Clean Transportation Washington DC Representative

The Position

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent national nonprofit that uses science to protect our health, safety, and environment. We are scientists, engineers, economists, activists, and everyday people who develop and advocate for innovative, practical solutions to some of our planet’s most pressing problems—from combating global warming and developing sustainable ways to feed, power, and transport ourselves, to fighting misinformation, advancing racial equity, and reducing the threat of nuclear war.

Within UCS, the Clean Transportation Program is a team of scientists, analysts, advocates, and campaign staff who are passionate about the new opportunities to reduce emissions from transportation, particularly from on-road cars and trucks, and building a better, safer, and more equitable transportation system.

Petroleum-burning cars and trucks have defined life in the United States for more than a century, and we’re long overdue for change. Transportation is a major cause of air pollution-related death and disease, with disproportionate effects on Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities. The sector is now the top source of global warming pollution in the United States—which means there’s a lot of opportunity to make a difference.

Join our team, and your job will be to advocate to replace old, polluting trucks and buses with clean electric vehicles, and to promote policies that will lead to further developments in sustainable battery technology. As Washington Representative, you will bring research and analysis from our scientists and analysts to the executive branch and Congress (and potentially state governments) to advocate for policies to reduce emissions from transportation. Using your strong communication skills and your enthusiasm for collaborating with our team and external partners, you’ll play a key role in developing, evaluating, and advocating for policies that will support a cleaner, more equitable, and more sustainable transportation system.

Responsibilities

• Engage with the executive branch on regulatory priorities for our program
• Develop, evaluate, and advocate on policy priorities with Congress
• Participate in state advocacy on electric trucks
• Work closely with scientists and analysts to develop policy positions and effective advocacy materials (fact sheets, reports, testimony, etc.)
• Identify, track, and report on key legislative and regulatory milestones
• Engage with outreach staff to coordinate grassroots activities in the context of federal policy goals
• Develop and implement strategies to attract new constituencies to our work, in collaboration with outreach staff
• Coordinate legislative activities internally within UCS and in coalitions with other groups

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Work requires a minimum of five years of relevant and comparable legislative, regulatory, and advocacy experience, preferably on issues related to environmental, climate, or transportation policy. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with legislative offices, the executive branch, and/or coalition partners is a requirement and ability to communicate with scientists or other professionals who may be expert and/or prominent in their fields is strongly preferred, as is an understanding of the role of science in the policy making process. Excellent oral and written communications skills are essential. Working knowledge of transportation and climate policy is preferred. Training or experience in project management is also desirable. Experience working in cross-disciplinary and cross-departmental advocacy campaigns preferred.

May spend extended periods at computer. Position requires 5-15 days of travel per year.

UCS is an equal opportunity employer actively seeking to diversify its staff. In particular, we’re dedicated to broadening opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences and in environmental advocacy. We’re also committed to building an inclusive workplace culture where talented people of widely diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe the inclusion of culturally diverse perspectives will improve our work and produce better societal and environmental outcomes for all, including historically disenfranchised communities.

Benefits

Details:

This is a full-time position based in UCS’s Washington, DC office. For those who meet all position requirements, the salary is around $70,000. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment.

Information about the organization is available at http://www.ucsusa.org.

Comparable training and/or experience can be substituted for degrees when appropriate.

More about the team:

Our team is made up of a dedicated group of researchers, scientists, communicators, campaigners, and advocates from wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and a collaborative and supportive work environment where all staff can thrive. We continually strive to create an environment which is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, parents, empty-nesters, and people with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds.

A note on the pandemic:

During the coronavirus pandemic our staff are working from home. We will resume working from our offices, travel, and in-person meetings when it is safe to do so.

To Apply: We know there are great candidates who won’t check all of these boxes, and we also know you might bring important skills that we haven’t considered. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. Please upload a cover letter and resume. In the cover letter, please confirm that the listed salary meets your expectations. Upload materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls, please.

Deadline: June 20th or until filled.