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We offer paid positions and internships that provide strong experience in policy, litigation, development, and communications.

Riverkeeper is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women and people of color to apply and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, military status, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran.

• Request for Proposals (RFP) for Organizational Development Consultant

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  Release Date: April 28, 2022
  Due Date: May 23, 2022

  Riverkeeper seeks to retain an Organizational Development consultant, firm or organization to assist the President and staff in building a more collaborative and effective work culture, centered on trust and integrity, that prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) principles. We are seeking to learn and implement best practices in project management, teamwork and team leadership that are appropriate for a fast-paced non-profit work culture that brings together a diverse range of skills, experience and expertise.

  This RFP outlines the expectations and timeline for the scope of work. The selected consultant will possess capacity and competencies on a full range of services, including experience helping nonprofit organizations cultivate their internal culture, establishing project management best practices, training management teams, as well as specific DEIJ expertise. We look forward to working with the consultant to help us continue to improve Riverkeeper’s organizational culture and mission-driven program work.

  Background on Riverkeeper:
  For more than 50 years, Riverkeeper has sought to protect and restore the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguard drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law.

  Riverkeeper’s goal is to ensure Hudson River, its tributaries and watershed, and the New York City drinking watershed are restored to ecological health and balance; free-flowing, resilient, and teeming with life; reliable sources of safe, clean drinking water; recovered from historic and inequitable environmental harms; safe and accessible for swimming, fishing, boating and other recreational activities; and valued and protected by all. We are a 28-person organization with an annual operating budget around $4 million.

  RFP Selection Process Timeline:
  Proposals are due May 23, 2022 at 5pm EST, with a preferred start date of June 27, 2022.

  April 28, 2022: RFP Released
  May 23, 2022: Applications Due
  May 24-31, 2022: First Review
  June 2 – June 10, 2022: Interviews
  June 13-17, 2022: Final firm selected and awarded
  June 27, 2022: Proposed start date

  Scope of Work
  The selected consultant will:

  • Collaborate with Riverkeeper’s President, as well as the Human Resources team and DEIJ committee (together, the Working Group) who are supporting this work;
  • Identify appropriate best practices related to project management, team leadership, roles and responsibilities that are appropriate for the work we do and the size of our organization;
  • Help Riverkeeper cultivate a more respectful and collaborative internal organizational culture, including a process for setting and reporting on organizational and team goals and outcomes that is transparent, supportive and motivating;
  • Provide management training to Riverkeeper’s seven-person Executive Team;
  • Provide conflict resolution training and meeting facilitation training to interested staff;
  • Review Riverkeeper’s DEIJ Plan and provide recommendations on how to update and/or advance those goals;
  • Develop a plan that Riverkeeper can follow after the engagement to ensure that we have clear collaborative processes and healthy feedback loops that provide ongoing opportunities to learn, improve and evolve as an organization.

   

  Qualifications

  • Experience helping nonprofit organizations cultivate and improve internal culture;
    Management training expertise;
  • Expertise in assessing and implementing project management, team-building and goal-setting best practices appropriate for nid-size nonprofits;
  • Knowledge of organizational decision making systems and governance structures that foster inclusivity and/or shared leadership;
  • Experience in implementing DEIJ strategies, trainings, etc;
  • Skilled in collaborative facilitation, especially for sensitive topics;
  • Experience working in the conservation/environmental advocacy field strongly preferred.

   

  Org. Development Consultant Working Group
  Search Process: Human Resources team and DEIJ Committee (together, the Working Group), Riverkeeper’s President, and Riverkeeper’s Executive Staff Team will provide support to the search process. The Working Group and the Executive Team will make a recommendation of hire to the President, who will then make the final hiring decision.

  Working relationship: The consultant will report to the President and will work in close coordination with the Working Group. The consultant, the President and the Working Group will work collaboratively to develop an inclusive process that includes regular and consistent communication with staff members and other key stakeholders.

  RFP Submission Requirements
  Proposals should be no more than fifteen (15) pages, not including references, and cover the
  following:

  • Organization Description: Brief history and summary of you/your firm and expertise.
  • Approach to Organizational Change: Please tell us about the process and methodology you would go through to help Riverkeeper improve our organizational culture. Detail how you will accomplish the above scope of work, including a clear delineation of what we should expect you to be responsible for and what you expect from Riverkeeper. Include how you plan to engage and include staff and other stakeholders not in the Working Group as part of this process.
  • Deliverables: How will we measure success throughout the process?
  • Proposed Timeline: Estimate the start and end dates for the process.
  • Budget: Proposed cost along with narrative description of what is included in this cost. All costs from conception to completion should be included. Ideally, there would be a scaled approach to budget, with various options.
  • Experience and Unique Qualifications: Describe your experience for similar requirements and the value that you brought to those assignments. This should include an overview of prior similar engagements, your work with nonprofits, average length of engagement, and what would make you a unique partner for Riverkeeper.
  • 7References: Provide at least three references

  Proposals must be sent electronically in a single PDF file to: [email protected]?, Subject Line: Organizational Culture RFP, by May 23, 2022, at 5:00pm EST. By submitting a proposal, you authorize Riverkeeper to contact references to evaluate the firm’s qualifications for this project. Riverkeeper will be available to answer questions during the proposal writing process by email and/or phone calls.

  Evaluation Criteria
  All proposals will be evaluated based on the following key criteria:

  • Performance capability—the extent to which the proposal demonstrates the consultant’s ability to provide the depth and breadth of experience, skills, knowledge and creativity generally required by this project.
  • Understanding of and commitment to Riverkeeper’s mission, values, programs, DEIJ plan and strategic objectives.
  • Demonstrated experience with similar-sized nonprofit organizations.
  • Demonstrated experience with nonprofit organizations working in the conservation/environmental advocacy space.
  • Completeness and quality of response, including clear deliverables and reasonable approach.
  • Proposed cost and timeline.
  • References.

  Top-rated candidates will be invited to interview with the President, Working Group, and Executive Team. The selected consultant and Riverkeeper will then mutually discuss and refine the scope of work for the project and shall negotiate final conditions, compensation, and performance schedule for the subsequent contract to be executed.

• REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS:FLUSHING CREEK SHORELINE REDESIGN, ADAPTED WETLAND

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  Submission deadline: April 11th, 2022

  Contact Information: Rebecca Pryor, [email protected] and Chrissy Remein, [email protected].

  Request Summary:

  Guardians of Flushing Bay (GoFB) and Riverkeeper request qualifications for a 100% engineering design for a site-specific shoreline redesign project that will feature wetland restoration, natural features, and direct water access. The design will advance a 30% concept design developed with Biohabitats, Inc., and completed in Fall 2021 (see Appendix A). Design priorities include 1. maximizing ecosystem services and ecological benefits; 2. pushing the needle on design possibilities and approaches for green infrastructure in constrained sites in New York City, such as on the bank of Flushing Creek where there is a high water table and sediment contamination; and 3. creating a living shoreline and natural design with potential for water access. The site is adjacent to the waterfront access park at SkyView Mall, located between Flushing Creek, Roosevelt Avenue, College Point Boulevard, and 40th Road in Flushing, NY (Appendix B, pg 2). The waterfront access park, bulkhead, and shoreline are adjacent to the development associated with SkyView Mall and are located immediately downstream and upstream of New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s (NYCDEP) combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls. Flushing Creek is tidal at the project site with a tidal gate located approximately 2,800 feet upstream at the entrance to Flushing Meadows Park.

  GoFB and Riverkeeper selected the waterfront access park for analysis because 1. it meets our project’s primary goal to develop green infrastructure solutions for constrained sites with high levels of contamination and high water tables and 2. we have established relationships with the property owners. Also, the site is the first finalized development in a series of proposed large-scale developments slated for Flushing Creek, lending itself well to a pilot project that could be replicated throughout the waterway.

  Key deliverables for the project include the 100% sealed design, project management and coordination meetings, permitting documents, project graphics, Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) preparation, and a monitoring plan framework.

  Project Background

  Clients
  GoFB is a coalition of human-powered boaters, park users, and local residents advocating for a healthy and equitably accessible Flushing Waterways. We accomplish our goals through family-friendly waterfront programming, community science and stewardship, and grassroots organizing. GoFB envisions a healthy and environmentally just Flushing Bay and Creek (together, Flushing Waterways) where our watershed communities—Flushing, Jackson Heights, Corona, College Point, and East Elmhurst—feel part of a thriving collective who steward the water, its coastal lands and, in turn, each other.

  Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies, through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science and law. We envision a future in which the Hudson River, its tributaries and watershed, and the New York City drinking watershed are: restored to ecological health and balance, free-flowing, resilient, and teeming with life, reliable sources of safe, clean drinking water, recovered from historic and inequitable environmental harms, safe and accessible for swimming, fishing, boating and other recreational activities and, valued and stewarded by all.

  Site and Project Background
  Once a bucolic wetland, the Flushing Creek estuary has gone through many transformations: from a salt marsh to a coal ash dump to the site for two World’s Fairs to heavy industry. The Flushing Creek estuary and its surrounding environmental justice communities may soon go through another significant transformation—the redevelopment of much of its shoreline into large-scale luxury residential and commercial development. Now is a critical moment to pilot innovative solutions that can address the impacts of shoreline development—habitat loss, increased impervious surfaces, overburdened sewer systems—while continuing to engage local environmental justice communities who will be potentially impacted by the shoreline redevelopment projects.

  One critical solution to improve water quality, restore habitat and engage local EJ communities is community-informed green infrastructure (GI) design. Bioswales, on-the-ground GI that concentrates and conveys stormwater, are often used in the Flushing Creek sewershed. However, NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) currently only constructs infiltrating bioswales that drain into the soil. These bioswales are not always the best option for waterways like Flushing Creek, with high water tables, a concentration of industrial contaminants and limited flow. There are, however, better adapted systems-oriented solutions, to manage local flooding and improve water quality by conveying, collecting, and or treating stormwater.

  Guardians of Flushing Bay (GoFB) and Riverkeeper see an opportunity in Flushing Creek to demonstrate the efficacy and impact of innovative GI for stormwater management, while engaging and educating the local community in the design process. SkyView Mall, the property adjacent to the proposed Special Flushing Waterfront District, has the first public access point to the Creek. The waterfront access park is a privately owned public space that is managed by SkyView Mall. GoFB is a member of the park’s Community Advisory Board and the manager of the park is open to park improvements that will improve the environment and engage the local community. This is an ideal confluence of desired location,engaged advocates and open-minded property owners to pilot non-infiltrating GI. In addition, this project has the support of DEP’s GI team.

  With generous funding from the Long Island Sound Funder’s Collaborative, Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund (LISSF), and the New York Community Trust, GoFB and Riverkeeper contracted the GI engineering firm Biohabitats, Inc., to develop a 30% design for a non-infiltrating GI design for the SkyView Mall waterfront access site (Appendix A). As part of the 30% design process, Biohabitats generated a suite of alternatives for the site, which addressed the secondary objectives of 1. maximizing ecosystem services and ecological benefits and 2. pushing the needle on design possibilities and approaches for GI in sites with high water tables and/or contamination (referred to herein as “constrained sites”).

  After a community feedback process (Appendix B, Attachment 6) and input from the property owner and DEP, GoFB and Riverkeeper selected the ‘ultra-urban living shoreline’ (herein referred to as “living shoreline”) as the preferred alternative. While GoFB and Riverkeeper had originally envisioned an on-land bioswale for the pilot project, the stakeholder process revealed a keen interest from both community members and DEP for our project to study the viability of an on-water design that could improve water quality and enhance habitat. Biohabitats final 30% design for the living shoreline includes options to enhance community access to the wetland and to integrate natural design elements, both concerns expressed in the community engagement meetings.

  Site Constraints
  Applicants should be aware of the many ongoing constraints to the site and be prepared to develop a design that engages, is adapted to, or addresses these constraints to restore and retrofit the site. The constraints include the aforementioned combined sewer overflow that causes pathogen and nutrient loading, sandy sediment loss, soil sediment build-up, floatable debris and trash, and potential for chemical contamination. The site is located on a former Con Edison industrial complex with a capped sandy beach that once had a fairly productive wetland. Current fill may not be the appropriate size or at appropriate elevations for desired wetland topology. The site still has the former, now defunct bulkhead sitting beneath the new, significantly raised bulkhead. Any design will need to plan for both bulkheads, the natural migration pattern of the wetlands, the changed elevation of the capped sandy beach and climate change impacts (i.e. sea level rise and storm surge). The way in which the high water table will interact with and be impacted by constructed wetland/shoreline redesign should be considered and addressed.

  Ideally the project would be connected to other nearby wetlands, however a contiguous wetland network is complicated by the Creek’s multiple property owners, changing intertidal zones and various bulkhead types. Any design for the project should incorporate potential options for ways that the wetland design could be integrated into the existing wetland system.

  Project Description, Primary Objectives and Project Roles

  GoFB and Riverkeeper are building off the 30% design to develop a 100% non-infiltrating GI shoreline wetland restoration redesign, develop a secondary data, geospatial analysis and stakeholder input QAPP for the project, and obtain all permits and approvals necessary to complete the project. These deliverables will lay the groundwork for potential future construction of the project. The 100% design will include a monitoring framework. The project will prioritize: 1. maximizing ecosystem services and ecological benefits, 2. pushing the needle on design possibilities and approaches for GI in constrained sites; and 3. creating a living shoreline natural design with potential for water access.

  Riverkeeper will manage the relationships with City and State agencies. GoFB will conduct extensive community engagement to ensure that the co-benefits speak to the needs of the surrounding EJ community and coordinate directly with the selected consultant. GoFB will manage relationships with local stakeholders to help ensure that the GI Design could be transferable throughout the watershed.

  1. Project Goals

  • Develop a 100% Site-Specific Engineering Design that advances the previous 30% concept design and is
    • Aligned with NYC Parks Wetland Restoration Protocols,
    • Adapted to climate change prediction conditions,
    • Informed by NYC Parks Waterfront Access Plan permitting scheme, and
    • Informed by NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s green infrastructure program.
  • Investigate NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) compliance pathways for the site-specific design.
  • Follow project priorities:
    • Maximizing ecosystem services and ecological benefits.
    • Pushing the needle on design possibilities and approaches for GI in constrained sites.
    • Creating a living shoreline natural design with potential for water access.
  • Prepare a QAPP consistent with agency prescribed standards and submit in a timely manner to funders. The QAPP will focus on the collection and use of secondary data, geospatial analysis and stakeholder input.
  • Develop an associated framework for a monitoring plan and maintenance schedule that is informed by NYC Parks Wetland Restoration Monitoring Guidelines.
  • Outline the permitting processes to prepare Guardians, Riverkeeper, and property owners for any challenges that may arise with regulatory agencies.

  2. Tasks & Deliverables

  • Design
    • A site-specific engineering design and sealed design documents. Final design should advance the Biohabitats/Riverkeeper 30% concept design. The design process must include the following:
      • Develop and design the shoreline restoration in close coordination with GoFB and Riverkeeper’s staff. GoFB and Riverkeeper will have final approval of all content.
      • Integrate community goals generated through GoFB’s community engagement initiative, and agency feedback.
      • Incorporate a draft of the documents and partner comments into the 100% design documents.
    • Design calculations and analyses. (This does not include modeling.)
    • Technical specifications, which relate to the nature-based features of the design. The specifications will not include general conditions or general contract terms.
    • Cost estimate based on quantity takeoffs of the proposed design drawings and the technical specifications.
  • Project Management/Meetings (Virtual)
    • Host 12 meetings: 1 meeting each month for the duration of the project, 12 months with Rebecca Pryor and Chrissy Remein, the lead staff on the project from GoFB and Riverkeeper.
    • Develop a timeline and engagement plan for the project in the initial meeting.
    • Provide materials, planning support and staff for one final public presentation of the completed design. These materials will include visuals that show how the bioswale functions, a graphic or list of its specific design elements and community co-benefits, and a visual breakdown of next steps to implement the project.
  • Permitting
    • Attend one pre-application meeting with affected regulators. Riverkeeper and GoFB will coordinate the meeting.
    • Prepare permit application (forms, etc.), permit documents (necessary calculations, maps, notifications, etc.), and permit drawings (assumes minor updates from 60% design drawings).
      • Permits will be required from NYSDEC, USACE, and NYCDEP, potentially NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Additional permits may require additional scope and fee.
    • Lead up to 2 permitting meetings with necessary stakeholders after application submission.
    • Incorporate one round of comments and submission of revised documents for permit approval.
  • Graphics
    • Incorporation of comments from 60% design and permitting review for the preparation of 100% design documents which includes:
      • Contract drawings signed and sealed by NYS Professional Engineer
      • Provide advice for the inclusion of graphics and renderings from other publicly available sources, partners, agencies, and initiatives—with permission where needed—for GoFB’s and Riverkeeper’s final design document.
      • Technical specifications—this does not include general conditions or general construction specifications and only relates to the nature-based features of the design.
      • Engineer’s cost estimate.
      • Design report.
      • One round of comments that can be addressed with revisions to design documents.
  • Topographic survey
    • New York State licensed surveyor will conduct a survey of the site, including elevations and contours and provide the survey in a CAD format.
    • Geotechnical Investigations
      • A certified lab will conduct coring and sediment characterization and run an analysis of grain size and horticultural properties.
  • QAPP
    • The engineer compiles and completes the QAPP (GoFB and Riverkeeper have already started and submitted preliminary components). GoFB and Riverkeeper will provide input on all aspects of the QAPP, especially including the stakeholder input process and analysis. Riverkeeper/GoFB will coordinate with NFWF or other review agencies.
  • Monitoring Plan
    • Produce a monitoring framework
      • Riverkeeper engages with a firm that specializes in environmental data monitoring and analysis to support the framework.

  Anticipated Project Schedule
  Upon a signed agreement with Guardians of Flushing Bay and Riverkeeper the project schedule will span 12 months. That schedule will be finalized at a kick-off meeting with GoFB and Riverkeeper. The schedule should include:

  • Kick-off scoping meeting with GoFB and Riverkeeper (within two weeks of contracting);
  • Opportunities to integrate design input from two GoFB led community engagement sessions and agency insight;
  • Schedule for report finalization;
  • Public presentation of final design led by GoFB, Riverkeeper and consultant.

  The final deliverables must be completed by February 28, 2023.

  Request for Qualifications Proposal Requirements
  1. Proposal Requirements (15 page limit for proposal)

  1. Standard Forms
  2. Letter of Interest
  3. Appropriateness and Quality of Experience: Background and information on why proposer is suited to perform the requirements of the RFP including relevant projects, experience with relevant agencies, and experience working in the particular landscape context.
  4. Qualifications of Key Staff: Description of team including roles and resumes.
  5. Project Understanding/Approach: This may depend on how much information you provide #3 and #6 above
  6. Supplemental Information
  7. Submitted by April 11th, 2022

  Priority will be given to regional engineering firms and firms able to address the complex nature, community priorities, and site specific and regulatory constraints building off of the Biohabitats 30% concept design. Submit proposals to Rebecca Pryor, [email protected] and Chrissy Remein, [email protected].

  Appendix A: FLUSHING CREEK LIVING SHORELINE 30% CONCEPT DESIGN
  Appendix B: FLUSHING CREEK LIVING SHORELINE 30% CONCEPT DESIGN MEMO