Natural Resources Defense Council is hiring a
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 Senior Climate Science Advisor to work with the Science Office team in our Washington, D.C., New York, or San Francisco offices.
Position Summary
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is one of the most effective and influential environmental organizations in the United States and around the world.
It is guided by the understanding that protecting the planet is about protecting people – our health, our communities, and our economy. At the core of its mission is a simple idea: A healthy environment should be a basic right for all of us – regardless of where we live, what we look like, or how we vote. And NRDC is relentless in its commitment to defending that right.
Today, the organization is working to achieve a vision of a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world – one in which we are standing up for climate, nature, health, and equity.
To meet our most pressing environmental challenges, it is building and scaling solutions to fight climate change; protect endangered species and the wilderness; eliminate toxic chemicals in the air, food, and water; advance more sustainable cities; and engage millions of people in the movement for a healthier world.
NRDC’s unique approach combines the power of law, science, policy, and public engagement to create solutions for lasting change. On any given day, it takes polluters to court. It publishes ground-breaking scientific research. It advocates in city halls, statehouses, and government chambers. NRDC works alongside communities to make them healthier and more resilient. It activates public pressure to make government officials and corporations do the right thing. NRDC works across the globe, with a particular focus on the United States, China, and India. Today, this mix of strategies is more critical than ever before.
There is unprecedented urgency to act on climate change, as people across the world are increasingly suffering from its consequences – from record heat, drought, and wildfires to hurricanes and flooding. Recent scientific reports from the world’s leading experts tell us that we are in a “code red” for climate change, with a narrowing window to act before its worst impacts are unavoidable. We are also at risk of losing one million species to extinction if drastic efforts are not taken to address the destruction of our natural world. Finally, this is all taking place at a time when inequality between and within countries remains dire as COVID-19 continues to disrupt our lives and further entrench disparities. It is an all-hands-on-deck moment to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and inequality crises.
The challenges ahead are significant – but they are exactly the types of challenges NRDC was born to face. NRDC has played a key role in nearly every major environmental victory in the United States over the past 52 years. For more five decades, it has stood up to polluters and held our leaders accountable for what they do, or fail to do, to protect the environment and people’s health.
More recently, it was at the forefront of the green resistance to former president Trump – filing 136 lawsuits against his administration with an astonishing success rate of more than 90 percent. Just this past year, NRDC played a key role in helping to pass the Inflation Reduction Act—the strongest climate action in U.S. history. And through a robust city, state, and regional structure it is advancing climate solutions outside of Washington, helping to pass strong climate legislation even in Republican-led states like North Carolina. NRDC is targeting the primary source of climate pollution – the fossil fuel industry. It is expanding opportunities for nature-based climate solutions through improved agricultural practices and forest conservation. And it is growing and strengthening the movement, enlisting a new generation of younger and more diverse activists, and strengthening partnerships with communities on the frontline of environmental hazard and harm.
NRDC is an environmental powerhouse, and the past decade has marked enormous growth for NRDC, in its size, influence, and impact. In 2020, it had revenues of $213 million, net assets of $398 million, and the support of more than three million members and online activists joining in its fight to protect the planet. The organization now operates from the following hubs: Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Beijing; and New Delhi. And it has a staff of more than 750 people, all of whom share the values that drive NRDC’s work: A high standard of excellence; a tenacious spirit; the unwavering pursuit of justice; a desire to learn, adapt, and innovate.; and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As has always been the case, NRDC’s success is built in large part on its ability to adapt to changing circumstances and maximize opportunities for progress. Even in an unprecedented few years of the pandemic that challenged staff in unimaginable ways, both personally and professionally, the organization shifted to remote working without missing a beat – advancing its advocacy goals while meeting, and often surpassing, its fundraising targets.
As NRDC embarks on its next 50 years, it is poised to lead the movement for decades to come. It is charting the course for the transformational change we need to build a clean, healthy, just, and prosperous world for all people.
The institution’s continued success will require visionary and action-oriented senior leadership that harnesses the limitless talents of the organization and drives a global movement toward the progress we must achieve. In Manish Bapna, NRDC’s president and CEO, the organization benefits from leadership that is laser-focused on building partnerships and platforms for transformational change and delivering impact at scale. His proven track record in developing policies and programs to address the twin challenges of climate change and inequity helps NRDC achieve ambitious climate action.
For more information on NRDC, please visit: https://www.nrdc.org/.
Senior Climate Science Advisor Role Description
NRDC is looking for an experienced Senior Climate Science Advisor, with international experience, to be a chief advisor for NRDC’s climate policy and strategy and to help build NRDC’s external profile as a strategic contributor to the global climate agenda.
Reporting to the Chief Science Officer, the Senior Climate Science Advisor will lead the vision for climate science at NRDC and have strategic and operational responsibility for developing and honing NRDC’s climate agenda, strategy, and advocacy.
The Senior Climate Science Advisor will approach situations with a collaborative spirit and embrace solving complex and nuanced problems with a scientific, evidence- and equity-based approach. S/He will be a strategic thinker and relationship builder with excellent communications skills. They will be a distinguished climate scientist with strong credibility in the global scientific community.
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. For this position, the salary is $200,000 to $230,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.
Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, 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.
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