Eastern Industrial & Clean Energy Advocate

NRDC is seeking an Eastern Industrial & Clean Energy Advocate to work within the Climate and Clean Energy Program in our New York or Washington, D.C. office.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking an Eastern Industrial & Clean Energy Advocate to join the Eastern regional team of the Climate & Clean Energy program, with a focus on advancing climate and clean energy policy, including with respect to hydrogen deployment and industrial decarbonization and through engagement with utility commissions and in regulatory proceedings. 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 expertise, a passion for equity-centered climate and clean energy advocacy, experience working collaboratively with a range of diverse partners, the ability to represent NRDC in the media and other public forums with credibility and enthusiasm, an interest in developing and advocating for clean energy and climate policies with state and local elected officials and staff and state agencies in the Eastern U.S. and the willingness to occasionally travel to various eastern state capitols (NY, NJ, PA, VA, NC) to advance NRDC’s policy goals.

• Work collaboratively with Climate & Clean Energy Eastern state leads and Regional Directors to develop, build support for, and advance a broad portfolio of equitable climate and clean energy policies, including for the industrial, power, transportation, and buildings sectors.
• Serve as Eastern lead for NRDC’s hydrogen deployment and industrial decarbonization advocacy, in close partnership with the Climate & Clean Energy program’s Industry, Hydrogen, and Innovation Group.
• Lead (and/or assist with) NRDC’s work in certain critical utility commission proceedings related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicle infrastructure, and other priority policy areas.
• Provide written and oral advocacy to further NRDC’s priorities with utility commissions and state energy and environmental agencies.
• Collaborate with a multi-faceted internal team of Climate & Clean Energy state leads, campaign, communications, public engagement, and policy experts at NRDC to further the organization’s state and regional policy priorities.
• Develop and nurture durable partnerships with state climate and 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.
• Conduct legal and policy research and support analyses to develop and support positions.
• Serve as a spokesperson in the press for NRDC’s climate and clean energy mission as needed.
• In partnership with the Climate & Clean Energy program’s Eastern Region Directors and other members of the team, as well as the Industry, Hydrogen, and Innovation (IHI) team, set strategic goals and priorities, budgets, and timelines, and deploy consultants and partners to meet project timelines and objectives.
• Be a central part of a strong and collegial team that is focused on collaboration, approaches advocacy with innovation and optimism, and is committed to using the full range of expertise within NRDC and among its partners to drive change.

• A graduate level degree in a related discipline(s) including law or demonstrated experience engaging in policy advocacy.
• 5-7 years of work experience related to environment, climate, energy policy, and related fields.
• Experience in state-level clean energy and climate advocacy.
• Experience distilling technical subject matter into content that is understandable to policymakers and a broad set of other stakeholders.
• Experience intervening in utility commission and related regulatory proceedings is preferable.
• 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.
• A sense of mission and passion for public interest and environmental advocacy.
• Broad-based interest in climate and clean energy work, including the ability to quickly get up to speed on NRDC’s policy priorities.
• Strong oral and written advocacy skills, including a willingness to represent NRDC in a variety of public forums and in the media.
• 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.
• Willingness and ability to register as a state lobbyist.
• Flexibility to travel to various Eastern State capitols, as well as NRDC offices in NYC and D.C. and to other locations in the East as needed.

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