Policy Director

~ Faith in Place empowers Illinois people of all faiths to be leaders in caring for the Earth, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. ~

Since 1999, Faith in Place has worked with over 1,000 houses of worship throughout Illinois to protect our common land, air, and water. With outreach staff working across the state and offices located in Chicago, the North & West Suburbs, Lake County, and Central Illinois, Faith in Place inspires faithful people to care for the Earth through four program areas: Energy & Climate Change, Sustainable Food & Land Use, Water Preservation, and Advocacy.

Position Overview

Faith in Place’s Policy Director facilitates collective action of people of faith in public policy advocacy for environmental justice. Decades of local and regional infrastructure disinvestments communities of color in Illinois limit opportunities to break the cycles of poverty, violence, and mass incarceration. This environmental racism creates disproportionate levels of pollution in these communities.

The Policy Director of Faith in Place actively works alongside the faith institutions in these communities through Faith in Place’s popular education organizing methodology – the Green Team model – to create a future that is promising for all by advancing public policy that prioritizes green economic revitalization in the areas of the state that suffer most from environmental degradation.

Responsibilities

• Work with clergy, green teams, and houses of worship throughout Illinois on public policies that prioritize job pathways for returning citizens and foster care alumni in solar, wind, and energy efficiency jobs.
• Provide leadership in the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition for implementation of the Future Energy Jobs Act.
• Organize constituent meetings and town halls with policymakers to hear faith concerns in order to shape and advance an environmental justice agenda.
• Travel to the State Capitol in Springfield when the IL General Assembly is in session to educate and advocate issues on behalf of Faith in Place’s faith partners on the moral obligation to care for the Earth and lobby on behalf of the environmental justice agenda and legislative agenda of the Faith in Place Action Fund.
• Lead Faithful Citizen Workshops and mobilize hundreds of people to travel to the Illinois State Capitol for an annual Advocacy Day.
• Work and meet regularly with coalition partners, representing Faith in Place and the Faith in Place Action Fund, and adapting plans as needed.
• Actively work with members of the IL Legislative Black and Brown Caucuses to advance legislation that advances the principals of the Faith in Place Action Fund (Faith in Place’s lobbying arm, a 501c4):
• Curb climate change while creating clean energy jobs, improving our energy efficiency and our renewable portfolio standards to create wind and solar jobs for all.
• Prioritize energy efficiency, wind, and solar jobs for areas that suffer disproportionately from air pollution, requiring a just transition plan from polluting jobs to clean energy jobs.
• Create access to clean energy jobs for returning citizens, foster care alumni, and those across the state in economically challenged and disadvantaged communities.
• Achieve access to local, healthy food for the more than 500,000 people in Illinois who live in food scarce neighborhoods.
• Emphasize policy solutions for water justice for communities who suffer disproportionately from basement flooding, sewer backups, and lead in water lines.

Qualifications

• More than three years of organizing and lobbying experience.
• Familiarity with navigating 501c3, 501c4, and PAC activity.
• Entrepreneurial spirit along with passion for environmental justice issues.
• Willingness and ability to become well-versed in all environmental justice issues and all programs offered by Faith in Place.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including comfort in speaking to large groups, facilitating small group discussions, writing advocacy petitions, and excelling at one-on-one interactions.
• Ability to effectively communicate and work with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, religious and political
• Strong organizational ability and experience in meeting established goals within tight
• Familiarity with standard business computer applications and databases. Every Action/VAN database experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively leading and collaborating with volunteers with management or supervisory
• Ability and willingness to motivate individuals to take action regarding Earth care. Prior experience in faith community life is a
• Able to process and exercise discretion when handling confidential information and materials.

Compensation

Salary: $65,000.00 to $85,000.00 /year

Additional Benefits:

A comprehensive benefits package is offered to full-time employees of Faith in Place after the first six months of employment. These benefits, with some employee contributions, include medical, vision, life insurance, short and long-term disability insurance, employer matched simple-IRA plan, twenty paid vacation days, two paid personal days, and two paid sick days.

To Apply

• Please click "Apply" below to upload a cover letter and resume to Rev. Brian Sauder.
• Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

~ Faith in Place is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, termination, promotion, transfer, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. ~