Place-Based State Advocate, Environmental Health

Position Summary

NRDC’s Environmental Health Department seeks a State Advocate based in Richmond, Virginia to advance state and regional environmental health priorities, with a focus on climate adaptation and drinking water. This role centers on policy development, coalition-building, and advocacy primarily in Virginia, with occasional engagement across the broader Southeastern region.

Responsibilities

• Advance state-level laws and policies that protect communities from climate change and environmental health risks through a lens of equity and justice.
• Key focus areas include climate risk reduction, homeowner insurance reform, and water affordability.
• Aid in achieving local- and state-level goals across the Environmental Health Department’s portfolio, including promoting air quality, eliminating toxic chemicals from consumer products, and fighting fossil fuel development in the Southeastern United States.
• Build and sustain partnerships with communities most affected by environmental and climate injustices, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, as well as low-income and rural communities.
• Collaborate with a wide range of allies, including environmental organizations, consumer and public-interest advocates, labor and faith communities, and state and local decision-makers and elected officials.
• Represent NRDC with professionalism and sound judgment in coalitions, public forums, and media engagements.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
• At least five years of professional experience in environmental or related policy work, including a minimum of two years working in Virginia.
• Demonstrated experience working with environmental justice organizations and frontline or marginalized communities.
• A master’s degree or other advanced degree is preferred but not required; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Strong commitment to public-interest advocacy and NRDC’s mission, values, and diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.
• Proven ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, build consensus, and advance policy goals within coalitions and partners that reach beyond the traditional environmental community.
• Knowledge of, or strong interest in, affordability policies especially as it pertains to drinking water protection and climate adaptation issues, with the ability to quickly learn and apply NRDC policy priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including media and public-facing advocacy.
• Ability and willingness to register as a state lobbyist.
• Ability to travel occasionally (approximately 10 percent of work time).
• Experience working collaboratively across internal teams and with external partners.