Jobs

Public Lands Policy Specialist

General position overview:

The Center for Biological Diversity, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of imperiled plants, animals and wild places, seeks a dynamic individual and creative advocate with strong analytic, oral and written communication skills to support the Center’s many campaigns to protect public lands and waters, and the wildlife that depend upon them, from unsustainable and destructive resource extraction activities. The policy specialist will also work to defend against legislative efforts to weaken or dismantle public lands protections in Congress. In particular, this position will prioritize public lands protections in the western United States and especially in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

The policy specialist will analyze and respond to congressional legislation related to public lands, including supporting place-based protections and working to defeat legislation designed to increase extraction and resource development. In particular, the position will focus on emerging threats to public lands including the growing push for domestic mining and poorly sited renewable energy projects, as well as long-festering problems including over-grazing and destruction of riparian areas in the arid west. The policy specialist will engage in coalition work, high level campaigning, and communicating the Center’s position on the protection of public lands to the media and public through press releases, op-eds, fact sheets, reports and briefing documents. This position will play an important role in elevating the Center’s work to both defend and effectively implement our nation’s core environmental laws and to highlight the connections between the protection of public lands and solutions for the global extinction crisis.

Primary duties:

• Track, analyze and respond to legislation related to public lands under all of the public lands laws including FLPMA, NFMA, NEPA, ESA, with a particular focus on emergent issues related to resource extraction and/or dismantling of protections for such lands in the western United States.
• Defend against legislative attacks on core environmental laws designed to weaken efforts by the Department of Interior, U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies to improve and strengthen protections for public lands and biodiversity.
• Support existing Center campaigns to advance regulatory/administrative improvements in management of public lands, protect endangered species, wildlife and reduce impacts from unsustainable resource extraction on such lands. Support other key Center campaigns that have a national political nexus.
• Develop high-impact rapid response press releases, reports, and other materials to educate the public on policies to improve protections on public lands, protect healthy wildlife population, and move towards a more sustainable and environmentally just management of public lands.
• Engage environmental justice groups, religious organizations, and other non-traditional allies to help strengthen our public lands management laws.
• Engage the public through action alerts and other campaign tools to ensure that political leaders hear constituent voices in support of the correct solutions to the climate crisis.
• Conduct oversight and watchdog activities of the Department of Interior, U.S. Forest Service and Biden administration generally, including through use of the Freedom of Information Act.
• Assist with campaign actions on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund to leverage political power and champion progressive environmental legislators

Essential qualities, qualifications and skills:

• Advanced degree required; law degree preferred.
• 1-4 years of demonstrated experience preferred.
• Knowledge of public lands laws implemented by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service required.  General knowledge of all other conservation and environmental laws, including Endangered Species Act preferred.
• Understanding of and commitment to environmental justice issues required, experience preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental protection and public interest work.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, and analytic abilities required. Ability to be a self-starter and proactively identify additional areas of engagement strongly preferred.
• Experience lobbying at the federal or state level preferred.
• A passion for and knowledge of the natural world, biodiversity, wildlife and waters preferred.
• Ability to work as part of a team, and to coordinate closely with attorneys and scientists required.
• Good sense of humor in the face of hostile, irrational politician while juggling competing priorities preferred.

Benefits Package

• Paid generous medical, dental and vision plan.
• Paid STD and LTD.
• 403(b) plan with opportunity for match.
• Generous time off policies.
• Vacation accrual starts at 15 days annually, but it may be higher commensurate with experience.
• Relaxed work atmosphere and dress code.

Salary Range: $55,000-75,000

Application process:

Please apply online by submitting a cover letter, resume, and reference list. The position will remain open until filled. No telephone calls, please. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

The Center for Biological Diversity deeply values, and is committed to sustaining and promoting, both biological and cultural diversity. We welcome, embrace and respect diversity of people, identities and cultures. We are committed to fostering an organizational culture of diversity and inclusion. The Center believes staff and board diversity is critical to saving life on Earth.

We are an equal opportunity employer.

Job posted: 2023-08-22