State Transportation Advocacy Director

Title: State Transportation Advocacy Director

Department: State Capacity Building 

Status: Exempt

Duration: 2 Years from Start Date, extension dependent upon funding

Reports To: Vice President of State Policy and Advocacy

Positions Reporting to this Position: None

Location: Flexible (the employee may decide whether to work remotely or from an LCV office)

Travel Requirements: Up to 20%

Union Position: Yes

Job Classification Level: E

Salary Range (depending on experience): $83,228 – $101,138

General Description:

LCV believes our earth is worth fighting for because everyone has a right to clean air, water, and a safe, healthy community. To ensure those rights are protected, we help people use their power to shape policy, hold politicians and polluters accountable, and influence elections.

LCV and our more than 30 state affiliates, together, the Conservation Voter Movement (CVM), jointly developed our Clean Energy for All (CEFA) campaign to move the U.S. to 100% clean energy. Through CEFA, the Conservation Voters Movement has successfully translated growing grassroots energy into a movement that demands our leaders respond with the urgency and vision necessary to solve climate change, including winning commitments to 100% clean energy from nearly 1300 successful state and local candidates. We have mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to translate those commitments into clean energy progress in 24 states, 17 of which enacted significant statewide clean energy priorities. The success of these local campaigns has redefined what is possible when discussing solutions to climate change and forced state and local officials to provide leadership demonstrating our collective power to solve the climate crisis.

LCV is seeking a State Transportation Advocacy Director who will develop a network-wide advocacy initiative within CEFA to advance state and local policies advancing state and local transportation campaigns that center racial and economic equity. The State Transportation Advocacy Director will strengthen collaboration across the Conservation Voters Movement (CVM) by helping develop, implement and design successful advocacy campaigns that seek to advance zero-emission buses, cars and trucks and eliminate fossil fuels in our transportation system while ensuring solutions benefit communities disproportionately impacted by transportation emissions. The ideal person in this position will have experience working collaboratively with state and local-based coalitions and organizations, knowledge of state and local transportation issues and in campaigns with broad, racially diverse coalitions that center equity within policy demands.

Responsibilities: 

• Coordinate with national staff and state affiliate partners to monitor, develop, implement and evaluate policy advocacy around state transportation issues. Coordinate with internal teams to connect and develop coalition-building and organizing campaigns focused on advancing equitable transportation policies that address the disproportionate impact of transportation pollution..
• Work collaboratively with state affiliate policy campaign managers to identify policy priorities and share strategies across the CVM. 
• Identify opportunities to advance the CVM’s transportation work within CEFA, including being an active member of national/state coalitions, scoping potential new alliances, and connecting our state affiliates to opportunities to advance state and local leadership. Manage campaigns to secure statewide commitments to Advanced Clean Cars and Advanced Clean Truck rules and center racial equity in their implementation. 
• Identify opportunities and develop policy and campaign guidance for CVM engagement around implementation of transportation-related investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as their impact on state Department of Transportation decisions, with a lens towards applying state and federal environmental justice commitments.
• Amplify state and local campaign progress; work closely with the digital team to develop online campaigns and tools that increase online engagement around state and local transportation campaigns.
• Work with the State Equity Policy Director to identify financing mechanisms and policy tools that ensure zero-emission vehicle policies reduce pollution in communities disproportionately impacted by vehicle emissions. Research, track and analyze zero-emission and transit equity policies.
• Work collaboratively across departments to design and implement state-focused, anti-racist CEFA campaigns.
• Travel up to 20% of the time for in-state visits with state LCV staff, retreats, training, and conferences, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• Work Experience: Required – Minimum of 5 years of experience in issue advocacy and/or organizing campaigns, including direct experience working in politics or lobbying at the state or local level. Experience working with state and/or local coalitions, and in particular collaboratively facilitating coalitions and organizing meetings. Project management experience. Preferred – Experience working with a national organization who has state affiliates or chapters.
• Skills: Familiarity with state and local clean energy, climate or transportation policy. Ability to synthesize policy goals into campaign demands and public messaging. Ability to consistently integrate a deep understanding of key racial justice and equity concepts into projects and interactions by addressing structural implications and disproportionate impacts of policies, activities, and decisions on race, class and other group identities within the context of job responsibilities and projects. Familiarity with how communications strategies advance programmatic and advocacy goals. Exhibits strong leadership traits including reliable, consistent, detail-oriented, self-motivated, self-aware, and emotionally intelligent.
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated cultural competency and familiarity with the complexity of issues and obstacles facing communities of color participation in our democracy. Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity, views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on varying cultural and community norms. Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture. Understands how environmental issues intersect with racism, economic and social inequality in the U.S. and has a passion for working to dismantle these systems.
• Working Conditions: This job operates in a professional office environment, and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and audiovisual systems. This position is largely sedentary, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods. The person in this position frequently communicates with partners and must be able to exchange accurate information. Applicants need to be located in and legally authorized to work in the United States. LCV requires all employees working from our offices or participating in in-person meetings or events to be fully up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, subject to reasonable accommodation as required by law. 

LCV offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes vacation, sick and parental leave, personal days, paid holidays, health insurance (two plan options for staff to choose from), dental and vision insurance, life and disability insurance (short- and long-term), Flexible Spending Account, 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contribution, commuter benefits program, sabbatical, and student loan assistance.

To Apply: Send a cover letter and resume to hr@lcv.org  with “State Transportation Advocacy Director” in the subject line by November 27, 2022. No phone calls please.

LCV is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a racially just, equitable and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other protected status. LCV is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact hr@lcv.org.