Fossil Fuels Policy Advocate

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.

NRDC is seeking a Fossil Fuels Policy Advocate to work with the Nature team in our Washington, D.C. or New York City office.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a fossil fuels policy advocate to advance NRDC’s goal of creating a world free from fossil fuels. The advocate will be a leader in advancing NRDC’s fossil fuel advocacy. The advocate will specifically help lead NRDC campaigns seeking to end fossil fuel development on federal lands and in federal offshore waters. The advocate will engage with key agencies and senior administration leadership, including at the Interior Department and the White House, and with Congress to advance the adoption of progressive regulatory reforms that would reduce fossil fuel development on the federal lands and offshore. The advocate will also engage with staff across the organization and with key partners and coalitions.

Responsibilities

Support the Oceans Division and the Dirty Energy Project as NRDC seeks to limit oil and gas development on the nation’s federal waters and lands,

• Develop and lead strategies that will encourage the administration and Congress to adopt progressive fossil fuel policies that will mitigate the climate crisis, safeguard sensitive waters and landscapes, protect at-risk communities, and conserve our nation’s wildlife.
• Coordinate with NRDC staff, particularly with the Center for Policy Advocacy, on developing and implementing campaigns to protect our ocean waters and at-risk landscapes from the drilling and extraction of fossil fuels. This will include advocacy on federal rulemakings to reform the management of the federal mineral estate and advocacy to end new offshore leasing. Represent NRDC with key partners and coalitions. The advocate will build and cultivate relationships in Washington, D.C. and nationally, including in key affected regions, to grow and help lead the movement seeking to curtail fossil fuel development onshore and offshore and to safeguard our wildlife, landscapes, and communities from the impacts of such development.
• Help to develop and implement communication strategies to accomplish our advocacy goals, including in partnership with NRDC’s Communication and Social Media teams. Interact with media and the public, including through social and traditional media, blogging, and participating in conferences and other public-facing activities that will advance NRDC’s advocacy goals.

Qualifications

Required:

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in effectively developing, managing, and sustaining advocacy campaigns.
• Strong strategic skills
• A demonstrated ability to analyze, understand, and translate complex policy matters for advocacy purposes
• A proven track record in partnering with diverse stakeholders, coalitions, and organizations to develop and implement advocacy campaigns
• Advanced interpersonal skills and an ability to foster and cultivate positive interactions with colleagues and external stakeholders
• Persuasive verbal and written communication skills
• A commitment to develop and foster an environment of inclusion
• Advanced organizational and project management capabilities
• Demonstrated ability to work hard and independently
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Commitment to environmental advocacy
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.

Preferred:

• Eight or more years of leading or helping lead campaigns
• Project leadership experience
• Expertise concerning fossil fuel development, including the role of leasing, permitting and other governance vehicles; the economic, social, and ecological impacts associated with development; and the nature of the U.S. fossil fuel industry
• Advanced educational degree in law, policy or science or equivalent experience
• An established track record of engaging with the Department of Interior, related agencies, and/or Congress
• Extensive knowledge of and an established record of advocating for the conservation of public lands and oceans

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary is $96,000 to $120,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues.  We call this purposeful presence. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs.

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.