State Senior Strategist

The Sunrise Project Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); Remote; USD 128,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) & employer match

100% employer-paid health coverage

Five weeks of vacation leave

Flexible Working Policy

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

An organization committed to climate change action and social equity is seeking a Senior Strategist to lead state-level campaigns. You will interface with various stakeholders and be responsible for developing impactful strategies to support the clean energy transition. Ideal candidates have a strong track record in strategic thinking, project management, and advocacy. This full-time role offers a supportive work environment with competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years’ experience in a similar or related role.
• Knowledge of clean energy transition policies and financial systems.
• Experience working on state-level advocacy campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of state-level campaign strategies.
• Build relationships with grantees and partner organizations.
• Facilitate collaboration across program teams.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Project management

Political analysis

Interpersonal communication

Collaboration

Job description

The Sunrise Project is a global network of independent organizations united by a common mission: scaling social movements to drive the global transition beyond fossil fuels.

Base pay range

$128,000.00/yr - $133,000.00/yr

The Sunrise Project Inc. is a proud member of The Sunrise Project network. Our organizational culture is dynamic and adaptable. We are committed to supporting our team members to thrive as we tackle the urgent challenge of climate change and believe that a diversity of experiences and perspectives strengthens our strategies, teams, and movements.

The Sunrise Project Inc. encourages First Nations people, people of colour, people living outside of cities, people living with disabilities, neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply. We are continually working on becoming a better workplace for everyone. Find out more here.

About The Role

This role will lead all state-level strategies within the overarching strategy of the US Policy & Finance (USPF) team. You will be the face of TSP’s state-level work, interfacing with grantees, allied organizations, and contractors to develop and execute campaign strategies. The USPF team engages states on financial issues as states regulate insurance, manage public pensions, oversee budgets, and address industrial policy, resilience, and readiness challenges.

This is a new senior role on the USPF team that will work closely with the US Policy Director, US Communications Director, and relevant project leads. The role involves senior-level responsibility and authority to develop and execute state-level strategies in collaboration with the team. You will demonstrate leadership, manage relationships, and clearly communicate strategies.

You will be relied upon for strategy development and ideas for how to decarbonize the U.S. financial system through state-based policy and regulatory advocacy campaigns. You will support civil society campaigns focused on public sector decision-makers, with strategies refreshed each year in light of political dynamics and relevant developments. Your work could include imagining and incubating innovative alliances, devising urgent responses to major developments, or working with partners on new analyses to inform campaign directions.

We support networks of organizations to act collectively to achieve outcomes greater than what any single organization can achieve. We expect all Sunrise roles to actively support the capacity building of these networks and partner organizations.

About You

You are a strong strategic thinker with well-informed political analysis, solid project management skills, and a track record of turning strategy into real-world impact. You have experience identifying and implementing interventions that drive positive change, informed by sharp power analysis. You can translate complex information into clear and concise communications. You understand how the U.S. political system works, especially at the state level, and have working knowledge of opportunities and challenges in transitioning the U.S. financial system to clean energy.

You will lead state work for the US Policy & Finance team, which requires strong leadership and excellent collaborative instincts. You are confident taking charge while working with a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally. You understand relationship dynamics and are adept at building trust quickly. You can navigate varying state political environments and are excited to explore how state action can drive national change. You enjoy building alliances and mobilizing constituencies across business and civil society toward a sustainable future. You excel at drawing out the best ideas from diverse groups and facilitating collaboration for maximum impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and oversee the project management of state-level campaign strategies in line with the overarching mission of the US Policy & Finance Team.
• Build relationships and facilitate collaboration with current grantees and other partner organizations, while identifying and cultivating relationships with new groups essential to our state-level campaign success.
• Facilitate collaboration with other Sunrise program teams to maximize collective impact.
• Develop and manage regranting and operating budgets for the state work including overseeing the full grant cycle for state-level partners.
• Conduct ongoing analysis of the advocacy ecosystem to continuously adapt our strategies for maximum impact. Provide thought leadership during rapid response moments, campaign shifts, and strategic pivots.
• Collaborate with the relevant communications lead on strategic communications elements of state-level work.

Required skills and experience

• At least 7 years’ experience in a similar or related role including unpaid, grassroots or lived experience; or other relevant transferable skills and experience.
• Experience working in or across multiple US states on fast-paced state-level advocacy campaigns and an expert understanding of how to advance local and state-based strategies.
• A working understanding of policies focused on the financial aspects of the clean energy transition.
• Proven ability to develop and articulate proactive intervention strategies that support campaign goals and objectives.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and visual communications skills.
• Strong group work and facilitation skills.
• A passion for action on climate change and a commitment to social justice, equity, diversity.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Familiarity with issues related to the finance sector, fiscal policy, organized labor, and/or public pension governance.

Job requirements

• You must have full working rights for the United States. The Sunrise Project is unable to sponsor applicants for employment visas.
• Previous employment reference checks will be required for successful applicants.
• Intermittent travel with advanced notice is required.
• Flexibility to adjust work hours to accommodate multiple time zones.

How Sunrise supports its staff

The Sunrise Project Inc. is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. We have the following in place to help us achieve that, noting pro rata will apply for part-time staff and/or temporarily appointed-fixed term staff:

• 401(k) & employer match
• 100% employer-paid health, vision and dental coverage
• Five weeks of vacation leave
• Paid Parental Leave inclusive of all types of families, Parental Return To Work & Keeping In Touch Program
• Life Leave (up to 40 days p.a. for significant personal reasons)
• Flexible Working Policy
• Floating public holidays (cultural leave)
• Employee Assistance Program
• VIDA - An AI tool to support your health and wellbeing
• Workspace Benefits including Macbook, home workspace and IT equipment stipend
• Shared office support
• Regular all-org and team meetings & retreats
• Coaching & manager support with regular 1:1 meetings
• Annual performance & development reviews with 360 feedback
• A co-developed work plan to ensure clarity on your role & key responsibilities
• We provide our staff with a voice on issues that concern them via consultation, eg JEDI caucuses, working groups, Slack channels, surveys and meetings.

How to apply for this job

Please submit your resume and complete your application here: https://app.beapplied.com/apply/fcgo0blakf

We recognize that racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, classism and other forms of discrimination create barriers. When assessing candidates we look at the range of skills and knowledge gained across life experiences, not only paid roles. We assess candidates on how well they respond to application questions and do not require a cover letter.

Priority application deadline is October 24. This search is being run by NRG Consulting Group.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Strategy/Planning and Project Management
• Industries: Public Policy, Civic and Social Organizations, and Non-profit Organizations