The Power of Collaboration
Recently, Women in Cleantech and Sustainability (WCS) played a crucial role in connecting Rhythmos, a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) and commercial fleet charging solutions, with our member Stefanie Padgett, a dynamic and experienced leader in the renewable energy industry.
“I am honored to join Rhythmos to continue my journey of accelerating the transition to a clean energy future,” said Padgett. “Electric vehicles are both a challenge and an opportunity for the reliability of our energy system. Decarbonizing transportation will decrease the world’s carbon emissions by 25 percent, and Rhythmos gives us the opportunity to help make this a reality.”
Looking for a visionary leader with top credentials to spearhead his business development efforts, Rhythmos CEO Ken Munson also wanted to ensure a diverse pool of candidates for the role. Understanding that one’s typical circles might not provide the variety of candidates he was seeking, he reached out to WCS Chairwoman Lisa Ann Pinkerton to include women’s organizations in his candidate search.
At the heart of the mission of WCS are our systems for connecting companies and people together. Specifically, within our Career Development program offerings, we manage a robust and dynamic job board. This invaluable resource connects talented women professionals with organizations actively seeking to diversify their workforce and promote gender equality.
The WCS job board provides a platform for companies to tap into a pool of qualified, passionate, and dedicated women eager to contribute their expertise and drive meaningful change.
Whether it’s positions in renewable energy, green building, sustainable transportation, or environmental policy, the job board acts as a bridge, facilitating connections that lead to empowered women playing pivotal roles in shaping a more sustainable future.
Complementing our job board are two #dream_job slack channels, one private to WCS board members and volunteers and one public to our membership, via the WCSConnect Slack Workspace. Routinely, our community will post jobs they are hiring for, as well as roles they are looking to secure. Positions submitted to the WCS Job Board are first listed on these Slack channels and shared with members via a job-specific newsletter, giving people active within the WCS community early access to the role before they are publically available on the job board.
“What’s amazing about #dream_job is that each new role or request frequently spurs conversations within the community with offers of connections at the company and advice from others who either work there or have interviewed there,” says Lisa Ann. “This level of swift support is a hallmark of our genuinely supportive community.”
Regarding Rhythmos, Lisa Ann’s posting of the role in Slack caught Stefanie’s eye immediately. It aligned perfectly with her industry expertise, spanning storage, solar, electric vehicles and software. Within weeks, Stefanie was offered the role at Rhythmos.
“We are thrilled to welcome Stefanie to our leadership team,” said Munson. “Her proven track record of successfully leading expansion strategies into new markets, combined with her deep technical foundation and utility acumen, make Stefanie the ideal fit to drive Rhythmos’ commercial growth and market expansion. Her understanding of the evolving utility market enhances our team’s vast industry experience, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have her on board.”
The connection WCS helped make for Rhythmos is a testament to the power of a connected community, and the difference thoughtful consideration towards diverse teams early in the hiring process can create. Often, companies express their desire for diverse teams, yet fail to put forward the effort to ensure that communities of diverse individuals are notified of their open roles. The communication channels WCS provides to its community are simple and effective platforms companies can use to encourage more diversity of people in their candidate pools.
To learn more, check out our WCS Job board here.
