Research Associate

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.

NRDC is seeking a Research Associate to work with the Chief Science Officer team in our Washington, DC office.

Position Summary

The Research Associate will work with the Chief Science Officer (CSO) and the Science Office (SO) to engage NRDC and the broader scientific community on technical issues of importance to our strategic goals and vision.

The selected candidate will lead and support tasks on a variety of efforts including:

1. Serve as a thought and action partner with the CSO and SO leadership
2. Support articulation, development and documentation of existing and emerging scientifically and technically relevant NRDC topics at the intersection of our varied programming
3. Spearheading and gathering technical deep dives on a variety of topics including potentially emerging trends.
4. Support the CSO as they expand strategic partnerships with other environmental NGOs, donors and the private sector (as relevant) to build the visibility of the SO outside of NRDC
5. Collaborate with SO leadership as they articulate and provide services to NRDC colleagues to help them generate, manage and use research evidence to formulate advocacy priorities
6. Work with the SO and NRDC Communications Team to help raise the profile of scientific research and publications across programs to bring attention to the importance of scientific integrity in support of NRDC’s advocacy

Responsibilities

• Support the NRDC CSO and SO leadership team as we develop processes and avenues for articulating and integrating science, technology, innovation or research findings to advance NRDC institutional goals
• Work with the CSO to develop and implement an outreach strategy to build the visibility for Science at NRDC
• Research and draft background primer documents on key technical areas of engagement for NRDC or future interest
• Collaborate with other NRDC staff to draft key internal Info and Action Memos to get leadership buy-in and support for activities and policies as needed
• Partner with the SO to develop and execute external events and other activities designed to advance our institutional goals
• Work with multiple internal working groups and teams on strategic communications assets in support of NRDC goals
• Facilitate and/or participating in meetings with key stakeholders
• Provide programmatic support, as needed
• Other duties as assigned
• Some travel (with the CSO) may be required to advance the duties above

Qualifications

Required

• Commitment to NRDC’s mission and values.
• Master’s Degree in a scientific discipline and 2+ years relevant professional experience.
• Research experience and/or research project or program management experience
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work across multiple teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with concrete experience preparing technical reports and/or policies.
• Interest in process improvement and facilitating organizational change
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high volume, multi-client environment, with the ability to be adaptable and flexible in a dynamic work environment.
• Interest in and/or experience working with interdisciplinary scientific projects is highly desirable.
• Ability to work with minimal guidance, prioritize work and juggle multiple tasks under tight deadlines.
• General knowledge and interest in environmental issues including climate change, conservation, environmental justice, public health as well as interest in working for non-profit sector.
• Proven record of excellent organizational, management, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability, willingness, and tenacity to navigate within a large organization to meet goals.

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.