Senior Policy Advisor, Agriculture

Carbon180 is a new breed of climate-focused NGO on a mission to fundamentally rethink carbon. We know that our climate goals can only be met by rapidly reducing emissions and removing the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere.

The good news? Carbon is much more than mere waste. We work at the intersection of science, business, and policy to champion solutions that transform carbon from a liability to an asset and foster a prosperous, carbon-conscious economy. Our team is based in Washington, DC.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Overview:

Carbon180 is seeking a Senior Policy Advisor, Agriculture to support our growing policy and legislative work on agriculture approaches to carbon removal in Washington, DC. While Carbon180 works on the full range of land and tech based carbon removal solutions, this position will focus on approaches to carbon storage in the agriculture sector (eg. soil carbon storage, agroforestry).

The person who takes this position should be passionate about the role the federal government can play in creating thriving agricultural communities that can both adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change and be a part of the solution.

This position is responsible for executing the organization's federal policy strategy, researching existing policies and helping to produce new ones, managing outreach to target policy audiences, and supporting policy-related communications and events.

Our SPA, Ag will serve on Carbon180’s policy team, and will report to the Deputy Director of Policy. Compensation. Carbon180 is deeply committed to providing competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits to our team. The salary range for this position is $80,000-$100,000, commensurate with candidate experience + adjusted for cost of living in the location of the position.

MAJOR ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• In partnership with the policy team, develop and own execution of key components of Carbon180’s policy strategy related to agricultural solutions
• Execute policy campaigns around key agriculture issue areas, including:
  • Help manage coalition-building and stakeholder outreach activities to galvanize support for sound policy on agriculture-based carbon removal
  • Carry out congressional outreach to educate policymakers and encourage them to introduce and pass legislation
  • Coordinate with our communications team to support relevant content creation, media engagement, social media planning, and other communications tasks
  • Help plan policy-related events including briefings for staffers and/or media, ENGO workshops, etc.
  • Develop and publish new and novel policy ideas
• Perform policy analysis, including:
  • Translating technical information on carbon removal solutions to support policy development
  • Developing, submitting, and sharing appropriations requests
  • Working with key stakeholders to develop new policies that are rooted in science, business, and environmental justice

WHO YOU ARE

Our ideal Senior Policy Advisor believes deeply in our mission. Beyond that:

• You move fluidly from strategy to execution. You appreciate the big picture and feel inspired to set a bold vision, but you know it's all in the details. You manage projects fluidly, prioritize fiercely, and track timelines, data, and information in an organized and systematic fashion. You don't drop balls, miss deadlines, or forget to respond to someone's inquiry - and you’re not afraid to roll up your sleeves to do the work.
• You build trust and leverage meaningful relationships to get things done. A relationship-builder at heart, the people you work with trust that you leverage relationships to get things done in a mutually beneficial, non-transactional way. You are both warm AND demanding. You do the things you say you will do, hold others to account, and support the people you engage in the pursuit of our shared goals.
• You excel on a small, nimble team, and are happy wearing lots of hats. Working on a small, fast-paced, and quickly growing team feels not only familiar to you - you love it. You are flexible, comfortable with ambiguity, know how to roll with the punches, have a quick bounce-back time after a setback, and get energy from building the plane as you fly it.
• You’re a driver of results. You've demonstrated the ability to drive results in the pursuit of ambitious goals. You combine your exceptional strategic, analytical, and critical thinking skills with your penchant for data to drive decision-making to ultimately achieve impressive outcomes.
• You are sponge-y in your constant quest for knowledge. When the work feels ambiguous and the path forward unclear, you’re quick to dive into the research to soak up everything you can re: what’s already been done, what’s working, and what the science says. You’re able to distill complex information into a synthesized set of findings and recommendations, and get feedback from your team to make them stronger. You’re constantly looking to learn, grow, and expand your skills and expertise.

Beyond that, you will need:

• Proven track record (3+ years) working on federal policy, on or off the Hill
• Strong knowledge of climate and agriculture issues, including:
  • Technical knowledge related to the carbon cycle, natural ecosystems, and soil carbon storage ○ Policy knowledge on legislation and agency action related to agriculture and climate change
  • At a high level, industry knowledge related to how agriculture operations function across the US
• Familiarity with the state of the field, with a strong intuition for where policy will be most impactful in advancing equitable climate change solutions
• Connections to key stakeholders within the agriculture policy space, including environmental NGOs, agriculture nonprofits, ag industry associations, and academics working on soil carbon storage (or a hunger to actively build this network)

OUR VALUES At C180

• We believe in living by an internal set of core values, which we strive to embody and celebrate in moments big and small.
• One Boat. We work hard to ensure that we are rowing in one direction as a team, aligning our work and resources to shared goals..
• Pencil to Pen. We think critically, do our research, and weigh multiple options. Then, we commit to move to action.
• Win + Lose Together. When one of us succeeds, we all win. When we encounter challenges, we determine how best to redirect the energy and resources of the team to solve them.
• Person in the Professional. Our team is composed of real people with real passions, interests, and needs, within and outside of our work. To be our best and most productive selves at work, we believe we need to care for ourselves and others.
• Make Space, Share Space. We believe in making space for all voices to be heard, within our team and our broader work - particularly and especially voices historically disenfranchised and disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.
• Be a Window, Not a Door. We’re committed to transparency, and to shining light on how and why decisions are made. We are honest with one another, ask for clarity, and operate with integrity to build a culture of trust.
• Grow the Braintrust. We are committed to constantly learning, and to staying up to speed on the science of our field. We work to grow our knowledge, sharpen our skills, and to bring great minds to the field of carbon removal.

TO APPLY

• To apply for the Senior Policy Advisor, Agriculture role, please click "Apply on Company Website" below to submit an application.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they come in.
• On the application, you’ll be asked to answer some basic questions about your background / experiences, upload your most recent resume, and, in place of a cover letter, answer a few written reflection questions to help us learn more about your interest in joining our team, and in this role specifically.

Note: If you have any questions or issues submitting an application, please email us at: hello@carbon180.org

Carbon180 is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Carbon180 continually seeks to enrich its staff and team culture. 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 different backgrounds can thrive. We've adopted this commitment because 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.