Senior Vice President for Climate & Energy

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.

Senior Vice President for Climate & Energy Role Description

The Senior Vice President will be the chief visionary and strategist for NRDC’s advocacy to fight climate change and advance clean energy, charged with leading, scaling, and operationalizing the people, structures, partnerships, and programs needed to execute strategy in this area for maximum impact. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer (CPO) and serving on the Advocacy Leadership Team, the Senior Vice President will be externally and internally focused, representing NRDC at external events as well as internal forums, acting as a spokesperson for our strategic vision and helping elevate the reputation and profile of the organization. The Senior Vice President will seek out and build strategic partnerships and develop and support fundraising efforts in partnership with Development. The Senior Vice President will be expected and will be supported to build even further NRDC’s advocacy against climate change and in favor of clean energy to meet the urgency of the moment.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic, expert, and inspirational leader to design a strategy and lead work in four key sectors: Transportation, Power, Industrial and Buildings, all with a focus on equity and community. NRDC’s staff is highly capable, and the Senior Vice President will be an empowering and collaborative individual who requires and spurs high performance and innovation and can champion equity, diversity, and inclusion. The successful candidate will be flexible, thrive in collaborative environments, embrace solving complex and nuanced problems, and be recognized within the climate movement as a strategic leader with excellent communication skills and the ability to tell compelling stories to diverse audiences. Candidates must also demonstrate a genuine alignment with the values of NRDC and seek to apply passion and skill to tackle the most important challenges humanity has ever faced.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Institutional Leadership, Partnerships and External Relations (60%)

• Serves as chief strategist and advocate for NRDC’s goal to fight climate change and advance clean energy with people and equity at the center of the mission.
• Serves as a high-visibility expert and spokesperson for NRDC’s advocacy on climate and energy matters.
• Cultivates and manages strategic relationships and partnerships with businesses, NGOs, environmental justice leaders, labor, government, and community groups to maximize impact and achieve major climate outcomes.
• Serves as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the Chief Program Officer.
• Works with the Development department to formulate and implement a vision and strategy to maximize funding opportunities; helps develop foundation proposals, meets with donors, and cultivates philanthropic relationships.
• Works with the Communications and Campaigns departments to develop effective external mobilization opportunities and communication strategies that increase NRDC’s visibility and name recognition as a leader in climate and energy matters.
• Embeds equity and justice in NRDC’s climate and energy work; champions community advocacy and helps build expertise and capacity among underserved communities.

Program Management (40%)

• Leads the Climate and Energy program, including strategic planning, people management and administration.
• Sets program’s strategic goals in alignment with organizational priorities, develops key performance indicators and robust work plans to achieve outcomes, and sets and reinforces high performance expectations.
• Oversees and has ultimate responsibility for management of the program’s budget, aiming to make the most strategic and effective use of program funds by rigorously prioritizing and allocating resources to maximize opportunities and outcomes.
• Collaborates internally with leadership across programs and other functions to ensure that department initiatives are integrated, and that staff are in alignment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years’ directly related experience in the climate and energy field, including at least 5 years successfully managing large teams toward a common vision and purpose.
• Demonstrable alignment with and deep commitment to NRDC’s mission and purpose with an ability to communicate this passion to others with a positive and high-energy attitude, integrity, and a commitment to working collaboratively with peers and colleagues.
• Visionary, strategic thinker with a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.
• Substantial experience in leading development and execution of strategic goals.
• Proven ability to manage large teams of people, large-scale projects, and relationships in a complex and matrixed organizational structure.
• Seasoned advocate with experience building and enhancing alliances.
• Experience working in partnership across stakeholder groups on intersectional problems, such as environmental injustice, to co-create solutions.
• Deep experience in and commitment to incorporating justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in our work and in team culture and operations.
• Experience with public speaking on technical and non-technical topics, with an ability to communicate successfully with a wide variety of audiences.
• Experience successfully managing large budgets, including prioritizing and reallocating funds to make the best use of limited resources for strategic purposes.
• Excellent interpersonal and active listening skills, with a collaborative working style.
• Must have a confirmed interested and proven track record building, managing and leading through dynamic change.
• Can effectively engage a variety of constituencies, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and thrive in a complex environment with multiple priorities.
• Experience and demonstrated success in fundraising, including foundation grants and major donor engagement.
• Has a good sense of humor, listens to others, and accepts different opinions; is cooperative and able to build bridges.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

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.

Working Environment and COVID-19 Measures

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