applying or reaching out. 

Thank you for your interest in working for EPIC!

About EPIC

The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), a national nonprofit, builds policies and strategies that deliver spectacular improvement in the speed and scale of environmental progress. EPIC is committed to finding the best approaches to scaling results quickly to achieve better environmental and public health outcomes across issues. EPIC’s programs focus on clean water, endangered species, environmental markets, agriculture, and the use of data and technology to do stewardship better and faster. Equity and justice are at the center of EPIC’s approach, including work on the accessibility of safe, reliable, affordable water services, and eliminating disparities in funding and environmental services faced by underserved and under-resourced communities.

EPIC teams are a special mix of policy experts, technologists, scientists, lawyers, advocates, and researchers who have held diverse roles in government, industry, and nonprofits, ranging from the White House and federal agencies to technology companies and leading consulting firms.