Greater New Orleans, Inc. is a nonprofit regional economic development organization serving the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region.  Our mission is to serve as a catalyst for wealth creation in the Greater New Orleans region.  GNO, Inc. accomplishes this by pursuing an aggressive agenda of business development, marketing the region, and product development, improving regional business conditions through policy, workforce, and research initiatives.  

The GNO, Inc. vision is for the Greater New Orleans region to fulfill its potential as one of the best places in the country to grow a company and raise a family.  The ultimate indication of success for GNO, Inc. will be the presence of a robust and growing middle class in Southeast Louisiana.  More information can be found at www.gnoinc.org.  

Background
On September 2nd, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $50 million federal grant to H2theFuture, a 25-organization partnership with representation across South Louisiana.  H2theFuture will develop a new energy cluster in South Louisiana, spanning the clean hydrogen life cycle, from R&D at Louisiana universities to an end-use project at the Port of South Louisiana. Read more about the announcement here. 

Job Description
To support the implementation of this grant and advance an equitable renewable energy evolution across South Louisiana, GNO, Inc. is hiring an Energy Inclusion Associate to strategically advance the equity and access objectives of this grant. Specifically, the Energy Inclusion Associate will:

• Direct a series of partnerships and programs intended to:
• • Enhance the diversity of a qualified talent pool  
  • Promote diverse entrepreneurial ideation in the cluster 
  • Foster close partnerships and collaboration with industry and employers in the clean hydrogen value chain to diversity hiring partnerships and talent pipelines
• Support the development of demand-driven workforce training for displaced workers, rural citizens, and minorities, working in close partnership with GNO, Inc.’s workforce development team as well as state and local training partners, particularly community and technical colleges
• Build awareness campaigns in partnership with non-profit and higher education allies designed to attract and retain diverse populations into training opportunities and jobs in the energy industry
• Collaborate with non-profit and economic development partners to increase the engagement of BIPOC contractors in the renewable energy field: building awareness, supporting technical assistance and building formal channels for diverse contractor inclusion

Qualifications and Experience  

• 3-5 years of professional experience 
• Experience implementing large, complex projects or initiatives 
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills 
• Ability to work closely with higher education and non-profit leadership
• Experience in workforce development, education and/or economic development  
• Exceptional written, oral, and presentation communication abilities  
• Bachelor or advanced degree in business, economics, communications, economic development, or a related discipline  
• Clarity of thought, comfort with ambiguity, and ability to put forward articulate and compelling strategic arguments 
• Driven by a desire to make impact and affect change