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Overview:
The Natural Resources Defense Council (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 staff helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our staff of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and internationally from our offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Santa Monica; San Francisco; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a Senior Biomass Advocate to work with the cross-program Our Forests Aren’t Fuel Campaign in our Washington, D.C. or New York office.

Responsibilities:
  • Help NRDC’s biomass team end harmful subsidies for forest biomass electricity in Europe and prevent bad biomass policies from taking effect in the United States
  • Work with NRDC’s UK biomass campaign lead to spearhead the Cut Carbon Not Forests campaign and coalition
  • Work with NRDC’s US federal policy team to carry out Congressional and administrative advocacy to prevent the adoption of bad biomass definitions and incentives
  • Coordinate with campaigners in Brussels and other European countries where biomass electricity incentives are in place or at risk of proliferation
  • Represent NRDC through active participation in coalitions, providing collaboration and guidance to maximize effectiveness and grow support for needed policies
  • Develop and implement high-impact advocacy strategies and tactics that advance NRDC’s biomass campaigns, including but not limited to, organizing policymaker briefings to elevate the scientific consensus about the harms of forest biomass and community voices
  • Enhance NRDC’s engagement with local environmental justice groups and other community leaders in the U.S. Southeast and Gulf South impacted by the biomass industry
  • Help bolster research and arguments on the biodiversity impacts of biomass harvest for electricity, particularly in the U.S. Southeast
  • Assist NRDC’s biomass team in identifying and evaluating potential legal tactics to challenge biomass industry expansion in the United States
  • Liaise, as needed, with funders in support of the biomass team’s development goals
  • Engage with U.S. and foreign reporters, as needed, in support of the biomass team’s communications goals
Qualifications:
  • 5-10 years working experience in environmental law or policy advocacy
  • JD or Masters Degree in Public Policy or Administration
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze, understand and translate complex scientific, legal and policy matters for advocacy purposes
  • Strong strategic skills relevant to policy, advocacy, litigation (if lawyer), and project development
  • Substantial knowledge of and experience with the federal administrative and legislative process
  • Substantial knowledge of and experience in leading campaigns and achieving campaign goals and objectives
  • Knowledge of bioenergy policy
  • Demonstrated ability to build and work within broad coalitions that reach beyond the traditional environmental community
  • Track record of success in promoting advocacy goals
  • Demonstrated ability to work with and manage consultants, fellows and/or interns on discrete projects
  • Persuasive verbal and written communication skills
  • Strong inter-personal, relationship-building and networking skills
  • Substantial experience with public speaking and oral advocacy with decisionmakers
  • Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.
NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming a diversity of 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 commensurate with skills and experience. Salary minimum is $105,000; salary midpoint is $
115,000. Salary may be higher as appropriate for the selected candidate, with internal equity considerations taken into account.

Since March 2020, NRDC’s offices have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You will be attached to the Washington, D.C. or New York office, but until circumstances allow us to re-open, we will continue to support staff with remote working arrangements. Should you relocate from your current location in the future, we will review any change to your compensation, and relocation assistance, at that time.

To apply, please visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your resume and cover letter through our online portal. We would like you to upload any additional papers or project work that you think would showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications NRDC receives, we will only contact candidates we would like to progress through the search process. Please no phone calls, emails, faxes, or in-person resume drop-offs. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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


For further information about NRDC, please visit www.nrdc.org.