Sr. Program Manager for Transportation Equity

Greenlining; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 94,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Greenlining Institute seeks a Senior Program Manager for Transportation Equity to advance policy initiatives in California and beyond, ensuring benefits reach low-income communities and communities of color.

You will engage with lawmakers, regulators, and advocates, supervise program staff, and manage strategic campaigns that center equity and climate goals while coordinating cross-sector partnerships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3–5 years of direct policy or advocacy experience.
• 2 years in a managerial role preferred.
• Experience navigating legislative/regulatory processes serving vulnerable communities.

Responsibilities

• Supervise program staff and oversee workflow.
• Conduct policy research and analyses to identify racial inequities.
• Lead advocacy campaigns aligned with organizational priorities.
• Build coalitions with community orgs, legislators, and regulators.
• Track policy developments at state and national levels.
• Prepare reports, letters, and outreach content.

Skills

Equity-driven policy research

Policy navigation

Stakeholder engagement

Legislative tracking

Team supervision

Multitasking & deadlines

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Slack

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Full Time 30-39 Hour Oakland, CA, US

Salary Range: $93,571.00 To $109,264.00 Annually

Greenlining is anequalopportunityemployercommitted to adiverseworkforce.Greenlining is committed to building and maintaining a diverse staff and an inclusive workplace that values equity. We welcome applications from immigrants, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ applicants, and people with lived experience in poverty.

Job Title: Sr. Program Manager Transportation Equity

Classification: Union, Exempt, 35-Hour Work Week

Reports to: Director and Senior Legal Counsel for Climate Equity

Overview:

The Greenlining Institute works towards a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

We work with communities of color to:

Understand and analyze the racist barriers to economic opportunity.

Demand accountability from the public and private sectors to combat injustice.

Foster consensus-building that produces long-term change and success.

Bridge research and policy to spearhead innovative strategies at the intersections of racial, economic, and climate equity.

To achieve our vision, we focus on four strategic issue areas:

Economic Equity

Climate Equity

Transformative Communities

The Greenlining Institute is deeply committed to justice and equity not just in the work we do in communities, but also within our organization. We actively work to create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace that values lived experience, community wisdom, and racial equity. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with lived experiences in historically marginalized communities.

Please note: you are not required to list your academic institution if you prefer not to disclose that information. To learn more about our work and impact, please visit www.greenling.org .

The Opportunity:

The Senior Program Manager for Transportation Equity will advance transportation equity policy initiatives in California, and at times, nationally, that promote racial and economic equity and provide direct, meaningful and measurable benefits to low-income communities and communities of color. To achieve this, this role will engage in legislative and regulatory proceedings. Additionally, this role will work with with other internal policy staff, policymakers, community and policy advocates, coalitions, funders, and regulatory agencies such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB), California Energy Commission (CEC) , California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Transportation Commission (CTC). Key issues may include, but are not limited to transportation electrification (light and medium/heavy duty), alternative mobility options, charging infrastructure and workforce development. This role represents a critical voice in ensuring that policies and budget allocations in service of an ambitious climate agenda center communities of color and those most directly impacted by the climate crisis.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly supervises program staff, fellows, summer associates and oversees their daily workflow
• May support indirect supervision of external vendors
• Contributes to cross-departmental collaboration and training
• Recruits, interviews, hires, trains staff in the department
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations

Program Responsibilities:

• Policy Research & Analysis
• Maintains and grows expertise in assigned issue areas, including policy processes, political dynamics, and key stakeholders
• Leads research to identify racial inequities through landscape analyses, literature reviews, interviews, and best practices analyses
• Produces high-quality policy reports, comment letters, and recommendations that center equity and justice
• Writes accessible content such as blogs, op-eds, and social media posts to inform and engage diverse audiences
• Sets priorities and handles multiple projects simultaneously
• Policy Advocacy & Policy Project Management
• Drives advancement of policy objectives within an equity framework
• Leads and executes strategic advocacy campaigns aligned with organizational priorities and values
• Leads internal efforts when issues require collaboration with colleagues
• Tracks policy developments across the state of California, nationally, and at the federal level in specific area of focus
• Develops equitable solutions throughout the policy life cycle when presented with obstacles or opportunities to accelerate the policy aim
• Assesses short- and long-term impacts of enacted policies on communities of color and low-income communities to determine the degree to which desired outcomes have been achieved
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Builds coalitions by conducting advanced independent outreach to community-based organizations, legislators, regulators, academics, and private sector partners
• Plans and facilitates trainings, webinars, and convenings to deepen awareness and collective action
• Represents the organization in conferences and public forums, and facilitates inclusive stakeholder collaboration
• Builds and maintains key relationships across the issue area, including allied organizations and policymakers
• Other General Duties
• Supports strengthening commitment and support from funders, including giving input for to grant proposals
• Contributes to a work environment and culture that is centered on equity and inclusion
• Supervises or mentors a Greenlining Leadership Academy participant and/or staff
• Drives own specific area strategy and defines project scope and goals, including setting targets for milestones, adhering to deadlines, and securing necessary resources
• Handles multiple projects simultaneously including setting targets for milestones, adhering to deadlines and securing necessary resources
• Cultivates growth in all core competency areas including Communication, Collaboration, Strategic Innovation, Technical Expertise, Adaptability, and Accountability
• The scope of responsibilities is not limited to those listed above and may change as organizational needs evolve. Specific work plan goals are developed each year to inform performance targets.

Key Skills:

• Equity-driven policy research and analysis
• Issue-area expertise and policy navigation
• Stakeholder engagement and coalition building
• Legislative tracking and advocacy coordination
• Team supervision and internal collaboration
• Multitasking, prioritization, and deadline management

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s Degree required. (Applicants are not required to disclose their educational institutions during recruitment, but to be verified post offer acceptance)

Three to five years of direct, related experience in policy, government, non-profit advocacy, or law. With 2 years in a similar Manager role.

Experience navigating the legislative and regulatory policymaking processes, with experience supporting causes that serve vulnerable populations or low income communities of color

Ability to prepare well-organized written reports and other communication documents

Ability to deliver effective presentations to diverse groups and present complex information in a meaningful way

Excellent research skills with the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources into a coherent writing, as well as a strategy and workable plan

Strong project management skills to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and workflows

Experience using Slack, Google Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite

Ability to adhere to a project budget and timeline, and assist hiring and managing consultants

Proven ability to work with emotional intelligence, navigating individual and team conflicts productively, with empathy and integrity

Ability to work with significant independence responding creatively and strategically when confronted with complex and multifaceted opportunities and challenges, and being able to manage supervisory relationships at multiple levels

SALARY: The final offer is dependent on qualifications and experience. New hires can reasonably expect an offer between $93,571 - $109,264.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Ability and willingness to travel, as needed, to meetings and conferences throughout the state and other locations in the United States; The Greenlining Institute does not discriminate based on race, color, gender (including actual or perceived gender, and gender identity), sexual orientation, age, marital status, educational institution, medical condition, religious affiliation, veteran status, national origin, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state, federal, or local law. Greenlining will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please let us know. If the reason you need an accommodation is not obvious, we may ask for documentation confirming your functional limitations.