NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. 

NRDC is seeking a Transmission & Power System to work with the Sustainable FERC Project team our New York, Washington, or Chicago office.

Position Summary 

NRDC is seeking a Clean Energy Transmission Advocate to work with the Climate & Clean Energy Program (C&CE) to advocate for transmission, interconnection, and system planning reforms at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), FERC-regulated regional transmission organizations and utilities, the Department of Energy, and Congress.  

It is widely understood that our country needs to expand the size and efficiency of the electric grid to support a cleaner, reliable, and affordable power system. This Advocate will help to conceive the regulatory and policy solutions necessary to expand the transmission system by deploying the full array of technologies and options to achieve that goal (for example, upgrades, evergreen transmission, advanced transmission and grid control technologies, and storage solutions). This person also will focus on necessary reforms to the processes for interconnecting generation resources to the power grid, and will support complementary state policies advancing transmission.   

The Advocate will be based in the C&CE program’s Sustainable FERC Project (Project) and will work closely with other staff in C&CE and the FERC Project’s coalition partners. 

• Conceive specific transmission system and generator interconnection solutions to achieve NRDC’s goals for a low-carbon future – with a focus on both onshore and offshore development. 
• Lead advocacy at FERC, regional transmission organizations (RTOs), and elsewhere in support of specific tariff provisions implementing planning and cost allocation solutions to advance transmission development.  
• Draft RTO and state regulatory commission comments and participate in stakeholder meetings and technical conferences. 
• Support NRDC’s efforts to encourage state utility commissions to include transmission and storage requirements in resource plans and new power plant approval proceedings. 
• Engage in related advocacy with Congress, DOE, states, cities, and other decision-makers. 
• Communicate the Project’s message to a wider audience in a manner that translates complex and arcane grid rules into simple and understandable terms. 

• Commitment to NRDC’s mission and values.
• Graduate level degree (especially public policy, engineering, economics), and preferably post-graduate experience in a relevant field (or pre-graduate experience at a similar level of seniority). 
• Is an expert the area of transmission system planning, design, or operations (especially in FERC and/or RTO forums)
• Capable of proactively addressing complex problems with a strategic view of solutions.
• Ability to both work independently with guidance necessary only in the most complex issues and to lead teams and work collaboratively towards shared outcomes.
• Excellent writing and policy analysis skills and the ability to grasp and translate technical power grid issues into plain English.
• Oral advocacy skills and experience; and comfort speaking in varied settings, including with media.
• Strategic thinking and strong interpersonal skills.

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 environmental 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. For this position, the salary range is $130,000-$150,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.?? 

Since March 2020, NRDC’s offices have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You will be associated with one of our offices, but until circumstances allow us to re-open, we will continue to support NRDCers with remote working arrangements. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.