Senior Vice President For International

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is guided by the understanding that protecting the planet is about protecting people – our health, our communities, and our economy. At the core of our mission is a simple idea: A healthy environment should be a basic right for all of us – regardless of where we live, what we look like, or how we vote. And NRDC is relentless in its commitment to defending that right.

Today, the organization is working to achieve a vision of a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world – one in which we are standing up for climate, nature, health, and equity.

To meet our most pressing environmental challenges, we are building and scaling solutions to fight climate change; protect wildlife, wild lands, and healthy oceans; eliminate toxic chemicals and other pollutants in our air, food, and water; advance more sustainable cities; and engage millions of people in the movement for a healthier world.

NRDC’s unique advocacy approach combines the power of law, science, policy, and public engagement to create solutions for lasting change. On any given day, we take polluters to court, publish groundbreaking scientific research, and advocate in legislatures and government offices. NRDC works alongside communities to make them healthier and more resilient. We activate public pressure to make government officials and corporations do the right thing. We work across the globe, with a particular focus on the United States, China, and India. Today, this mix of strategies is more critical than ever before.

There is unprecedented urgency to act on climate change, as people across the world are increasingly suffering from its consequences – from record heat, drought, and wildfires to hurricanes and flooding. Recent scientific reports from the world’s leading experts tell us that we are in a “code red” for climate change, with a narrowing window to act before its worst impacts are unavoidable. We are also in the midst of a biodiversity crisis from which we risk losing one million species to extinction if drastic efforts are not taken to address the destruction of our natural world. We further face a global human health crisis in which nine million people die prematurely each year from pollution, with those deaths and other health harms falling unjustly and inequitably along lines of race and class. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and human health crises, and to address the inequity that flows through all of them.

The challenges ahead are significant – but are exactly the types of challenges NRDC was born to face. NRDC has played a key role in nearly every major environmental victory in the United States over the past 53 years. For more than five decades, we have stood up to polluters and held our leaders accountable for what they do, or fail to do, to protect the environment and people’s health. We also believe that global problems demand global solutions and have been scaling our international advocacy, including through establishment of offices in China and India and through advocacy undertaken in other nations and in international forums.

The past decade has marked enormous growth for NRDC, in our size, influence, and impact. In 2022, we had revenues of $201 million, net assets of $489 million, and the support of more than three million members and online activists joining in our fight to protect the planet. The organization now operates from the following hubs: Beijing, China; Bozeman, Montana; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; New Delhi, India; New York, New York; San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C. We have a staff of more than 700 people, all of whom share the values that drive NRDC’s work: A high standard of excellence; a tenacious spirit; an unwavering pursuit of justice; a desire to learn, adapt, and innovate; and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

With a talented staff and a remarkable reach, NRDC is poised to lead the environmental movement for decades to come. We are charting the course for the transformational change we need to build a clean, healthy, just, and prosperous world for all people.

The institution’s continued success will require visionary and action-oriented senior leadership that harnesses the limitless talents of the organization and drives a global movement toward the progress we must achieve.

International Program Overview

We bring scientific, economic, and policy expertise to spearhead crucial environmental breakthroughs and leverage opportunities at every level. From local governments to private markets to the international stage, we team up with partners across the globe to protect and improve our shared home. Examples of our international work include:

• India: The fight against climate change cannot be won without India’s support. For more than a decade, NRDC and our on-the-ground partners have been working with Indian government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society leaders on five interconnected initiatives: renewable energy; climate resilience and extreme heat; cooling and efficiency; electric mobility; and climate policy. Recognizing the importance of our India Program to achieving our goals, we opened an office in New Delhi in January 2023.
• China: For decades, NRDC has been a thought leader and trusted adviser to our partners in China. With a highly effective team of more than 40 people based in our office in Beijing, NRDC’s China Program works at both national and provincial levels to recommend, develop, and help implement innovative laws, policies, technologies, and market tools that conserve natural resources, curb pollution and help support China’s transition to a clean, low-carbon economy.
• Global Forums: NRDC’s international team has helped secure new global climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and supported the actions each country needs to take to meet those pledges. To speed up climate action, we’ve helped forge partnerships among cities, businesses, financial institutions, and other crucial parties. We’re advising on ways to phase down hydrofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol, phase out international public financing for coal, and develop green finance tools that can unlock greater private investment in low-carbon solutions across the developing world. For more than a decade, NRDC has been leading domestic and international efforts to reduce global exposure to mercury, including through the adoption of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and its implementation in countries around the world. We also are working to protect the oceans, halt wildlife trafficking, and protect critical ecosystems through global agreements and efforts in key countries. In FY23 NRDC’s International Program had a total budget of approximately $27 million with a staff of 65 passionate advocates in offices across the U.S. and in Beijing and New Delhi.
• Other Countries: While NRDC’s international offices are limited to China and India, we are active in other countries as well. In Canada, NRDC works with Indigenous allies and environmental partners to protect the country’s landscapes and shape its conservation choices, with a special emphasis on protecting Canada’s boreal forest. In Mexico, we work with national and local partners to support communities opposing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and its harmful, inequitable impacts. And we are supporting and collaborating with allies in countries across Southeast Asia and Africa so they can advocate for their own environmental priorities on the global stage.

Senior Vice President For International Role Summary

The newly created Senior Vice President, International role at NRDC is an extraordinary opportunity to lead and build the international program of a top environmental organization deeply committed to expanding its already significant global reach. The Senior Vice President will be the lead visionary and strategist for NRDC’s international program, charged with directing, scaling, and, in collaboration with other staff, implementing NRDC’s international advocacy strategies, all with the goal of maximizing impact. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer (CPO) and serving on the Advocacy Leadership Team, the Senior Vice President will be focused externally as well as internally, representing NRDC at external events, acting as a spokesperson for our strategic vision, and helping elevate the reputation and profile of the organization. The Senior Vice President will seek out and build strategic partnerships, both externally and internally, and develop and support fundraising efforts in partnership with our development department. This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic, expert, and inspirational leader. NRDC’s staff is highly capable, and the Senior Vice President will be an empowering and collaborative individual who furthers high performance and innovation and can champion equity, diversity, and inclusion. The successful candidate will be flexible, thrive in collaborative environments, embrace solving complex and nuanced problems, and be recognized as a strategic leader with excellent communications skills and the ability to tell compelling stories to diverse audiences. Most importantly, the successful candidate will demonstrate a genuine alignment with the values of NRDC and seek to apply their passion and skills, working with others to tackle the most important challenges humanity has ever faced.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Institutional Leadership, Partnerships, and External Relations (60%):

• Serves as a high-visibility expert and spokesperson for NRDC’s international program.
• Leads and partners with the program’s country and division heads to cultivate and manage strategic relationships and partnerships with businesses, NGOs, labor, government, local government, and community groups to maximize impact and achieve major outcomes.
• Embeds equity and justice in NRDC’s international program; champions community advocacy and helps build expertise and capacity among underserved communities.
• Works with the Communications department to develop effective external communication strategies and formulate opportunities to increase NRDC’s visibility and name recognition as a leader in environmental advocacy.
• Works with the Development department to develop and implement a vision and strategy to maximize funding opportunities; helps identify opportunities, develops foundation proposals, meets with donors, and cultivates philanthropic relationships.
• Serves as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the Chief Program Officer and as a member of the Advocacy Leadership Team.
• Serves as chief strategist and advocate for NRDC’s international program and is accountable for delivering major outcomes in pursuit of our goals for the countries and international forums where we work, as well as for NRDC as an institution.

Program Management (40%):

• Oversees and has ultimate responsibility for the financial management of the program’s budget, aiming to make the most strategic and effective use of program funds by rigorously prioritizing and allocating resources to maximize opportunities and outcomes.
• Sets the program’s strategic goals in alignment with organizational priorities, develops key performance indicators and robust work plans to achieve outcomes, and sets high performance expectations.
• Leads and directs the team strategy for the international program, in coordination with the country and division heads, including strategic planning, staff and resources allocation, people management, and administration.
• Collaborates internally with leadership across Programs and other functions to ensure that department initiatives are integrated, and staff are in alignment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years’ directly related experience in the field of environmental policy, advocacy, or health, including at least 5 years working in the international environmental space and at least 5 years successfully managing large teams toward a common vision and purpose.
• Demonstrable alignment and deep commitment to NRDC’s mission and purpose with an ability to communicate this passion to others with a positive and high-energy attitude, integrity, and a commitment to working collaboratively with peers and colleagues.
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission and values.
• Deep experience and commitment of incorporating and growing the use of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in work and in team culture and operations.
• Substantial experience in leading development and execution of strategic goals.
• Visionary, forward-looking, and strategic thinker with a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.
• Proven ability to manage large teams of people, large-scale projects, and relationships in a complex and matrixed organizational structure.
• Substantial international experience and demonstrated success working with non-US based groups to advance a common goal.
• Demonstrated success at fundraising.
• Experience with public speaking on technical and non-technical topics, with an ability to communicate successfully with a wide variety of audiences.

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 commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary is $275,000 to $325,000. Internal equity considerations and the average salary of the peer range will be reviewed before making a final offer.

In February 2022, NRDC’s offices reopened after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are currently operating in a hybrid model—we offer NRDCers flexibility; we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. The preference is for this role to be based in Washington, D.C.; other locations where NRDC has offices may also be considered.

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.

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