Senior Advocate, California, NRDC
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.
Position Summary
NRDC is seeking a Senior Advocate to join the Western regional team of the Climate and Clean Energy program. Our team is committed to transitioning our economy to clean energy, combatting climate change, and addressing environmental and energy inequities. This position will be an integral part of the program’s advocacy success. The ideal candidate will have policy and legal analysis and development expertise, a passion for equity-centered climate and clean energy advocacy, experience working collaboratively with a range of diverse partners, and interest in developing and advocating for clean energy and climate policies with elected officials and other decisionmakers in California and elsewhere in the western U.S.
Responsibilities
- Serve in a leadership role to develop, build support for, and advance a broad portfolio of equitable climate and clean energy policies, including the power sector and decarbonizing industry and buildings.
- Serve as California lead for NRDC’s industrial decarbonization advocacy, in partnership with the Climate and Clean Energy program’s Industrial Policy Director and team.
- Develop and nurture durable partnerships with state clean energy coalitions and a wide network of allies, including the environmental community, frontline and environmental justice groups, consumer and low-income advocates, labor, the faith community, clean energy businesses, utilities, state and local decision makers and elected officials.
- Provide written and oral advocacy at the California PUC, Energy Commission, ARB, legislature and Governor’s office.
- Serve as a key spokesperson in the press for NRDC’s climate and clean energy mission in California.
- Collaborate with a multi-faceted internal team of campaign, communications, public engagement, and policy experts to advance a diverse portfolio of policy initiatives.
- In partnership with the Climate and Clean Energy program’s Western Region Director and other members of the team, set strategic goals and priorities, budgets, and timelines, and deploy consultants and partners to meet project timelines and objectives.
- Is a central part of a strong and collegial team that is focused on collaboration, approaches advocacy with innovation and optimism, and is committed to leveraging the full range of expertise within NRDC and among its partners to drive change.
Qualifications required
- 8+ years of work experience related to environment, climate, energy policy, and related fields.
- Experience in state-level clean energy and climate advocacy in California and/or the western U.S.
- Either a graduate level degree in a related discipline(s) including law, or demonstrated experience engaging in policy advocacy.
- Experience navigating diverse stakeholders, building consensus on policy issues, and driving toward positive outcomes within a team, in a coalition, and with other external partners, in particular partners that reach beyond the traditional environmental community.
- Strong oral and written advocacy skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team setting.
- Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission, and passion for advocating for the public interest.
- Flexibility to travel, once it is safe to do so, around California, the West, to NRDC’s regional offices, and to other U.S. locations as needed (approximately 10-30% of the time).
- A resident of California, with a preference for the Bay Area or Sacramento.
Preferred
- A law degree and admission to the California Bar is a plus but not required.
To learn more and apply, click here.
