Land and Clean Energy Infrastructure Director

Land values and land use impacts pose barriers to the deployment of clean energy infrastructure. Through the Grounding Clean Energy project, the Land & Climate Program is collaborating with the CATF Infrastructure Deployment team and the State and Federal Policy teams to define and advance land-smart approaches to accelerate clean energy deployment. This work entails: (1) understanding the trade-offs and synergies between landscape and ecosystem resources and the development of clean energy infrastructure via research and analysis; (2) minimizing impacts and realizing synergies via landscape scale planning; (3) advancing local to federal policies that balance environmental protection with efficient infrastructure deployment; (4) engaging with stakeholders and policymakers to promote land-smart infrastructure deployment; and (5) changing the clean energy infrastructure narrative by showcasing success stories and cultivating supportive local voices. The Land and Clean Energy Infrastructure Director will lead this work, developing and carrying out a set of strategies to facilitate land-smart clean energy deployment.

The Director will have a strong “science and policy” background and must have an understanding of the developments and research in clean energy infrastructure, public policy, as well as geography and landscape ecology. This person will also be comfortable translating this science into public policy. They will work with a variety of staff, consultants, outside organizations, governments, and companies, and must have highly effective relationship management skills, and diplomacy. The ideal candidate will also be personally motivated to play a role in the global effort to quickly slow the rate of climate change through the rapid deployment of clean energy.

• Develop and lead the Land & Climate Program’s implementation of CATF’s Grounding Clean Energy Project in close coordination with other CATF teams.
• Lead the development and analysis of spatially explicit landscape scale energy deployment scenarios and compare impacts of a range of social, economic, and environmental resources.
• Develop policy priorities and engagement strategies for advancing land-smart clean energy deployment.
• Review and recommend improvements to energy and land-use planning processes in specific geographies in the U.S.
• Translate insights from the scientific literature and insights from CATF analysis for policy recommendations in the U.S., Europe, and other strategic regions.
• Collaborate with and strengthen connections between policymakers, scientists, and other NGOs that are critical to clean energy deployment.
• Serve on relevant state, regional, and/or national coalitions.
• Review technical or scientific reports or data to identify policy implications and/or advocacy messages.
• Produce thought leadership content including blogs, op-eds, LinkedIn commentary posts, reports, whitepapers, analyses, and other compelling material to advance CATF’s Grounding Clean Energy project.
• Support the creation of factsheets and other messaging collateral to effectively communicate science and technology developments to key decisionmakers, including civil, elected and business leaders.
• Engage with partners and allied organizations to amplify findings and core advocacy messages.
• Act as a spokesperson with external audiences including partner briefings, media appearances and statements, public speaking, and presentations in stakeholder forums.
• Manage and oversee work by consultants, as needed.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Master’s or PhD degree in a related field such as geography, landscape ecology, political science, or sustainability science.
• Experience in spatial analysis, geographic information systems, resource management, and landscape ecology.
• Professional experience in the energy and environment field (industry, academia, or otherwise) that demonstrates expertise and unique knowledge of barriers to clean energy infrastructure deployment.
• Experience in public policy, stakeholder engagement and communications.
• Strong analytical skills with an ability to translate complex or technical information into plain language.
• Exceptional writing and communications skills to effectively convey information to partners and decision makers.
• Demonstrated experience with managing and building relationships with stakeholders.
• Capable of working and collaborating in a virtual office environment; willingness to travel.
• Entrepreneurial and self-starting/self-management approach to work requiring minimal supervision.
• Mission-driven and dedicated to CATF’s broader mission of advancing climate solutions.

Compensation and Location: