Forest Advocate

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

NRDC is seeking a Forest Protection Advocate to work with the Nature team in our Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Monica, New York or Washington, DC offices. San Francisco or Santa Monica offices preferred. 

Position Summary 

NRDC is seeking a Forest Protection Advocate with policy, legal, and /or scientific expertise to advance NRDC’s forest priorities. The advocate’s time will focus on issues including:  combatting the forest biomass industry’s attempts to expand operations to the West coast (presently, California and Washington); developing NRDC’s work on wildfire policy; preventing subsidies and other incentives for the forest biomass industry at the federal level; and supporting litigation to protect Northern forests.  

The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).  

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement high-impact advocacy strategies and tactics that advance NRDC’s forest work with policymakers at the state and federal levels.  
• Work with NRDC attorneys to support legal challenges related to NRDC's forest work. 
• Build and maintain strong, diverse coalitions comprised of NGOs and community groups. 
• Analyze and translate and/or conduct scientific research in furtherance of forest protection, including on biomass energy and wildfire.  
• Develop reports and policy research supporting forest conservation, including ones highlighting the many problems inherent with biomass energy.  
• Enhance NRDC’s engagement with communities negatively affected by biomass energy production by organizing in and supporting such frontline communities.  
• Liase with communications team and engage with reporters to deliver high-impact stories supporting NRDC’s forest work and galvanize opposition. 
• Engage with NRDC funders, members, and activists to help increase their understanding of and commitment to our forest conservation campaigns.  
• Contribute to NRDC’s long-range planning for future forest advocacy campaigns. 

Qualifications

• Commitment to NRDC’s mission and values. 
• Bachelors Degree in relevant field 
• 4 + years of relevant experience 
• Advanced degree in law or science preferred. 
• Experience in policy advocacy at the federal and state levels. 
• Experience leading campaigns and achieving campaign goals and objectives. 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze, understand, and clearly translate technical, scientific, and other expert materials for a variety of advocacy audiences. 
• Community organizing experience, including in environmental justice communities. 
• Strong strategic skills relevant to policy, advocacy, and project development. 
• Strong writing skills and experience drafting a range of advocacy materials, including reports, blogs, and fact sheets. 
• Strong verbal communication skills, including experience with public speaking and oral advocacy with decisionmakers. 
• Strong skills building and working with broad coalitions that reach beyond the traditional environmental community. 

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 $113,000 to $121,000.  

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month. 

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 resume and cover letter (please include a cover letter for your application to be considered). 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.