State Director

~ Environment New York is a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization and a project of Environment America. ~

We believe there’s something special about New York — something worth protecting and preserving for future generations. Whether it’s hiking in the wild forested hills of the Catskills, going for a swim in Long Island Sound, or camping along Lake George in the Adirondacks, New York’s natural wonders enrich our lives in countless ways.

Yet the places we love and the environmental values so many of us share are too often threatened by powerful industries, short-sighted politicians and more. Defending our environment requires independent research, tough-minded advocacy and spirited grassroots action.

Position Overview

The State Director is responsible for developing our strategy, approach and local message to win our campaigns in a specific state. The State Director will also meet with local decision-makers and opinion leaders and represent our organization to allies and the media. State Directors help to build and foster our membership, grassroots and online base of support. Finally, the State Director will help recruit staff and volunteers to join us, fundraise for our programs, and maintain good systems for tracking and building on our work.

Responsibilities

• Program: Run our in-state program participating in and overseeing policy development, research and messaging.
• Advocacy: Bring problems and solutions to the attention of decision-makers—including state legislators, people on the governor’s staff, state regulators and local officials. Develop appropriate messages and materials for making the case to decision-makers. Build relationships with key players in the state, the region and at the federal level.
• Campaign strategy: Develop plans to win on our environmental or public interest campaigns. Assess opportunities for building political support for our agenda through coalition-building, grassroots organizing, media coverage, endorsements and message development.
• Media outreach: Serve as the public spokesperson for our environmental or public interest campaigns through media events, press releases, editorial board meetings and other outreach with a goal of building name recognition for the organization, educating the public about our issues, and building and demonstrating support for our positions.
• Coalition building: Identify, reach out and work with partners who can help us win our campaigns.
• Fundraising: Write grant proposals, build relationships with foundation staff and meet with large donors, all to bring more resources to campaigns we're waging to protect our environment or the public interest. Work with our citizen outreach staff to build and develop our membership base.
• Staff recruitment and development: Recruit new staff and volunteers to increase our impact and build our power.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have at least 3-5 years of relevant professional experience.
• Qualified candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to environmental and public interest issues and to citizen-based social change, as well as a track record of leadership.
• We're looking for goal-driven and results-oriented individuals who have excellent verbal, writing and analytical skills, the ability to speak persuasively in a charged atmosphere, and enthusiasm for the work.
• The ideal candidate will have experience in state-level political advocacy and organizing, a proven ability to recruit, train and develop staff, the ability to raise money, and demonstrated success in building relationships with the full spectrum of environmental and political stakeholders.

Compensation

• Target annual compensation for this position is commensurate with the relevant professional experience and/or advanced degrees that a candidate has.
• Environment America offers a competitive benefits package.

Additional Information

The Public Interest Network is home to 16-plus organizations that share a vision of a better country, a set of core values about our work and a coordinated strategic approach to getting things done. Click here for things you should know about our network when you apply.