Deputy Director of Policy, Tech

This position must be located in the I-95 Corridor / East Coast. 

WHO WE ARE

We know that our climate goals can only be met by rapidly reducing emissions and removing the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere. Carbon180 is a climate NGO with a vision to remove legacy carbon emissions from the atmosphere and create a livable climate in which current and future generations can thrive. Based in Washington, DC, we design and champion equitable, science-based policies that bring carbon removal solutions to gigaton scale.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Overview

Carbon180 is seeking a deputy director of policy to help lead Carbon180’s technology-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) policy work around direct air capture, mineralization, and other approaches, alongside our director of policy for tech-based carbon removal. This role will identify and pursue opportunities to advance the tech policy team’s strategic goals, manage a team of policy experts to develop new policy ideas, and play a leadership role in direct advocacy with policymakers. They will be responsible for helping develop and execute Carbon180’s overarching federal policy strategy alongside the director of policy, tech. They will also work closely with the communications, government affairs, and science and innovation teams to help leverage organization-wide expertise to achieve Carbon180’s policy goals and mission. This position will report to the director of policy, tech.

Major roles and responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of Carbon180’s tech-based carbon removal policy strategy alongside the director of policy, tech.
• Manage — and serve as a key thought partner to — a team of two to three policy staff to accomplish this strategy, providing day-to-day project support, leading work and capacity planning across the team, and supporting individual professional development and mentorship.
• Develop new tech-based carbon removal policies, build and lead campaigns around key issue areas, and plan and lead coalition-building and outreach activities (including with labor and local communities).
• Write reports, white papers, and blogs to further Carbon180’s thought leadership.
• Co-develop and carry out congressional outreach plans to support policy goals and educate policymakers in partnership with our government affairs team.
• Coordinate with our communications team to support relevant content creation, media engagement, social media planning, and other communications tasks. Help plan policy-related events including briefings for Hill staffers, gatherings with media personnel like reporters, environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO) workshops, and more.
• Work with our science and innovation team to ensure our policy development is rooted in the best available science and identify research and analysis priorities.
• Represent Carbon180 externally as a spokesperson in events, interviews, and other communications.

YOU WILL NEED:

• A proven track record (6+ years) working on policy and/or related climate issues.
• Strong knowledge of climate change mitigation, especially related to carbon removal and direct air capture.
• Familiarity with the state of the field and a strong intuition for implementing policies that effectively advance climate solutions.
• A background of sustained, high-quality work in fast-paced environments and with coalitions.
• Top-notch project management skills with a knack for staying organized and working across multiple competing projects and timelines.
• A healthy dose of climate rage and the determination to do something about it.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ).

WHO YOU ARE

Our ideal deputy director of policy believes deeply in our mission. Beyond that: 

• Creative problem-solving fires you up. When faced with a mountain, you know there are plenty of ways to climb it. You aren’t dissuaded by challenges. In fact, you’re energized by envisioning approaches to facing them. You build structure out of chaos, but you believe nimble systems > bureaucracy any day.
• You build trust and leverage meaningful relationships to get things done. Your colleagues trust you to accomplish tasks in a mutually beneficial, non-transactional way. You are both warm and demanding. You do the things you say you will do, hold others to account, and support the people you engage in the pursuit of shared goals.
• You roll with the punches, and can turn on a dime. You remain flexible and operate comfortably in rapid response fundraising conditions. Often, it’s on us to move quickly to get people the information they need to invest confidently in our work.
• You like to write, and you’re good at it. People go to you to help them convey complex ideas in a compelling manner and the right format.
• You excel on a small, nimble team, and are happy wearing lots of hats. Working on a fast-paced and quickly growing team is familiar — and you love it. You are flexible, comfortable with ambiguity, know how to roll with the punches, can bounce right back after a setback, and get energy from building the plane as you fly it.
• You’re a driver of results. You pursue ambitious goals and use your exceptional strategic, analytical, and critical-thinking skills to make data-informed decisions and achieve impressive outcomes.
• You’re high-impact, low-ego, and kind to yourself and others. You choose optimism, assume the best, and resonate with our core values (see below).
• You don’t opt out of DEIBJ conversations, even when they are uncomfortable. You are committed to working at an organization that centers DEIBJ and willing to learn and grow your literacy in this space.

WHAT WE OFFER

Carbon180 is deeply committed to providing market-leading compensation and robust benefits to our employees. Our salaries are in the 70th percentile of the Washington, DC market. We employ an external firm to conduct market analyses every three years, and we are committed to safeguarding internal salary equity. For those reasons, we have a non-negotiation policy on salaries.

The starting salary for this position will be $131,700 with opportunities for growth up to $184,400.

Carbon180 prides itself on offering benefits and perks to our employees that illustrate how we live our values, including:

• 36-hour workweeks (we close at 1 pm every Friday) and dedicated no-meeting time each week.
• A remote-first flexible work culture.
• Four weeks of PTO, three weeks of paid org-wide breaks including one week in the summer and two weeks in the winter, four weeks of sick leave, and five floating holidays/personal days.
• 100% company-covered insurance premiums for medical/dental/vision/long-term disability for you and your dependents.
• Quarterly health and wellness, book, and learning and development stipends.

TO APPLY

To apply for the role of deputy director of policy, please submit an application here no later than Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received, so we encourage you to submit your application early. If you have any questions or issues submitting your application, please email us at hiring@carbon180.org and we are happy to assist.

On the application, you’ll be asked to:

• answer some basic questions about your background and experiences,
• in place of a cover letter, answer a few written reflection questions to help us learn more about your interest in joining our team and in this role specifically, and
• upload your resume for review.

Interview process and timeline

• Applications are being accepted and reviewed through May 30, 2023.
• There will be three rounds of interviews in June and July.
• We anticipate extending an offer in August.

If you have any questions or issues submitting your application, please email us at hiring@carbon180.org.

We currently require that all employees that plan to enter a Carbon180 office or otherwise meet in person with coworkers or other third parties on Carbon180 business are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Accordingly, this role may require full COVID-19 vaccination (subject to any exemptions or accommodations due to medical or religious reasons).

OUR VALUES

At C180, we believe in living by an internal set of core values, which we strive to embody and celebrate in moments big and small.

• One boat. We work hard to ensure that we are rowing in one direction as a team, aligning our work and resources to shared goals.
• Pencil to pen. We think critically, do our research, and weigh multiple options. Then, we commit to move to action.
• Win and lose together. When one of us succeeds, we all win. When we encounter challenges, we determine how best to redirect the energy and resources of the team to solve them.
• Person in the professional. Our team is composed of real people with real passions, interests, and needs, within and outside of our work. To be our best and most productive selves at work, we believe we need to care for ourselves and others.
• Make space, share space. We believe in making space for all voices to be heard, within our team and our broader work — particularly and especially voices historically disenfranchised and disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.
• Be a window, not a door. We’re committed to transparency, and to shining light on how and why decisions are made. We are honest with one another, ask for clarity, and operate with integrity to build a culture of trust.
• Grow the braintrust. We are committed to constantly learning, and to staying up to speed on the science of our field. We work to grow our knowledge, sharpen our skills, and to bring great minds to the field of carbon removal.

Carbon180 is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Carbon180 continually seeks to enrich its staff and team culture. In particular, we’re dedicated to broadening opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences and in environmental advocacy. We’re also committed to building an inclusive workplace culture where talented people of widely different backgrounds can thrive. We've adopted this commitment because we believe the inclusion of culturally diverse perspectives will improve our work and produce better societal and environmental outcomes for all, including historically disenfranchised communities.