Climate and Financial Regulation Policy Director

Job posting: 

Climate and Financial Regulation Policy Director

Public Citizen is a national, non-partisan, public interest group with more than 500,000 members and supporters. We hold the government and corporations accountable with campaigns and advocacy before Congress, administrative agencies, and the courts, on issues including money in politics, open government, financial regulation, energy and the climate crisis, fair trade, consumer protection, access to justice, workplace safety, drug and medical device safety, and more. We are the reason why there are air bags and backup cameras in cars and there were no red M&Ms for a decade. And much more.

Public Citizen’s Climate Program is advocating for financial policy that advances the transition away from fossil fuels and promotes rather than impedes racial, economic, and intergenerational justice. We’ve played major roles on both climate and financial regulation, from passing the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to conceiving and co-leading the development of the Vision for Equitable Climate Action, the only comprehensive climate policy platform among U.S. NGOs that centers equity and has the ambition to align the U.S. with a 1.5°C warming pathway.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: We are running dynamic policy and corporate campaigns to cut financing and insurance for fossil fuels. This position combines management, policy expertise, and advocacy with strategic savvy. The right candidate will be a sharp strategic thinker, creative tactician, thoughtful and empowering supervisor, and skilled organizer, both digitally and offline.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 8, 2023. But applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so please submit your materials quickly.

RESPONSIBILITIES

·         Policy development and advocacy: Identify emerging issues and opportunities. With the Climate Program director, develop policy proposals and advocacy strategies. Write white papers, reports, fact sheets, letters, testimony, and comments on proposed rules. Advocate and testify before Congress and administrative agencies. Plan and execute legislative and administrative advocacy campaigns. Collaborate with the Program director and other staff in developing and executing plans to engage activists in influencing policy.

·         Supervision: Supervise a team of policy advocates and other staff as needed, as well as interns and volunteers.

·         Outreach and collaboration: Represent Public Citizen in public forums. Develop high-level contacts and relationships in key organizations and institutions and collaborate with groups and coalitions engaged in this work. Participate actively in coalitions and, where appropriate, lead them.

·         Media and public education: Develop and maintain media relationships and respond to press inquiries, serving as a spokesperson. Help develop research and media strategies in coordination with other staff. Write editorial board memoranda, press releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, and blog posts.

·         Organization building: Assist the director in writing grant proposals and reports.

·         Making things happen:  Above all, make a difference. Write the papers, recruit the partners, hold the meetings, work with the coalitions, lobby the regulators and members of Congress, organize the event. Do what’s needed to win.

·         Other duties as necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. or other relevant advanced degree, knowledge of financial services regulation and seven or more years of relevant policy or advocacy experience, and two or more years of management experience.
• Strong commitment to ending the climate crisis, particularly by cutting off the money pipeline from Wall Street to fossil fuel companies, and passion for advancing racial and economic justice.
• Outstanding analytical thinking, judgment, and oral and written communication skills.
• Independence and strong impulses toward self-starting and self-finishing.
• Ability and eagerness to learn new, complex material quickly.
• Ability to balance multiple projects and priorities, as well as execute planned strategies while reacting to new developments. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, respond to short-term deadlines, balance multiple responsibilities, and maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
• Collaborative spirit, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Willingness to work long hours when necessary.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: Public Citizen staff are represented by SEIU Local 500, and salaries are set according to our collective bargaining agreement. We do not negotiate salaries.

Salary range: $98,226 to $127,060, based on experience and qualifications.

Below are some of our benefits (note that some have eligibility requirements):

• Great medical and dental coverage, 100% paid by PC, including full coverage for children
• Three weeks paid vacation for new employees, plus five personal days
• 401K plan with a 5% contribution from PC after one year of employment
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave after one year of employment
• Sabbatical after 10 years of employment
• Student loan reimbursement program

This is a grant-contingent position.

TO APPLY: Submit a single document that includes a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to climateaction@citizen.org. Please include your last name and the position for which you are applying in the subject line of your email and the filename of your attachment. Women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and multilingual speakers are encouraged to apply. No phone calls please.

Public Citizen is a 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) non-profit organization. Public Citizen employees who work for the 501 (c)(4) are not eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Public Citizen is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a non-smoking workplace. Visit our website at www.citizen.org/.

__________________________________________

Vasudha Desikan (she/her) | Deputy Director

Public Citizen’s Climate Program

(202) 403-1583

vdesikan@citizen.org