Job Title: North American Steel Campaign Director
Reports to: Co-founder and Partner Evan Gillespie
Location: Flexible
Salary: $125,000 - $140,000
Context:
Heavy industry is the foundation of modern society – literally. From steel and cement to paper, glass and more, these globally traded goods are essential to modern life. Unlike fossil fuels, we don’t want to stop using steel and cement; we need these materials more than ever. But we need them to be cleaner in order to ensure community health and safety and to get industrial emissions on a 1.5 C-aligned trajectory.
Steel is the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting industrial sector, accountable for 7 to 10 percent of global emissions, or 4 billion tons of GHGs annually. In the last year we’ve seen increasing recognition of the importance of steel decarbonization, with net-zero announcements from five of the six largest steel companies in the world, new government initiatives flowing from COP 26 and a range of new studies proposing technical and policy pathways. However, steel companies lack the incentives and the pressure to make real and material progress toward net-zero GHGs.
There are a variety of pathways to clean production of high-quality steel, but none of these options are being implemented at the rate or scale needed to achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. A coordinated campaign focused on steel for the automotive sector is our best opportunity to accelerate clean steel production so that it can then be used throughout the economy. By bringing together organized labor, industry, local communities, environmental advocates, policymakers and funders, we have the chance to increase the auto sector’s demand for zero carbon steel, end highly polluting blast furnace processing and develop smart industrial and trade policy. This is where we step in.
Who We Are:
Climate Strategies Lab (placeholder name while “CSL” works through a branding process) aims to decarbonize heavy industry around the globe by 2045. Three seasoned Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaigners – Victoria Chu, Evan Gillespie and Nachy Kanfer – have joined forces to build an organization focused on cleaning up heavy industry and remaking the sector to be a better partner to communities, workers and the environment.
CSL provides open-source advocacy-focused data, communications, campaign strategy and execution while building a global network of strategists, advocates, community leaders and foundations to drive campaigns necessary to influence national and international policies that shape corporate and public procurement, redirect financial markets and drive investments in zero-emission industrial production. Our comprehensive approach is designed to build a coordinated field of advocates, workers and industry partners that are co-creating and executing efforts to transform the aluminum, steel, solid waste and other sub-sectors into models for zero-emission industrial activity. In doing so, this field will restore union jobs and leverage U.S. progress to clean up heavy industry around the world.
CSL is a new, financially strong organization rooted in and being built through our shared values, namely:
Campaign Goals & Position Scope:
The goal of this campaign is to catalyze the transformation of the steel industry by demonstrating the viability at scale of producing high-grade steel with dramatically lower GHG emissions. Specifically, we aim to build demand for green steel through the greening of the auto industry and government supply chains. Additional strategies focused on environmental enforcement, federal trade and energy policy will be needed. This campaign is intended to yield the funding, incentives and public pressure to establish new advanced commercial facilities that make and use green steel through cooperation between steel makers, steel buyers and governments.
There is a clear opportunity to place particular focus of this campaign on the automotive industry because of the industry’s leveraged influence over steel companies, the short, controlled supply chain, high consumer exposure and the growing momentum around transportation electrification. While the goal is leverage across the steel industry, a significant commitment by a single major international automobile company could reduce emissions by millions of tons of CO2 per year.
In this newly-created position, the North American Steel Campaign Director will develop and drive a strategy grounded in public pressure, partnership and policy advocacy. The Campaign Director will lead a coalition of organized labor, industry, local communities, environmental advocates, policymakers and funders to raise the salience of green steel among policymakers and the public. With coalition partners, the Campaign Director will create an open-source campaign where interested groups can bring their strengths to the debate and come together to develop skills, share technical expertise and execute a joint vision.
This is a role for an experienced campaigner who has led successful coalitions involving diverse stakeholders, won key fights to improve community health and well-being and built effective networks rooted in trust and collaboration across sector, geography and community. In this capacity, the Campaign Director drives strategy generation and implementation, policy analysis and advocacy and coalition development. The Campaign Director will draw on dedicated communications and data analyst staff to help partners implement campaign strategies. Key responsibilities include the following:
Strategy Development & Implementation
Coalition Building & Capacity Building
Budget, Organizational & Team Management
Who You Are:
The incoming North American Steel Campaign Director is driven by their belief in and commitment to Climate Strategies Lab’s vision and mission. Through their track record and expertise as a successful campaigner, coalition and capacity builder, the successful candidate builds authentic and lasting relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including coalition members and funders, engaging with them as partners in CSL’s broader vision. They effectively communicate this vision and inspire engagement because of their keen understanding of how organized movements create change and accomplish policy objectives.
The Campaign Director joins a committed team that brings a track record of success in campaign strategy, data analysis and communications, with a particular focus on climate and clean energy. The successful candidate is entrepreneurial, excited about the prospect of building something new in the climate movement from the ground up. They have the experience of setting vision, establishing and growing successful programs with creativity, humility and an expectation of continual learning.
This role requires a deep commitment to the principles of environmental and climate justice, proven collaboration skills and the ability to design and execute coordinated strategies that will generate change in a deeply entrenched and seemingly intractable aspect of the climate movement. The Campaign Director demonstrates initiative by diving right in to take a concept from idea to implementation, navigating through internal and external barriers as they arise without getting stuck and finding and deploying resources creatively to solve problems. The successful candidate has worked in an advocacy environment and understands the movement context – including building movements that do not yet exist or bringing new resources to existing movements – possessing a strong grasp of the economic, social and political forces that shape industrial production, consumption and broader policy in the U.S.
In spite of enormous obstacles involved in cleaning up heavy industry, the Climate Strategies Lab team operates with a spirit of possibilities and seeks a Campaign Director who shares the belief that we can all do things we’ve never done before and can stretch ourselves to achieve incredible results. The Campaign Director maintains a resilient outlook and looks for ways to make ideas work before assuming they won’t. The selected candidate will also possess most of the following Core and Preferred qualifications:
Core
Preferred
Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $140,000, based on experience and qualifications as outlined above. Climate Strategies Lab offers a competitive set of benefits, including 100% of comprehensive health care coverage for employees (medical, dental and vision), work from home stipend, up to 5% employer match to 401k and 11 paid holidays plus unlimited vacation, starting with a minimum of 15 business days.
Our Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Climate Justice:
We believe that diversity in our team isn’t just a value but brings different lived experience and perspective that is essential to solving the climate crisis. If you’ve read this job description and are excited by it, if you can see yourself happily filling this role and making a difference on climate change, we really hope you apply. Climate Strategies Lab is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to transparent and equitable recruitment, hiring and promotion processes that foster inclusion and belonging. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please email Cathy Schreiber at cathy@climatestrategieslab.com.
Application Procedure:
To apply or nominate a candidate, please send to cathy@climatestrategieslab.com with “North American Steel Campaign Director” in the subject line a resume and cover email or letter answering the following:
Submission in a combined PDF or Microsoft Word file is preferred. This position is open until filled, with an initial application deadline of 5PM PT on Friday, June 17, 2022. Candidate review and phone screens begin immediately and will be conducted throughout the search period.