Tribal Engagement Fellow

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 87,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

NRDC is seeking a two-year Fellow to work with the Nature Equity & Community Partnerships (ECP) team as it seeks to strengthen and grow Nature’s partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in ongoing food and agriculture, lands, and oceans advocacy.

The Fellow will be a member of the ECP team and will work closely with one additional Nature team on an advocacy campaign with a strong Tribal nexus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree preferred.
• 2–4 years of relevant experience, including work with Tribal Nations or Indigenous communities.
• Experience in advocacy, lobbying, coalition-building, or legal research.
• Legal experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic support, research, analysis, and writing for one Nature campaign focusing on Tribal matters.
• Represent NRDC at hearings, conferences, coalition meetings, and with decisionmakers.
• Develop and manage partnerships with Tribal Nations and Native-led NGOs.
• Integrate Indigenous perspectives into advocacy strategies and communications.
• Collaborate with the ECP team on cross-cutting workstreams and align campaigns.

Skills

Research and writing

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Tribal sovereignty knowledge

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Graduate degree preferred

Job description

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science‑based, and enforceable solutions. Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.). Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a two-year Fellow to work with the Nature Equity & Community Partnerships (ECP) team as it seeks to strengthen and grow Nature’s partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in ongoing food and agriculture, lands, and oceans advocacy. The Fellow will be a member of the ECP team and will work closely with one additional Nature team on an advocacy campaign with a strong Tribal nexus. The Fellow will generally support the campaign, including through research and writing, partner development, coalition engagement, and lobbying or other policy advocacy, with an emphasis on Tribal partners and related matters. The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035). This is a limited term 2 year position. This Fellow will be based out of NRDC's Washington, D.C. office.

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:

• Provide strategic support, research, analysis, and writing for one Nature campaign, with a focus on Tribal matters and supporting Tribal partners.
• Represent NRDC at hearings, conferences, coalition meetings, and venues with decisionmakers.
• Support the development and management of partnerships with Tribal Nations, Native-led NGOs, and/or indigenous communities – seeking shared advocacy goals and opportunities for NRDC to support Tribal Sovereignty for Tribal Nations and collective power for non-governmental partners.
• Integrate Tribal and Indigenous perspectives into advocacy strategies, policy positions, and communications; support culturally competent engagement and consultation practices.
• Collaborate with Nature ECP team members on a limited set of workstreams outside of the main campaign assignment.
• Facilitate collaboration and coordination between the ongoing advocacy campaign and the Nature ECP team – bringing in other ECP team members when it would benefit the campaign and bringing learnings from the campaign to support ongoing ECP strategy development.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, with a relevant graduate degree preferred.
• 2-4 years of relevant experience, including one or more of the following, including internships and clinical work:
  • Experience working with Tribal Nations, Indigenous communities, or Native‑led organizations;
  • Advocacy/organizing/political experience (e.g., lobbying, campaign, or coalition‑building experience; work experience with a federal, state, or local official); and
  • Legal experience (e.g., legal research, writing formal comments, etc.).

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Knowledge of or interest in addressing the biodiversity crisis, and the ability to learn new and sometimes wide‑ranging subject matter areas.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous governance, treaty rights, consultation principles, and/or Indigenous‑led approaches to environmental or community priorities.
• Demonstrated cultural competency, including the ability to work effectively and respectfully with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples.
• Demonstrated commitment to public service, equity, or social justice.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, active listening, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to contribute effectively as a member of a team and collaborate across a large non‑profit organization.
• Ability to travel domestically to NRDC offices, coalition gatherings, or partner meetings, approximately 10% annually.
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment.

• Frequently: Perform desk‑based computer tasks
• Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary
• Frequently: Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers
• Frequently: Hand draw illustrations for advocacy materials
• Occasionally: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite
• Work is sometimes performed primarily in office. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations. Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work‑related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time‑sensitive, or multiple matters.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under‑represented in the environment movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $87,000 to $93,000.

Perks & Benefits

Not only do we care about taking care of our planet, we care about taking care