Job Title: Instructor (Workforce Training)
Type: Independent Contractor (Hybrid, NYC Based)
Salary: $75- $100 (per hour, based on experience)
Start: May 2026
About Solar One
Solar One is a 501c(3) organization that empowers communities in the New York City metro area to thrive in the face of the challenges brought on by climate change, and to embrace a world that is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
Originally founded in 2004 to manage Stuyvesant Cove Park, a two-acre native plant park and a small environmental education center, Solar One has grown into an award-winning organization with a thriving array of programs. Solar One's mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training, and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. We empower learning that changes the way people think about energy, sustainability, and resilience by engaging and educating a diverse set of stakeholders and beneficiaries.
Job Summary
Solar One’s Green Workforce program trains students in hard skills that align with the broader clean energy sector, including green construction, green building operations and maintenance, building electrification, HVAC, solar PV, and more. Solar One is seeking an Independent Contract who will be responsible for delivering Solar One’s workforce development courses focused on energy efficiency, renewables, construction, and the building trades. Training is delivered in hands-on, interactive formats in our classrooms and hands-on training lab, as well as offsite at partner locations throughout New York City and parts of New Jersey. The Instructor will report to the Manager of Green Workforce Training.
The Instructor would first learn and co-teach with existing staff, and eventually lead workforce development programs for adults. Teaching is delivered in-person while computer-based work can be done at home or at our office space in Long Island City, Queens.
Primary job responsibilities include:
-
Deliver Solar One training programs to our workforce development clients. Programs include but are not limited to green construction (introductory carpentry, electrical and plumbing), green building operations and maintenance, solar PV installation, and HVAC maintenance and repair. There will be times that client-facing responsibilities are expected of the Instructor, and they should be relied upon to positively represent Solar One in the field.
-
Being the primary instructor for offsite programming, including but not limited to: NYPA environmental workshops the New York metro area and potentially across the State; New Jersey BPU community solar workforce development programs across New Jersey State; and offsite fee-for-service programs at partner locations throughout New York City. It is also expected that this role will be willing to travel within both New York and New Jersey for additional future programs, if awarded.
-
Tracking and recording activities in the classroom, including attendance, grades, and qualitative student feedback in Salesforce.
-
The right candidate for this role will be willing and able to adapt to a changing schedule, which may include an unplanned need for a substitute instructor at an existing program.
Qualifications and Skills
Successful candidates for this role should be able to demonstrate the following:
-
At least three or more years of field and/or teaching experience in two or more of the following areas: green construction (introductory carpentry, electrical and plumbing), green building operations and maintenance, solar PV installation, or HVAC maintenance and repair.
-
The ability to learn new curriculum and material in a primarily independent environment. This includes ongoing research in the subject matter areas listed above, with a willingness to further educate themselves about technological and sector updates.
-
Strong background and content knowledge in the broader clean energy sector (in the field, as an educator, or both), with at least eight years or more or experience in two or more of the areas below:
-
Construction basics: carpentry, electrical and plumbing
-
Energy efficiency building maintenance (HVAC and boiler experience highly desirable)
-
Multifamily residential and commercial energy auditing
-
Electrical retrofitting
-
Solar PV
-
A strong aptitude to continually learn new material and curriculum, with a willingness to independently upskill to remain fluent in the current technological trends and training methodology.
-
Industry-recognized certifications extremely desirable, such as BPI, GPRO, BPI, NABCEP, LEED, or related.
-
Interest and passion in teaching about sustainability, energy efficiency, and renewable technologies to underserved communities who have been historically marginalized by the effects of climate change.
-
Ability to work independently and problem solve in an unsupervised setting. The right candidate will be able to think on their feet and use quality judgement and integrity to make informed decisions.
-
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Suite products. Working knowledge of and/or ability to learn how to use Salesforce for tracking student data.
-
Verbal communication, strong writing skills, project and time management, attention to detail, adaptability.
-
Demonstrated success in communicating with internal and external stakeholders to build and maintain strong partnerships. Must be a team player who works well in a collaborative environment.
Solar One is an equal opportunity employer. Solar One strives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of renewable energy and resilience and people in a rapidly changing world. Solar One recruits and employs through a lens of equity and encourages people of all races, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law to apply.
