Staff Attorney, Environmental Law and Governance Project

Overview

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online supporters. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. For two decades, NRDC has been a thought leader and trusted adviser to our partners in China. With a highly effective team of more than 30 people based in our Beijing office, NRDC China Program have worked hard at both the national and local levels to recommend, develop, and help implement innovative laws, policies, technologies, and market tools that conserve natural resources, curb pollution and accelerate China's transition to a clean, low-carbon economy. NRDC's Beijing Representative Office is registered under the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and supervised by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China.

Position Summary**:**

NRDC is seeking a Staff Attorney to work with the Environmental Law and Governance (ELP) team in our Beijing office, to promote China’s environmental and climate laws and governance in support of NRDC’s strategic goals of greening China and improving public health. The Staff Attorney will be based in Beijing and a member of the China Program. He/she shall report to the Director of China ELP.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategies to improve environmental and climate laws and governance in China.
• Research and advocate for environmental and climate policy and laws, regulations, compliance mechanisms; write papers and blogs, organize events, get in contact and have conversations with policy makers, etc.
• Work with project partners on the development of China’s environmental legislation and implementation and provide technical assistance to Chinese stakeholders through the introduction of international experience and the assessment of their possible implementation to China.
• Maintain strong connections and build ties with project partners and contacts in government, academia, NGOs, and other areas.
• Represent NRDC in events such as conferences, press interviews, and prepare other communication materials.
• Carry out project monitoring and evaluation, including preparing reports.
• Assist in writing and editing of grant proposals, project progress reports and other project documents.

Qualifications

• A substantive background in Chinese and international environmental laws and policies
• Excellent research, writing, communication, and analytical skills.
• Fluency in oral and written English and Chinese.
• Ability to work well with colleagues; strong sense of team spirit.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize tasks to meet project deadlines.
• Both a Chinese law degree and a J.D. or LL.M. degree.
• Above 3 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to nonprofit/public interest advocacy.
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming a diversity of 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.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience.

To apply, please visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your resume and cover letter, in which salary expectation and availability are stated, through our online portal. We would like you to upload any additional papers or project work that you think would showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of resumes, only qualified candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls, emails, faxes or in-person resume drop-offs. Please reference where you saw this posting. NRDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

If you are having technical difficulty while applying, please send an email with the position title in the subject line to hr_bj@nrdc-china.org. Applications will be accepted until filled.

For further information about NRDC, please visit www.nrdc.org and www.nrdc.cn.

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