CAREERS

Alaska Wilderness League is the only national conservation group devoted full-time to protecting Alaska’s public lands and waters including America’s Arctic and the Tongass National Forest. We are committed to promoting a narrative that elevates a broad spectrum of voices and values related to protecting public lands, including providing for a safer climate future; supporting the human rights of Indigenous peoples; advocating for the right to clean, thriving and healthy land, water and wildlife for all; and serving as a source of hope and inspiration for the country. We are also committed to promoting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our workplace by deepening our understanding of the history of federal lands and waters in our country, by reimagining conservation as a tool for justice, and by advancing diversity and inclusion in the environmental community by transforming our hiring and recruitment practices for both staff and board.

You can learn more about Alaska Wilderness League’s mission, vision, approach and commitment to justice here.

Federal Advocacy Manager

Department: Program

Classification: Exempt, full-time

Reports To: Government Affairs Director

Location: Washington, D.C.

About the Role:

The Federal Advocacy Manager supports and coordinates the Leagues federal legislative advocacy work, with a focus on building strong relationships with a diversity of congressional members, including those of both political parties, to advance the League’s priorities. This position works with the Director of Government Affairs to implement the League’s legislative agenda by engaging, educating, and mobilizing congressional offices, monitoring Hill action, researching and developing advocacy materials such as Hill blasts and factsheets, coordinating fly-ins, constructing strategic target lists for targeted messaging, and providing other campaign support.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Work with the Government Affairs Director to advance education and policy strategies on Capitol Hill.
  • Leads League internal federal advocacy priorities, communication, and strategy.
  • Manage and track Congressional targets for our priority campaigns; assist in maintaining key relationships.
  • Participate in coalition spaces to understand the universe of legislative and administrative action that impact League priorities and to support partners in implementing shared commitments toward federal advocacy goals.

Priority Campaigns Support – Defend Alaska’s public lands and waters from harmful legislative and administrative actions; elevate Alaska as a key federal solution to our global climate crisis, contribute to building a diverse coalition of Congressional offices to protect Alaska’s public lands and waters.

  • In partnership with the Government Affairs Director, strengthen and build AWL’s recognition with Hill offices.
  • Lead research on identified members of Congress in order to develop effective political strategies.
  • Regularly meet and contact Hill staff to educate on relevant issues.
  • Send consistent emails through Congress Plus, including creating target lists and ensuring that messages are written in a compelling, convincing, and relatable way.
  • Support the Leagues leadership in coalition spaces for DC strategy and lobbying, with a focus on Arctic and Tongass campaigns.
  • Attend relevant coalition calls, help develop and circulate agendas when appropriate, take and distribute notes.
  • Keep congressional trackers for Arctic Refuge and NPRA up to date and distributed to appropriate lobbyists.
  • Join additional national coalition calls and meetings to report out on engagement opportunities for our priority campaigns.

League Programs:

  • Serve as the lead to hearings and outside legislative priorities for the League.
  • Research and track upcoming hearings, attending and taking notes at those that may have an impact on Alaska federal lands issues, reporting out to internal staff and coalition partners as appropriate.
  • Monitor administrative announcements for relevant statements of administrative policy.
  • Lead advocacy efforts related to mining, forestry priorities of the League, including legislative work related to the Tongass National Forest, and monitors other related policy for League engagement.
  • Leads development of letters, fact sheets, blog posts and other internal campaign materials, as needed.
  • Leads internal strategic metrics including when members of Congress take action or elevate campaign issues, circulate to internal team.
  • Support fly-ins and attend hill events as identified to help build relationships.

Who You Are:

  • Have a minimum of 3+ years of relevant work experience, with familiarity of the federal legislative process.
  • Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, while balancing multiple projects and deadlines.
  • Cultural competency to work with a diverse range of people.
  • Experience translating complicated policy concepts for a variety of stakeholders and audiences.
  • Exceptional and clear written and verbal communication and persuasion skills.
  • Passionate about protecting the environment and public lands.
  • A self-starter, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a team or independently depending on the project.
  • Composure and flexibility adapting to shifting priorities and short turnaround times.
  • Proficiency in a range of software platforms including Microsoft Office

The strongest candidates will also have some of the following skills and experience:

  • Demonstrated commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity Inclusion work.
  • Passion for land conservation and advocacy, climate justice, and indigenous rights.

Compensation and Location:

The League provides its employees with a competitive salary that is benchmarked annually with other nonprofits. The salary range for this role is between $58,300 and $68,000. The starting salary is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, skill set level, years of previous/applicable experience.

In addition, Alaska Wilderness League offers an outstanding benefits package that includes:

  • Generous health insurance for individuals and competitive rates for families/dependents.
  • Flexible Spending Account for eligible medical, childcare or elder care expenses.
  • Life Insurance, Short-Long Term Disability.
  • 3% contribution of employee salary to a 401K Retirement Plan.
  • 24 Days of Paid Time Off (PTO) for employees with less than 5 years of employment.
  • 29 days of PTO for employees with 5+ years of employment.
  • 12 Paid Holidays and Birthday leave.
  • Parental Leave.
  • Communication stipend for business-related mobile expenses.
  • Discounts on leading name-brand outdoor apparel and gear.
  • Dedicated budget to support employee professional growth and training opportunities.

Hybrid Work and Travel Requirements:

This position is a DC based hybrid position, with some travel expected (approximately 1-3 times per year). As a registered lobbyist, you will be expected to attend events in and around DC (hill meetings, work events, occasionally outside of standard work hours) in person as needed multiple days a week. This will adjust based on needs to fulfill job requirements.

Alaska Wilderness League is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, handicap, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Alaska Wilderness League is continually seeking to diversify its staff, particularly to broaden opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in environmental advocacy.

To apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to careers@alaskawild.org. This position is open until filled. Individuals who apply by March 3rd will be given priority; therefore, we encourage you to submit yours soon! Applications will be screened against the criteria listed in this profile and applicants will be contacted after March 3rd if qualifications match position requirements.

When you apply, please remove the names of your undergraduate and graduate schools from your resume. There is no need to reformat your resume, but simplify it to “B.A. Economics,” for example. This process is aimed at opening this opportunity to more candidates, reviewing applicants on performance assessments instead of resume proxies (e.g., where you went to school).

 

Campaign Director, Arctic Defense Campaign 

Location: Washington, DC strongly preferred with an expectation to work Eastern Standard time. 

Salary:  $130k – $150k 

The Arctic Defense Campaign (ADC) is a collaborative campaign providing a centralized strategic and coordinating home for the Arctic Refuge and Western Arctic coalitions. This combined campaign effort leads the work necessary to achieve ADC-created goals for the Arctic Refuge and the Western Arctic over the next two years and beyond. The campaign provides strategic coordination across landscapes to maximize resources, messaging reach, and capacity. Collaborative strategies and fundraising allow for greater participation of organizations and interested voices, bringing more power and amplification to the fight against oil and gas industrialization in this region.  

The Director of the Arctic Defense Campaign will lead this collaborative work to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Western Arctic (National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska) from destructive oil and gas development during the next two critical defensive years and beyond. The Director will work closely with leading conservation organizations, the Gwich’in Steering Committee, Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, and other Indigenous allies, as well as partners in the faith, environmental justice, outdoor recreation, climate change, wildlife, and Native American rights movements. The Director will oversee and coordinate a multi-pronged campaign – consisting of communications, administrative, legislative, corporate, legal/technical, and grassroots strategies – to protect these cherished and iconic landscapes. This is a unique and exciting job requiring someone with strong leadership, strategic thinking, collaboration, communication, and organizational skills. The Director must have a successful track record of issue and/or political campaign work and a desire to engage a diverse group of partners, including regional and national partners and Indigenous allies

Given the challenges resulting from the 2024 election, this position is critical to the campaign’s success. The Director must be the driver of the campaign with oversight from a steering committee, and direct supervision by three co-chairs. This includes establishing work plans for each aspect of the campaign with input from the expertise of the working subgroups of the campaign. This work requires a lot of relationship building. 

Responsibilities:  

  • Strong leadership in the development and implementation of a creative, integrated advocacy campaign strategy and national efforts to successfully stop new oil and gas industrialization of the Arctic.
  • Collaboratively work with and coordinate inter-organizational Steering Committee and Working Group chairs (communications, lobbying, legal/technical, national elevation, corporate) to make strategic decisions.
  • Manage and coordinate working groups as well as a senior level steering committee, ensuring appropriate information flow among team members. 
  • Convene Steering Committee and submit annual budget and campaign plan for its approval while regularly identifying strategic plans for key sub-issues for deliberation. 
  • Oversee and ensure effective day-to-day execution of campaign strategy, including rapid response, and maintain a culture of shared commitment and accountability for the coalition. 
  • Regularly update campaign strategies, proactively identify gaps and needs, and develop proposals to fill them. Provide strategic campaign advice to coalition partners and drive strong implementation of our shared plans
  • Track and regularly report on progress towards campaign goals and accomplishment of key tactics through the Steering Committee. 
  • Lead budget planning and management of shared coalition resources, ensuring consensus around budget decision making and deployment of resources. 
  • Engage with the Steering Committee to develop a fundraising plan and assist in raising additional financial support.
  • Engage and build relationships with Indigenous and other new partners to expand the campaign's reach, diversity, and effectiveness. 
  • Hire and supervise vendors, consultants, and other service providers, as needed. 
  • Hire and manage campaign staff as needed and resources allow, developing goals and work plans as necessary. 
  • Lead weekly broad ADC Campaign calls (Mondays) and ADC Strategy Calls (Wednesday), as well as the bi-weekly Steering Committee calls, providing agendas in advance and ensuring notes are taken and distributed after the calls.
  • Participate in bi-weekly campaign co-chair calls and effectively utilize the co-chairs for feedback related to problem-solving and strategic campaign decisions.
  • Anticipate rapid responses to campaign needs and effectively manage associated tasks and planning.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Qualifications:  

  • Minimum 7 years of experience in issue and/or electoral campaign work or a related field, ideally with experience covering strategic communications (earned media, paid advertising, and/or digital), field/grassroots organizing, and other advocacy campaign strategies and tactics.
  • Strong track record of collaborative team leadership among partners with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
  • Exceptional strategic thinking skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple fast-paced needs and to adapt, innovate, and solve problems effectively.
  • Proven capacity to design, implement and adapt a national or regional campaign plan, including strong project management and organizational skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including ability to connect with a general audience.
  • Motivated, self-starter with the ability to take initiative, develop ideas, and see them through to implementation.
  • Strong time management skills and proven ability to organize, prioritize, and meet competing deadlines. 
  • Strong emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and cultural humility.
  • Awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
  • A commitment to social justice and/or natural resource conservation issues and a proven ability to develop strong, trust-based partnership 
  • Knowledge of Capitol Hill and/or the Department of the Interior and experience working on public lands and/or wildlife issues.
  • Prior experience working in partnership with Tribes, Alaska Native communities, or Indigenous-led/serving NGOs.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At the Arctic Defense Campaign, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in this job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

To apply: Submit a resume and cover letter that expresses your interest in Alaska public lands conservation and your top two or three skills that will allow you to be successful in this role to Jobs@defendthearctic.org. Position open until filled; application review will be on a rolling basis, with priority consideration given to applications received by January 31, 2025.