Carbon Management Institute (CMI) Fellow

About the Opportunity 

Start Date: June 2nd, 2025

Length of Fellowship: 10 months

Are you passionate about tackling climate challenges and driving sustainability solutions? As a Carbon Management Institute Fellow in the Climate Corps Fellowship program, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to impactful sustainability initiatives with the California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL). This is an onsite position with the expectation of onsite work 5 days per week. 

In this role, you will support these efforts by contributing to research, education, and community outreach initiatives to enhance opportunities for high school and community college students in the local and regional carbon management industry. The CMI Fellow will be an active member of the CREL team with the opportunity to participate in the wider range of activities being implemented. The CMI Fellow will assist in the development of educational materials and kits focused on carbon management for elementary to high school students in Kern County and across the state. The Fellow will collaborate with technical partners to enhance carbon management education through innovative research and practical applications and work with community college students to design and deliver hands-on activities tailored for high school students that promote carbon management education and career pathways. You’ll collaborate with California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL) to work with leading researchers in carbon management at national laboratories, the California state-wide community college network working closely with Kern Community College District, and develop student and community educational programs to facilitate knowledge sharing and hands-on experience in carbon technologies, gaining hands-on experience and making a tangible difference in the sustainability sector.

Projects you will be working on include:

• Assist in developing tabletop carbon technology demonstration models to support hands-on learning experiences for academies and community workshops.
• Develop and launch a workshop series focusing on academic pathways, career opportunities, and industry development for community college students to facilitate knowledge sharing and hands-on experience in carbon technologies.

This position offers a unique opportunity to develop your professional skills, grow your network, and contribute to California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL)’s sustainability goals.

About Our Partner: California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL)

The California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL), part of the Kern Community College District, is a leading hub for advancing renewable energy technologies and workforce development in California. Its mission is to connect industry, government, and education to emerging clean energy solutions, including microgrids, agrivoltaics, carbon management, and clean transportation. Through research, education, and community engagement, CREL plays a key role in supporting the state's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. With four Centers of Excellence focused on clean energy and grid resilience, carbon management, buildings, and clean transportation, CREL provides students and communities with hands-on learning and career opportunities. Working at CREL is exciting because it fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and promotes environmental justice by equipping diverse communities with the knowledge and resources needed to participate in the clean energy transition.

What You’ll Do

• Increase awareness and understanding of carbon capture and storage using hands-on demonstration models for teaching and community education.
• Expand opportunities for knowledge sharing, best practices, and hands-on experience through workshops and presentations for community college students and community groups.
• Increase understanding of the environmental benefits and challenges for communities related to the deployment of carbon management technologies.
• Strengthen skills in planning and leading interactive activities for high school academies related to carbon management and related environmental topics.

What We’re Looking For

• The ability to work onsite on a full-time basis (except when attending Climate Corps workshops and trainings twice a month).
• Experience or interest in working with high school and community college students.
• Coursework, training, or experience in fields related to STEM, sustainability, or environmental or climate sciences.
• Be an organized self-starter and have excellent time management skills.
• Ability to format, design, and edit documents and reports in Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint).
• Strong collaboration skills.
• Interact well with others; ability to find areas of mutual interest and establish and build relationships with others.
• Strong communication skills (writing, corresponding, speaking).
• Flexible and productive. Ability to juggle multiple tasks; effective at moving things forward independently without supervision and productive when working with other team members.
• A demonstrated commitment to addressing racism and advancing racial equity, both within team dynamics and programmatically.
• Authorization to work in the United States for the duration of the fellowship (SEI is unable to sponsor visas).
• May require occasional moving about to accomplish tasks, moving from one worksite to another, or adjusting or moving objects under 25-50 pounds in all directions.

Nice-to-haves

• Ability to attend occasional community outreach events and opportunities for overnight travel for relevant conferences or workshops.  

We encourage everyone interested in this position to apply, even if you don’t meet every qualification. We value diverse perspectives and believe that a unique background can bring significant strengths to this role, even if some qualifications are not fully met.

What We Provide and Why This is a Game-Changer for Your Career

• A fixed, monthly stipend of $3,150.
• $2000 end-of-program financial award.​
• Health care coverage with 100% of health care insurance premiums covered by the employer.
• Access to a national Member Assistance Program offering financial, legal, medical advocacy, and counseling services.
• Comprehensive career-readiness training, including interview prep, salary negotiation, and resume building.
• Panels, workshops, and networking with climate resilience industry professionals.
• Professional networking and learning opportunities.
• University of California Climate Stewards Certification, equipping you to lead community and ecosystem resilience initiatives.