Legislative Director

The Legislative Director oversees the development and operation of CEJA’s Legislative Program, including CEJA’s policy advocacy work with the California legislature and various regulatory agencies. The Legislative Director reports to CEJA’s Interim Executive Director, supervises one manager position, and collaborates closely with CEJA’s member and partner organizations. The Legislative Director must be creative and enjoy working within a diverse organization that is mission-driven, results-driven, and community oriented. The ideal individual will exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong communications, administrative, and organizational skills and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Legislative Director must be able to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt, at-will position.

Location and Employment Status

CEJA has a strong preference for a candidate based in Sacramento. This is a hybrid position that requires significant in-person work in Sacramento, as well as occasional travel to CEJA hubs in Los Angeles, Oakland, and elsewhere in California.

Primary Responsibilities 

Administrative

• Organizational Leadership: Work closely with CEJA’s Management Team, identifying and implementing organizational strategies and ensuring that CEJA is a well-managed organization aligned with its mission, goals, and core values; interact with and attend occasional meetings of CEJA’s Board of Directors.
• Staff Management: Oversee the work of CEJA’s Policy Manager, serving as thought partner, mentor, and supervisor. Provide clear and useful feedback and strategic guidance, including thorough regular performance evaluations.
• Grants and Development: Support CEJA’s fundraising by contributing to grant proposals and reports related to CEJA’s legislative and policy advocacy work, supporting the execution of grant agreements; build and maintain relationships with key donors.
• Fiscal Stewardship: Propose and manage the Legislative Program budget, in collaboration with CEJA’s Finance Director. Monitor spending and compliance, ensuring that staff adhere to the highest possible fiscal standards.

Programmatic

• Campaign and Program Direction: Develop CEJA campaigns and initiatives – with ambitious, attainable, and actionable goals, objectives, and work plans – for the Legislative Program, including its legislative agenda; budgetary and regulatory policy advocacy; in-person and virtual lobbying; and annual legislative scorecard.
• Committee Leadership: Oversee CEJA’s Legislative Committee and any other committees/working groups that fall under the Legislative Program.
• Relationship Building: Foster strong working relationships with CEJA members and partners, coordinating efforts to maximize the Alliance’s impact. Cultivate relationships with a variety of decision-makers and stakeholders, including elected officials, regulatory agency staff, and environmental justice organizations.
• Advocacy: Serve as representative and spokesperson for CEJA and advance CEJA’s legislative and policy goals, including advocating before the state legislature, executive branch, and regulatory agencies; provide media interviews as assigned.
• Policy Analysis: Oversee CEJA’s policy analysis of legislative and budgetary proposals, and coordinate CEJA’s work on regulatory matters with relevant Program Directors. Support the Policy Manager in developing landscape assessments for CEJA members and partners.
• Civic Engagement Coordination: Work closely with CEJA’s Political Director to coordinate policy advocacy, civic engagement, and electoral efforts, including building CEJA’s political power, cultivating legislative champions, and promoting long-term strategy development and implementation.
• Media and Communications: Work with program staff and CEJA’s Communications Director to integrate strategic communications to advance program goals and help strengthen CEJA’s capacity to produce timely and relevant communications materials.

Qualifications and Skills

• Commitment: Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice and to CEJA’s mission.
• Supervisory Track Record: Successful track record of at least five (5) years as a staff supervisor, preferably in the EJ community; ability to engage, inspire, and maintain transformational partnerships around shared values, purpose, and goals. Emotional intelligence and resilience, ability to engage in courageous conversations and to thrive in a feedback environment, both giving and receiving feedback.
• Critical Thinking: Strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills, including the self-confidence and capacity necessary to be a lead thinker within the Alliance.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Significant policy/program expertise in environmental justice issues and familiarity with California’s EJ policy landscape, community, and advocacy groups; specific expertise in how to successfully and strategically navigate the legislature, ensuring that CEJA’s priorities gain traction with elected officials; deep understanding of how to stimulate change within regulatory bodies.
• Advocacy and Mobilization: Outstanding communications skills (written and verbal), with the ability to facilitate understanding across multiple audiences and to navigate and advocate before various policy-making bodies.
• Conflict Resolution: Ability to intervene when challenging group dynamics play out, in ways that build understanding, trust, and deeper self-awareness of team members.
• Non-Profit Operations: Non-profit financial literacy and a clear understanding of the core functions at 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) non-profit organizations, including governance, operations, development, and communications.
• Education: At least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as Public Policy, Environmental Science, or Urban Planning. Master’s or law degree preferred.

SALARY RANGE: $100,000 – $110,000

BENEFITS: CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including: excellent orientation program; generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19 through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a 2-month sabbatical after 7 years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

DEADLINE: Position will remain open until filled.

APPLICATIONS: To apply for the Legislative Director position, please submit your application along with your resume and cover letter to the CEJA career webpage at https://caleja.bamboohr.com/careers

Energy Justice Manager

CEJA is seeking a creative and proactive Energy Justice Manager to join our program team. The Energy Justice Managers report to CEJA’s Energy Director and work closely with CEJA program staff, Alliance members, and allies. As a key member of one of CEJA’s core programs, they work to: put environmental justice at the center of the energy debate; retire gas-fired power plants in California; advocate for policies and investments for community-scale renewables to maximize distributed energy resources in the grid; advance fossil fuel phaseout by protecting EJ communities from harmful hydrogen projects and other false solutions. The Energy Justice Managers exercise good judgment, maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities, and enjoy working within a diverse organization that is mission-driven and community-oriented. Our ideal candidate has a strong organizing background and energy justice advocacy campaign-related experience.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt, at-will position.

Location and Employment Status

The Energy Justice Manager position is mostly remote but will require occasional travel to CEJA’s hubs in Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles, and to other locations throughout California. The Energy Justice Manager must be a resident of California.

Primary Responsibilities 

● Committee Management: In close collaboration with the Energy Director, manage the ongoing
work of relevant CEJA energy committees, workgroups, coalitions, and/or campaigns – comprised
of CEJA member and partner organization staff – including preparing, facilitating, and following up
on committee meetings and retreats.

● Committee Workplan: Co-lead the development and implementation of the relevant CEJA energy
committees, workgroups, coalitions, and/or campaigns’ annual workplans.

● Organizing and Outreach: Organize CEJA members to engage in energy justice advocacy and
campaigns, committee work, and collaborative decision-making; provide capacity-building through
one-on-one meetings and training; foster strong working relationships within CEJA.

● Energy Justice Policy: Co-lead the development of energy-related policy proposals, in coordination
with committee members, relevant CEJA Directors, and other CEJA staff and play a leading role in
implementing CEJA’s energy justice work; ensure progress toward deadlines and goals while
adapting as necessary.

● Coalition Building: Build and foster strong working relationships within the Alliance, with CEJA
members and partners; build relationships with external environmental justice coalitions to advance
CEJA’s energy justice goals; promote issue-area alignment with allies and coalitions and provide
leadership on EJ-related issues in those spaces.

● External Representative: Serve as one of CEJA’s external representatives, cultivating and
furthering relationships with a variety of decision-makers and stakeholders, including elected
officials, labor unions, and social justice organizations and coalitions.

● Communications: Work closely with the communications team and the Energy Director to develop
timely and relevant communications materials; as requested by the Communications Director and
Energy Director, serve as a media spokesperson on CEJA’s Energy Justice work.

● Advocacy: Participate in events to advance CEJA’s program goals, as requested by the Energy
Director, including advocating before the state legislature, executive branch, and regulatory
agencies; support policy analysis of climate-related regulatory and legislative proposals.

● Event Planning and Coordination: Plan and lead events in collaboration with CEJA staff and
member organizations to promote community building, advance energy justice campaign strategies,
and provide spaces for community-led education on energy-related issues.

● Fundraising: Support CEJA’s development staff in preparing grant proposals and reports, as
needed.

Qualifications and Skills

● Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice and CEJA’s mission.

● Expertise in environmental justice issues and familiarity with California’s EJ policy landscape,
community, and advocacy groups.

● Successful track record of at least four (4) years of experience working in the environmental justice
field.

● Outstanding organizing and communications skills (written and verbal), with the ability to facilitate
understanding across multiple audiences.

● Ability to develop and facilitate Alliance-wide meetings and retreats that engage all members in
campaign planning and decision-making.

● Ability to navigate and advocate before various policy-making bodies.

● Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Environmental Science, Political Science, City and Regional
Planning, or related field.

● High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and online
systems like Google Docs and Box; internet fluency; strong web research skills.

● Highly detail-oriented, accountable, self-starter, and able to work independently.

SALARY RANGE: $83,000 – $88,000

BENEFITS: CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including an excellent orientation program;
generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19
through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a two-month sabbatical after seven years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

APPLICATION/DEADLINE: To apply for the Energy Justice Manager position, please submit your application along with your resume and cover letter to the CEJA career webpage at
https://caleja.bamboohr.com/careers. Applications submitted by May 2, 2024, will receive priority
review.

Development Director

CEJA is seeking an experienced, creative, and proactive Development Director to join our outstanding team. The Development Director leads the fund development work of CEJA, CEJA Action, and the CEJA Action PAC, providing vision and guidance in the creation and implementation of fundraising strategies. The Development Director reports directly to one of CEJA’s Co-Executive Directors, supervises three Manager/Associate-level positions, and collaborates closely with CEJA’s member and partner organizations.

The Development Director must enjoy working within a diverse organization that is mission-driven and community oriented. The ideal candidate will exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, have exceptional written and verbal communications, administrative, and organizational skills, and possess the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Development Director must be able to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt, at-will position.

Location/Employment Status

The Development Director position is remote but will require occasional travel to CEJA’s hubs in Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles, and to other locations throughout California. The Development Director must be a resident of California.

Primary Responsibilities

● Staff Management: Oversee CEJA’s Development Team, serving as thought partner, mentor, and supervisor to staff. Provide clear and useful feedback and strategic guidance to staff, including through performance evaluations.

● Fiscal Stewardship: Work with the Co-Executive Directors, Finance Director, and Program staff to produce grant proposal budgets and reports. Work with Tides Advocacy to ensure a strong firewall between the (c)(3), (c)(4), and PAC.

● Fundraising Strategy: Work closely with the Co-Executive Directors and other relevant staff to create and implement a fundraising strategy, with ambitious yet attainable goals. Identify, approach, and develop the scope, framing, and budget for funding opportunities.

● Donor Relations: Maintain and build strong relationships with CEJA’s funders, including facilitating funder meetings with CEJA staff. Serve as a trusted, reliable, and respected CEJA representative, ensuring that funders are up-to-date about CEJA’s work.

● Grant Materials: Ensure timely submission of grant materials, including by overseeing the production and submission of proposals and reports. Provide guidance for framing, assist with troubleshooting as needed, and conduct final edits of all fundraising materials.

● Re-Granting: Oversee CEJA’s re-granting process to members and partners. Develop contracts with re-grantees, ensuring that deliverables and expectations are clear.

● Alliance Coordination: Build and foster strong working relationships within the Alliance, with members and partners. Develop and implement policies for collaborative fundraising, especially through the Alliance wide Development Committee.

● Prospecting/Researching: Research and maintain an active foundation prospect list; create and implement cultivation plans for new prospects.

● Private Donor Campaign: Develop and oversee the implementation of a strategic private donor program, focusing on high net-worth donors while building a base of small- and mid-level donors; ensure that CEJA’s private donor work benefits the full Alliance.

● Media and Communications: Work with CEJA’s Communications Team to ensure that communications and development messages and materials are coordinated, consistent, and relevant.

Qualifications and Skills

● Commitment: Deep commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice and to CEJA’s mission.

● Supervisory Track Record: Successful track record of at least five (5) years as a staff supervisor; ability to engage, inspire, and maintain transformational partnerships around shared values, purpose, and goals. Emotional intelligence and resilience; ability to engage in courageous conversations and to thrive in a feedback environment.

● Critical Thinking: Strategic planning, program evaluation, and project management skills, including the self-confidence and capacity necessary to be one of CEJA’s lead thinkers. Ability to generate funding ideas that advance the vision and goals of CEJA.

● Subject Matter Expertise: Significant fund development expertise working with foundations and individual donors; specific expertise in the development of grant proposals and reports and private donor materials.

● Conflict Resolution: Ability to intervene when challenging group dynamics play out, in ways that build understanding, trust, and deeper self-awareness of team members; initiate and lead conflict resolution efforts between individuals and organizations as needed.

● Non-Profit Operations: Non-profit financial literacy and a clear understanding of the core functions at a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, including program, governance, operations, and communications.

● Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

SALARY RANGE: $110,000 – $120,000

BENEFITS: CEJA offers a generous benefits package, including an excellent orientation program;
generous vacation (10 to 25 days per year); 11 paid holidays; 2-week paid winter break (December 19
through January 1), select health, dental, and vision insurance, medical reimbursement plan, wellness leave (12 to 18 days per year), 401(k) retirement plan, professional development funding, and a two-month sabbatical after seven years of continuous employment. CEJA is currently piloting a 32-hour, four-day work week, during which staff work Monday through Thursday.

APPLICATION/DEADLINE: To apply for the Energy Justice Manager position, please submit your application along with your resume and cover letter to the CEJA career webpage at
https://caleja.bamboohr.com/careers. Applications submitted by June 25, 2024, will receive priority
review.

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The California Environmental Justice Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. CEJA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.