The Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC) is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Legal Director committed to building a clean energy economy at the scale science demands, creating good union careers, and reversing racial and economic inequality.   CJNRC is a labor-led organization at the forefront of the fight to combat the climate crisis and reverse racial and economic inequality. 

CJNRC is the hub of a growing network of union-led, state-based climate jobs coalitions, providing unions with the information, support, and expertise to lead on climate action. The coalitions we support are organizing to build a clean energy economy at the scale and pace that climate science demands, create and expand access to good union jobs in under-resourced communities, and advance equity. 

CJNRC and our network of coalitions are at the leading edge of both workers’ rights and climate action, two defining issues of our time. The coalitions have helped pass the nation’s most ambitious climate policies, won the strongest labor and equity standards for clean energy workers in the country, and built winning campaigns for worker-centered and equity-focused climate investments and good union jobs that will transform the future of the US economy.

Responsibilities: 

The Legal Director oversees a team of staff attorneys and plays a key leadership role in supporting CJNRC’s work to develop legal and legislative strategies in collaboration with coalitions and stakeholders.  This position works closely with and supervises the day-to-day work of CJNRC’s staff attorneys and reports to the General Counsel, and performs work for the CJNRC Action Fund.  The Legal Director also coordinates with CJNRC’s Policy, Campaigns, and Communications teams.

Specific Responsibilities include:

• Program support: CJNRC is dedicated to educating about and advocating for state and local initiatives. This role will lead and develop our program by working with a team of three staff attorneys to analyze applicable procurement laws, laws and regulations governing labor standards, and laws governing restrictions on local legislative initiatives, and the federal, interstate regulation of energy. The attorney hired for this position will help identify legal strategies and a wide variety of obstacles that need to be overcome to advance our vision and will oversee the work of staff attorneys to ensure the excellence of our legal work.

• Institutional support: CJNRC operates in a highly regulated area. A number of federal, state and local labor, energy, and environmental laws will affect its work or impose burdens that it must meet. Analysis of these regulations and navigating the regulatory shoals they create is an important part of the legal work. 

• Management:  CJNRC is committed to the support and development of our staff.  In addition to supervising the day-to-day work of the staff attorneys, this position will work with each attorney to ensure their professional development and to identify areas for growth that serves our program and mission.  The Legal Director will also work with the General Counsel on a variety of program and organizational matters.   

Qualifications

• JD and membership in good standing in any state bar association
• A demonstrated commitment to progressive economic, social, environmental, gender, and racial justice, a familiarity with the issues that are central to CJNRC’s work and vision, and a commitment to community and labor organizing
• 8 to 15 years of relevant legal experience and demonstrated experience managing teams
• A demonstrated interest in supporting strategic campaigns, policy or research for unions and other advocacy organizations
• Familiarity with corporate research, financial analysis, and demonstrated experience in the areas of labor and/or energy law 
• Very strong technical research and legal writing skills, including for non-legal audiences, and demonstrated experience working with diverse, cross-disciplinary teams to produce outstanding legal work product 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in politically sensitive and high-pressure environments 
• Willingness to travel occasionally
• Willingness to work in a fully remote context