Climate Action Analyst

Pitkin County

Carbon Management
Climate Adaptation & Risk
Be a mountain county’s in-house climate expert, turning its Climate Action Plan into policy, budgets, and data the Commissioners can act on.

Pitkin County · Aspen, CO (hybrid) · $73,080 – $127,890

Based on a real posting (view original, posted October 21, 2026 (closes November 11, 2026), accessed November 3, 2026). Postings close. Interview for it anyway.

The role

  • Build the county’s Climate Action Plan goals into department policies, budgets, and day-to-day operations.
  • Research and recommend policy on transportation, building performance, renewable energy, waste, and adaptation.
  • Collect and track climate, energy, and emissions data, build tracking tools, and report progress to the Board of County Commissioners.
  • Find and manage grants, program budgets, and consultants.
  • Represent the county in regional climate partnerships, and lead the county’s long-term disaster recovery function when the emergency operations center is activated.

What they’re looking for

  • About 3+ years of experience in climate policy, sustainability, energy, or environmental policy analysis.
  • A degree in environmental science, public policy, planning, or a related field.
  • Knowledge of GHG inventories, climate action planning, and adaptation.
  • Preferred: local-government, grant, and community-outreach experience.

Reality check: The posting asks for 3+ years of experience. Be ready to explain how your PSM internship, projects, and earlier jobs add up to that.

Know the employer

Pitkin County covers Aspen and the upper Roaring Fork Valley. It’s a small county with a big tourism economy, high-emitting visitor travel and second homes, and direct exposure to wildfire, drought, and a shrinking snowpack.

Interview room

Candidate: stop reading here. Everything below is for the panel.

Panelists: open only your own seat. Each seat’s questions were written for this job. Ask one of them, then follow up in your character’s style.

Every round, each panelist draws a mood card. Keep it secret and play it lightly.

Tap to draw. Draw again each round.

Here, you are: The county’s data and GIS manager, and its contact for the regional emissions inventory.

Ask one of these:

  1. “Our emissions inventory is two years old and partly modeled. How would you track Climate Action Plan progress between inventories?”
  2. “Visitor air travel and second homes are huge here. How would you decide what counts as ‘our’ emissions and what doesn’t?”

Then follow up: when they use a buzzword (modeled, analyzed, managed, data-driven), ask “What specifically did you do?” or “How would you know if that was wrong?”

More about Riley

Story. A data feed your team depends on broke again last week, and you’ve been patching it ever since. You’ve been burned by hires who listed “R” and “GIS” on their résumé and then couldn’t clean a messy spreadsheet.

Quirks. Friendly but literal. You ask for numbers (“How many sites? How many years?”) and take notes.

Listen for: specific tools and steps, real QA/QC habits, and honesty about gaps.

Here, you are: Assistant County Manager. You own the budget and the Commissioners’ agenda.

Ask one of these:

  1. “The Commissioners want to know on Tuesday whether we’re on track with the Climate Action Plan. What goes on your one slide?”
  2. “We have $50,000 in grant match and three departments that want it: buildings, transit, and wildfire mitigation. How would you recommend splitting it?”

Then follow up: politely interrupt idealistic answers with “That sounds great in a seminar. What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?” If an answer runs past about 90 seconds: “Give me the headline.”

More about Pat

Story. You chair this search committee. Your puppy chewed up a corner of the carpet overnight, so the morning started early, and you have a budget meeting right after this. You love good science that ships on time.

Quirks. You keep an eye on the clock.

Listen for: prioritization, concrete deliverables, and concise answers.

Here, you are: The county’s community engagement lead.

Ask one of these:

  1. “Much of the valley’s workforce commutes in from downvalley because they can’t afford to live here. How does that change how you talk about transportation emissions?”
  2. “This role also leads long-term recovery after a disaster. Tell me about a time you had to work in a chaotic, high-stakes situation.”

Then follow up: “What would the other person say happened?” or “What did that teach you about how you work?” After each answer, pause for a few seconds before speaking.

More about Morgan

Story. Last week you ran a field day for a group of ninth-graders, and it reminded you how hard it is to explain this work simply. You’ve seen strong scientists struggle because they couldn’t explain their work to a non-scientist or get along with the person at the next desk.

Quirks. Warm, and comfortable with silence.

Listen for: a real story (STAR), empathy, self-awareness, and plain language.

Here, you are: Owner of a small lodge in Aspen who sits on a county citizen advisory board.

Ask one of these:

  1. “The building-performance rules you’d be pushing could cost me six figures to retrofit my lodge. Why should I support them?”
  2. “Every few years the county announces a new climate plan. What’s different this time?”

Then follow up: say “Huh?” every time they use an acronym or jargon without explaining it.

More about Dale

Story. You’re not on staff. You drove a couple of hours to sit in on this panel because this hire will be working with you.

Quirks. Plainspoken and skeptical, but not hostile. If they actually listen, you warm up.

Listen for: plain language, respect, and whether they ask you questions.

Pods of 3 only. You’re both Riley and Pat. Ask one Seat A question and one Seat B question from this job, and use both follow-ups: “What specifically did you do?” and “What’s the version we can deliver by Friday?”