Research Analyst, Electric School Bus Initiative

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World Resources Institute

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Washington, DC, United States

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This is an 18-month (subject to extension based on funding) hybrid position which requires 8 days/month intheoffice. You will be based in our office inWashington DC. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.


About the Program:

The 480,000 school buses in the United States account for 80% of all buses nationwide, yet just over 1% are electrified currently. School bus electrification represents a unique opportunity to accelerate decarbonization while bringing direct, tangible benefits to every community in the United States. This transition can help make electric mobility the new normal for an entire generation and help to address historic under investments in communities of color, low income and rural communities. Through the U.S. Electric School Bus Initiative, created in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, WRI’s aim is to create unstoppable momentum toward equitably electrifying the entire fleet of U.S. school buses. Overcoming the cost, infrastructure, policy and other barriers to mass adoption will require a systemic approach that engages an entire ecosystem of actors and prioritizes inclusive planning with impacted communities.


Together with partners, WRI is working in five areas of focus:

  • Support school districts in accelerating the equitable transition to electric school buses
  • Collaborate with manufacturers across the electric school bus supply chain in preparing for an equitable and sustainable transition
  • Work with electric utilities to improve interconnection and investments for electric school bus charging infrastructure, including supportive rates and tariffs
  • Engage policymakers to drive policies that grow demand and reduce barriers, and to increase electric school bus public funding
  • Partner with communities pursuing school bus electrification, and provide the tools and resources to make it happen


Job Highlight:


Reporting to the Manager - Technical Assistance and Policy Implementation, you will have a unique opportunity to equitably accelerate climate action, electric transportation, and environmental justice. You will support WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative as part of both the Technical Assistance and State Policy teams. This will not be limited to equitably supporting school district, stakeholder and partner engagement and relationship management and state policy implementation. You will:

  • Interact with school districts, policymakers, advocates, regulators, and other key stakeholders to ensure that school districts have the funding, resources, tools and guidance needed to successfully adopt and operate electric buses
  • Contribute to WRI knowledge products, blog posts, briefs, communications materials, presentations and other resources
  • Conduct research and analysis to monitor state policy developments, support policy implementation and inform technical assistance for school districts.
  • Support senior team members working to rapidly scale electric school bus deployment and support sustainability including through sustainable supply chains


What You Will Do:

Research & Knowledge – Technical Assistance (50% time):-

  • Center equity in all technical assistance work, including prioritizing underserved school districts and communities, amplifying their voices and ensuring they are able to access tools and resources needed for fleet electrification
  • Conduct research and analysis, including stakeholder interviews, to inform technical assistance on topics such as community engagement, electric vehicle funding and procurement, charging infrastructure, fleet planning, battery circularity and workforce development
  • Engage with school districts, state agencies, nonprofits and other stakeholders in ESBI’s priority states and strategic geographies to identify topics of interest, provide technical assistance, support the rollout of funding programs and develop related tools and resources
  • Support technical assistance efforts focused on federal funding for electric school buses — such as grants, rebates, and tax credits — and ensure coordination with the Federal Policy team
  • Disseminate findings and best practices through publications, presentations, webinars, conferences
  • Support other technical assistance activities


Research & Knowledge – State Policy (30% time):-

  • Center equity in all policy advocacy work, including managing relationships with environmental justice partners and subgrantees, analyzing legislative text for equity impacts and advocating for equitable policy language and program implementation
  • Support the development of research, data collection and visualization and written and graphic content on state policy and utility regulatory programs
  • Advocate for electric school bus policies and support the development of related state programs, including by engaging with state and local elected officials
  • Summarize state-level legislative and regulatory text and monitor bills and proposed programs
  • Attend coalition calls, participate in partner and ally engagement with environmental, equity, and environmental justice organizations in priority states, and cultivate relationships with important decisionmakers
  • Contribute to strategic talking points and other prep materials for outreach calls including one-pagers, slide decks, and other materials
  • Support the Federal Policy team


General Team Responsibilities (20% time):-

  • Organize and support logistics for internal and external meetings, webinars, roundtables, workshops, conferences, and other events
  • Participate in internal and external peer review processes for publications and papers
  • Be an active member of ESBI team and ensure coordination with other areas of the Initiative and across WRI teams
  • Attend various internal and external functions and events, as relevant, to serve as an ESBI representative
  • Identify possible fundraising opportunities and help create content for proposals and concept notes, including deliverables, timelines and budgets


What You Will Need:-


  • Education:     Bachelor’s degree in transportation planning, environmental studies, urban studies, clean energy, public policy or a related field
  • Experience: You have a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience, including work on electric vehicles, transportation planning, sustainability, charging infrastructure, clean energy, public policy or another relevant field
  • Demonstrated understanding of state policy, transportation electrification, and climate and environmental justice issues
  • Excellent qualitative and quantitative research and analysis skills
  • Excellent writing, facilitation and communication skills
  • Excellent organization and project and database management skills
  • Commitment to equitable processes and outcomes
  • Demonstrated ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner
  • Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing priorities, varying deadlines and competing demands
  • Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team
  • Preferred Experience working with state agencies, elected officials or other policymakers
  • Preferred Experience working with educational institutions, community-based nonprofits or environmental justice groups
  • Demonstrated understanding of school bus electrification
  • Languages: English and any additional language
  • Requirements:Existing work authorization is required where this positionis based. WRI is unable to authorize visa workauthorization


Potential Salary:Salary range is between57K and62KUSD.Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a required cover letter by the date of 23June2024. We are unable to consider your application without a cover letter.

You mustapply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.

What we offer:

  • Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
  • The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
  • A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
  • The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
  • Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
  • Generous leave days that increase with tenure


About Us:

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation,
Urgency, Independence and Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment; we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.


Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.