Director, Southeast Region

The Natural Resources Defense Council is hiring a Southeast Regional Director to lead environmental health initiatives in the Adaptation and Air & Water sectors. This remote position prefers candidates based in Atlanta, Georgia, and involves collaboration with community groups and policymakers. The role focuses on tackling climate change, environmental degradation, and promoting equity and justice. The position is limited to a two-year term and includes occasional travel within the Southeastern U.S.
About the position

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.
POSITION SUMMARY
NRDC’s Environmental Health Department is seeking to hire a Southeast Regional Director to advance our regional environmental health goals in the Adaptation and Air & Water sectors, with occasional work to advance additional Environmental Health goals in the Southeast region. The Regional Director will work remotely and based in the Southeastern United States, with a preference for Atlanta, Georgia.
The advocate will be an empowering and collaborative individual who champions equity and justice. The successful candidate will have existing relationships with community, environmental justice, environmental groups, in addition to state and local elected officials and staff and state agencies. The candidate should also be adept at telling compelling stories to diverse audiences. The candidate must demonstrate a genuine alignment with the mission and values of NRDC and seek to apply their passion and skills to tackle the most important challenges humanity has ever faced.
The position is remote, with an expectation to be based in Atlanta, Georgia and to travel occasionally to other parts of the Southeastern United States to advance NRDC’s policy goals and for team meetings, etc., as needed.
This is a limited term 2 year position.
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
• Support the development of a broad portfolio of policies that seek to protect communities in the face of climate change, environmental degradation, and inequality. Specific priorities include: risk reduction initiatives that protect homes from climate impacts, homeowner insurance reform, and drinking water contamination (due to PFAS, lead, or other harmful contaminants). [50%]
• Work to advance other community-driven, cross-cutting initiatives that advance the Environmental Health Department’s wider portfolio, including but not limited work on air quality, clean water, toxics, fossil fuels, and community impacts. [20%]
• Build and manage partnerships and collaborate with community groups most impacted by climate and environmental injustices (including Black, indigenous, and people of color, and low-income and rural communities). [10%]
• Develop and nurture durable partnerships with state coalitions and a wide network of allies, including the environmental community, frontline and environmental justice groups, consumer and low-income advocates, labor, the faith community, state and local decision makers and elected officials. [10%]
• Manage one state advocate based in North Carolina with a similar workplan. [10%]
• Contribute to research, analysis, and design of state and local drinking water and climate adaptation policies.
• Provide written and oral advocacy at many levels of government, including but not limited to municipal agencies, municipal legislatures, utility boards, state agencies, the state legislature, and governor’s office.
• Represent NRDC at conferences and serve as a spokesperson in the press for NRDC’s environmental health mission in the Southeastern United States.
• Collaborate with a multi-faceted internal team of campaign, communications, public engagement, and policy experts to advance a diverse portfolio of policy initiatives.
• In partnership with the Place-Based, Water, and Adaptation team members, set strategic goals and priorities, and timelines.
• Be a central part of a strong and collegial team that is focused on collaboration, approaches advocacy with innovation and optimism, and is committed to leveraging the full range of expertise within NRDC and among its partners to drive change.

Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
• 10+ years of work experience related to environment, climate, energy policy, or a related field—with at least 5 of those years in Georgia or other states in the Southeastern United States.
• Community organization and/or advocacy experience with environmental justice and frontline groups and marginalized, low income communities.
• A sense of mission and passion for public interest and environmental advocacy.
• Experience navigating diverse stakeholders, building consensus on policy issues, and driving toward positive outcomes within a team, in a coalition, and with other external partners, in particular partners that reach beyond the traditional environmental community.
• Broad-based interest in drinking water and/or climate adaptation work, including the ability to quickly get up to speed on NRDC’s policy priorities.
• Ability to represent NRDC with maturity, judgment, and professionalism.
• Strong oral and written advocacy skills, including a willingness to represent NRDC in a variety of public forums and in the media.
• Willingness and ability to register as a state lobbyist.
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, approximately 10% annually.
• Experience working collaboratively across teams (internal and external) towards shared outcomes.
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles.

Nice-to-haves
• Master's or other related advanced degree, or an equivalent combination of education and direct experience

Benefits
• We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment.