Infrastructure Resilience and Climate Impact Director

KAWERAK POSITION DESCRIPTION
Recruitment Length: Two weeks, closes Monday, 4/13/2026

DIVISION: Infrastructure Division
JOB TITLE: Infrastructure Resilience and Climate Impact Director
STATUS: Regular Full time
LOCATION: Nome
EXEMPT STATUS: Non-Exempt
GRADE: 14-15-16-17 ($44.08 – $60.98 DOE)
REPORTS TO: Senior Vice President of Infrastructure

Kawerak, Inc. is a non-profit organization that relies on federal agency and grant funding primarily to fund positions. This position is funded by agency or grant funding.  This means that this position, as with all positions at Kawerak, is subject to availability of funding each year to continue to fund the position.

The Infrastructure Resilience & Climate Impact Director provides leadership and coordination across
Kawerak divisions and Tribal communities to strengthen regional infrastructure resilience and
elevate awareness of climate-related impacts affecting the Bering Strait region.

This position focuses on assisting Kawerak and its member Tribes in planning, prioritizing, and
advancing infrastructure improvements that address erosion, flooding, permafrost degradation,
severe storms, energy vulnerability, and transportation limitations.

The Director also plays a key role in communicating region-specific climate impacts to external
partners, funders, policymakers, and agencies to ensure the needs of Bering Strait communities are
accurately represented and supported.

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Support Community Infrastructure Resilience
• Work collaboratively with Tribal Leaders and Kawerak programs to identify infrastructure
vulnerabilities and resilience priorities.
• Assist communities in developing infrastructure improvement strategies addressing erosion,
flooding, storm surge, permafrost thaw, water/sewer instability, transportation access, and energy
reliability.
• Help align infrastructure projects with local, regional, state and federal funding
opportunities.
2. Coordinate across Kawerak Divisions
• Collaborate with Planning and Development, Emergency Services, Housing, Environmental,
Transportation programs and other divisions to integrate resilience into planning and long-term
infrastructure strategies.
• Assist villages in incorporating resilience considerations into Hazard Mitigation Plans, Local
Economic Development Plans, housing strategies, and capital improvement plans.
• Facilitate cross-departmental planning as needed to coordinate regional approaches.
3. Strengthen Housing & Community Facilities Resilience
• Partner with Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority and other housing stakeholders to advance
resilient housing design, site planning, and protective infrastructure.
• Support planning for community buildings, clinics, schools, bulk fuel storage, and other
critical facilities vulnerable to environmental stressors.
4. Advance Funding & Capital Development
• Identify, pursue, and assist in managing grants and funding opportunities related to
infrastructure resilience and climate adaptation.
• Support budget planning, grant reporting, and compliance requirements.
• Assist communities in navigating FEMA, HUD, USDA, DOT, and other agency funding processes.
5. External Communications & Regional Representation
• Develop briefing materials, reports, case studies, and presentations highlighting infrastructure
challenges and climate impacts in the region.
• Present updates to professional organizations, policymakers, agencies, and regional partners.
• Coordinate with Kawerak leadership to share community stories and documented impacts in ways
that elevate regional needs while honoring Tribal values.
• Serve as liaison with federal and state agencies, Native corporations, and infrastructure
partners to ensure village concerns are addressed.
6. Community Capacity Building
• Support communities in strengthening local capacity to monitor infrastructure risks and respond
to emerging impacts.
• Assist in developing toolkits, guidance documents, and practical planning resources.
• Coordinate trainings and workshops focused on resilience planning, infrastructure funding, and
long-term sustainability.
7. Regional Resilience Strategy
• Assist in developing and maintaining a regional Infrastructure Resilience Framework or
Collaborative Plan that reflects Tribal priorities.
• Track and document climate-related infrastructure impacts across communities to support advocacy
and funding justification.
• Maintain organized records, data summaries, and impact narratives to support decision-making and communications.
8. Administrative & Coordination Responsibilities
• Arrange and facilitate regular meetings among Kawerak programs engaged in infrastructure and
resilience efforts.
• Coordinate travel, meeting logistics, and documentation.
• Maintain strong communication and customer service with villages and internal departments.

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Bachelor’s degree or related field. Administrative work experience may besubstituted for the
degree requirement on a year for year basis.
2. Strong communication and facilitation skills.
3. Strong project management and organization skills.
4. Strong data analysis, verbal and written presentations skills.
5. Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, & PowerPoint, Adobe programs.
6. Proven leadership skills within and across organizations; ability to build consensus and resolve
conflict with all stakeholders.
7. Ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations and documentation.
8. Have a least one year of experience working with Tribal communities in theKawerak region.
9. Familiar with Hazard Mitigation Plans and FEMA applications.
10. Strong knowledge of federal and state programs for climate adaptation and planning.
11. Skills to communicate and outreach to Tribal communities, Tribal leadership, agencies, Native
corporations, and other stakeholders regarding Climate Change impacts.
12. Functional knowledge to effectively perform email management, excel spreadsheets, reporting
analysis, grant applications, and technical writing skills.
13. Have the availability to travel to villages, state and possibly out-of-state meetings.
14. Budget, planning and management experience.
15. Team player, develop strong relationships with villages, staff and leadership.

Physical demands: Be able to perform routine office work, ability to stand, walk, lift and
transport office equipment, boxes of materials for events. Ability to travel on small aircraft to
villages as well as attend training/conferences out of region.

Native Preference Per Public Law 93-638 Approved (3/30/2026)

SLOTTING:
14: BA or 4 years experience
15: BA +2 years experience or 6 years experience
16: BA +4 years experience or 8 years experience
17: BA +6 years experience or 10 years experience