Director, RTO Advocacy

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 Beijing; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C. 

NRDC is seeking a Director, RTO Advocacy to work with the Sustainable FERC Project, Climate & Energy Department team in our Washington, DC, New York or Chicago office (preference for Washington). 

Position Summary 

NRDC is seeking an experienced, senior leader to join the Sustainable FERC Project (Project) team as the Director of RTO Advocacy. The Project advocates for the rapid, reliable transition of the nation’s power grid to zero-carbon renewable energy resources while reducing unnecessary fossil gas infrastructure. The Director will manage staff, develop and direct policy, meet with RTO leaders and other stakeholders, and collaborate with a constellation of internal and external colleagues, coalition partners, allies, and officials. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about leading, managing, and influencing different people and initiatives; understands that grid organization stakeholder processes are often contentious; and dedicated to meeting the organization’s goals for policy reforms at the nation’s regional transmission planning organizations and other FERC-jurisdictional planning regions.  They thrive in collaborative work environments, embrace solving complex and nuanced problems, and understand and can communicate complex, technical, regulatory subjects in compelling and accessible ways.  

To read more about the Project’s recent work, visit www.sustainableferc.org/blog.

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions.

• Manage the Sustainable FERC Project’s team responsible for advocacy in the RTOs and other grid planning regions.  
• Lead the development of near-term and long-term goals for each grid planning region, along with annual objectives and desired results for each of the RTOs and grid regions where the Project advocates.  
• In collaboration with NRDC staff and Project partner organizations, develop comprehensive advocacy strategies for RTO policy reforms including both stakeholder and non-stakeholder strategies.  
• Develop budgets to advance and achieve goals.  
• Coordinate with the Project’s FERC and federal advocacy teams to ensure alignment of goals, strategies, and messages.  
• Collaborate closely with other NRDC departments and programs to share and obtain the support and resources needed to advance the Project’s priority RTO goals.   
• Align RTO goals as much as possible to advance NRDC’s other national and state climate and clean energy goals, and work with other NRDC departments and programs to identify goals and implement strategies necessary to do so.   
• Work closely with Project coalition partners and others to advance shared goals.  
• Maintain and enhance the Project’s RTO partner coordination function, including but not limited to periodic convenings and planning sessions and other activities necessary to strengthen the coalition.  
• Working with NRDC’s communications team, serve as key external voice of NRDC on regional climate and energy issues.   
• Provide regular individual coaching, feedback, and development while fostering team cohesion.   
• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into management decisions and advocacy, and act as a role model of values-based leadership.    

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (or an equivalent combination of education and experience). Graduate degree preferred.   
• 7+ years of work experience.  
• 3 years of experience managing employees. Experience working in the power sector. 

Skills, Abilities, & Competencies 

• Understanding of complex concepts. 
• Strong written and oral advocacy skills, coupled with the flexibility, diplomacy, organizational and communication skills necessary for successful collaboration. 
• Ability to represent the Project in the media and other public forums with credibility and enthusiasm. 
• Interest in cultivating relationships with partner organizations to advance the Project’s and NRDC’s policy goals.
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles.

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. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $167,000 to $184,000.

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and 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.