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 Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.

NRDC is seeking a Clean Energy Advocate to work with the Climate & Energy’s Sustainable FERC Project team in our Washington or New York office.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking an Advocate to join the close-knit team in the Climate & Clean Energy Program’s Sustainable FERC Project (Project) on our transmission and wholesale power markets advocacy. This person will help to decarbonize our nation’s power sector by advocating in the stakeholder processes at the grid operators ISO New England and PJM, which cover the Northeast (other than New York), Mid-Atlantic, and parts of the Midwest. This person will promote reforms to wholesale markets and transmission planning processes to maximize clean energy expansion and accelerate a just clean energy transition. They will work with coalition partners in coordinating advocacy at the RTOs, engage with state officials and other stakeholder groups relevant to the RTOs (e.g., NESCOE, Organization of PJM States, Consumer Advocates of PJM States, trade associations), and help draft regulatory comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in support of their advocacy.

• Help to develop RTO policies in part through an understanding of the relationships between decarbonization and the wholesale electricity system,
• Advocate in favor of those policies primarily at ISO New England and PJM, together with related advocacy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other venues;
• Advocate for markets and transmission reforms to build the power grid that can support a decarbonized and just economy;
• Working with coalition partners, coordinate advocacy at these two RTOs by coordinating meetings and other activities necessary to achieve our advocacy goals;
• Engage with states and other key stakeholders to advance our goals;
• Draft technical and regulatory comments for the grid operators and FERC;
• Communicate advocacy goals through engagement with a wide audience (and with the support of NRDC’s Communications and Social Media teams), and participate in conferences and other public-facing activities;
• Ability and interest to manage elements of team projects and relationships;
• Act as a resource for team members with less experience.
• Work with a collaborative and innovative team that is committed to using the full range of expertise of NRDC and its partners to drive change.

• 2-5 years of experience
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission;
• Masters, Law, other graduate level degree, or equivalent professional experience in a relevant discipline(s);
• Experience with power markets, electricity sector regulation, and/or FERC (experience with clean energy or climate-related policies, particularly pertaining to policy implementation, is preferred);
• Persuasive writing and policy analysis skills, including the ability to grasp and translate technical power grid issues into plain English and change others’ positions;
• Oral advocacy skills and experience; and comfort speaking in varied settings, including with media;
• Commitment to incorporating and growing the use of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in NRDC’s work;
• Ability to lead projects or project steps within a broader project;
• Ability to represent NRDC with maturity, judgment and professionalism;
• A sense of mission and passion for public interest and clean energy advocacy;
• As conditions allow, a willingness to travel (estimated up to 15% of the time).

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 $87,000 to $94,000.

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

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