Sr. Fellow, Residential Market Transformation (1 yr. contract)

HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT

As a Senior Fellow, Residential Market Transformation you’ll have the opportunity to accelerate market transformation in the residential sector—single-family, multifamily (incl. affordable and mixed-income), and deep retrofit programs. The Fellow will shape and activate a holistic impact strategy that leverages USGBC’s products, policy voice, convening power, standard setting, educational platform, and thought leadership to enable faster, greener, and more affordable housing delivery that helps meet supply needs while advancing leading sustainability, health, and resilience standards.

The Fellow will operate as a senior, cross-functional strategist and external champion, translating market needs into actionable initiatives, partnerships, and measurable outcomes. Core objectives include cutting time and cost to deliver high-performance, affordable homes while improving outcomes in energy, carbon, resilience, health, and equity; scaling adoption of LEED and complementary residential standards; and mobilizing coalitions across developers, public sector, finance, utilities, manufacturers, and community partners.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

Develop a residential impact strategy and theory of change that identifies highest-leverage interventions across organization’s spheres of influence including, standard setting, advocacy, product development, membership activation, education, convening, and research.
Deliverable: 36-Month Residential Impact Strategy & Theory of Change document with prioritized interventions across USGBC functions.
Research and articulate pathways for residential construction and renovations that combine speed, scale cost-effectiveness, and performance (e.g., energy efficiency, low carbon, resiliency, health, etc.).
Deliverable: Market Pathways Report outlining scalable, cost-effective models for sustainable residential construction and renovation.
Identify and analyze new priority residential markets where USGBC could drive market transformation through our products.
Deliverable: Residential Market Opportunity Analysis identifying 3–5 priority geographies or market segments for USGBC engagement.
Define clear KPIs and an impact measurement framework covering units influenced, cost effectiveness, and sustainability performance (e.g. energy/carbon, health, and resilience outcomes).
Deliverable: Impact Measurement Framework with defined KPIs and tracking dashboard for market units influenced, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability outcomes.

Products and Standards

Recommend enhancements to USGBC’s residential offerings (e.g., LEED Residential offerings) to improve value to customer, demonstrate market responsiveness, grow uptake, and increase impact.
Propose pilot credits/alternatives for priority outcomes (industrialized construction, grid-interactive efficient buildings, electrification/heat pumps, embodied carbon, resilience, healthy materials) and alignment with key programs (e.g., ENERGY STAR, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home).
Identify digital tools, data integrations, and templates that cut transaction costs for project teams and verifiers.
Deliverable: Residential Portfolio Enhancement Plan with recommendations to strengthen LEED and related offerings for adoption and impact.
Advance pipelines for deep energy retrofits in multifamily and single family in priority geographies.
Deliverable: Retrofit Pipeline Development Plan for multifamily and single-family housing in priority markets.

Policy and Advocacy

Work with Advocacy and Policy team to produce a residential policy roadmap spanning local, state, and federal levers and identify priority policy opportunities to dedicate resources.
Deliverable: Residential Policy Roadmap detailing strategic levers and priority policy opportunities across federal, state, and local levels.

Partnerships

Map ecosystem of efforts and organizations at the intersection of housing supply and sustainability and identify gaps where USGBC is well positioned to contribute.
Deliverable: Residential Ecosystem Map & Gap Analysis highlighting key organizations, initiatives, and partnership opportunities.
Identify and prioritize a list of key partners at the intersection of housing affordability, supply, and sustainability with whom to engage.
Deliverable: Priority Partner List & Engagement Plan across affordability, supply, and sustainability sectors.
Broker MOUs and joint deliverables with high-volume builders, portfolio owners, and public-sector partners in priority markets.
Deliverables: Signed MOUs / Partnership Agreements including defined deliverables

Thought Leadership and Communications

Work with research team to synthesize and disseminate industry trends and market insights relevant to scaling affordable green homes.
Deliverables: Semi-Annual Residential Market Insights Briefs synthesizing trends and research findings.
Identify key areas of high impact research that USGBC should lead and/or partner with others to pursue including clear articulate of USGBC/GBCI role in driving residential market transformation.
Deliverable: Research Agenda outlining 1-3 high-impact studies for USGBC leadership or collaboration.
Shape programming and partner activations at key industry convenings, including Greenbuild and USGBC regional meetings.
Represent USGBC in keynotes, panels, media, and strategic roundtables as a trusted, solutions-oriented voice.
Deliverable: External Engagement Plan including speaking engagements, media placements, and roundtable participation to position USGBC as a sector leader.

Assessment Notice

Candidates who advance in the interview process will be required to complete an assessment, more details will be provided as the time approaches.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience

15+ years in the residential high-performance space, including development, housing finance, building programs, or market transformation.
Demonstrated delivery of high-performance or affordable housing at scale.
Expertise with residential green standards (LEED Residential, ENERGY STAR, DOE ZERH, etc.) and modern energy codes.
Policy fluency across local/state housing policy, permitting, incentives, and finance mechanisms.
Strong coalition-building and stakeholder facilitation experience.
Quantitative capability and strong communication skills.
Commitment to equity, health, and community-centered approaches; willingness to travel.
Industrialized construction, modular/manufactured housing, embodied carbon (preferred).
Mobilizing philanthropy and public-private partnerships (preferred).

Education

Advanced degree in real estate, urban planning, architecture/engineering, public policy, or related field.

Skills/Technology

Familiarity with data tools and digital workflows for certification and compliance.
Strong quantitative analysis capabilities.
Excellent communication and facilitation.

ABOUT OUR TOTAL REWARDS PACKAGE

Salary

Final compensation and benefits will be confirmed at the time of offer and may vary based on factors such as internal equity, relevant experience, qualifications, and employment status. Please note that salary negotiations will not extend beyond the top of the internal salary range.

Benefits

We offer you

All-expense paid travel, lodging, meal stipend, and conference fees for selected events.
Collaboration with leading professionals and exposure to senior-level networks.
Opportunities to mentor next-generation leaders.
USGBC email account, business cards, and access to Education Platform.
High organizational visibility: Monthly check-ins with Chief Product Officer and quarterly check-ins with President and CEO

LOGISTICS

Location: This position is remote in the U.S. or hybrid if you reside near our Washington, D.C. Headquarters.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM in the candidate’s time zone. This is a 1-year contract

Travel: 10%

Contract Status: This position is a one-year contract engagement and not a full-time employee role. The selected individual will join USGBC as a contractor/consultant and will be required to sign a consulting agreement prior to starting. The agreement will outline scope, deliverables, compensation terms, confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property requirements, and any additional compliance obligations. Contract roles are not eligible for USGBC employee benefits unless explicitly stated in the agreement.

EEO STATEMENT

The U.S. Green Building Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

ABOUT US

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to accelerating and scaling the transformation of the built environment. Through LEED—the world’s most widely used green building rating system— and initiatives likes Greenbuild, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy, USGBC empowers professionals to drive market transformation that advances human and environmental health, climate resilience, and equity.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, independently recognizing excellence in performance. GBCI administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates including LEED, WELL, EDGE, PEER, PERFORM, SITES, TRUE Zero Waste, and IREE.

We are proud to be globally recognized for our leadership in green building, environmental performance, and sustainable development.

Our Global Impact

Over 120,000 LEED-certified commercial projects worldwide
Millions of square feet of certified healthy, efficient, low-carbon space
Recognition in 180+ countries for innovation in green building and business practices

Why Join Us?

At USGBC and GBCI, you’ll work alongside passionate, mission-aligned professionals who care deeply about people, the planet, and progress. We offer:

A purpose-driven, inclusive culture
Opportunities to grow your career and take ownership of meaningful work
A chance to make a measurable impact on global sustainability efforts
We’re seeking team members who thrive in collaborative environments, are committed to excellence, and want to build lasting partnerships that drive change in the built environment.

Meet Our Leaders and Learn More about our Mission:

U.S. Green Building Council Leaders
Green Business Certification Inc Leaders

Culture and Values Statement

Working together, each of us advances our mission by respecting all voices, trusting and supporting one another, excelling through collaboration and accountability, and continuously improving ourselves and our organization.