Associate Director, Policy, U.S. Climate Alliance

Position Overview

The U.S. Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of governors securing America’s net-zero future by advancing state-led, high-impact climate action. The Alliance Secretariat helps its members accelerate climate solutions by providing a broad range of technical, analytical, policy, and capacity assistance and resources. For more information on the Alliance, visit www.usclimatealliance.org.

The Associate Policy Director is responsible for working alongside the Policy Director in overseeing the Secretariat’s policy team and shepherding deployment of direct technical and policy assistance to help states and territories develop and implement climate solutions. Specifically, this new position will supervise and support a cohort of policy advisors in advancing climate policies across a subset of the coalition’s policy priority areas; help execute policy team goals; contribute to team members’ growth and development; and directly manage at least one policy priority area. This role will also help develop and steer coalition-wide and multi-state partnerships and initiatives, ensure Working Groups are delivering high-impact results, and facilitate collaboration on comprehensive cross-sector policy solutions that touch on multiple sectors.

The Associate Policy Director reports to the Policy Director and will be expected to work as part of a broader team that includes Alliance states, consultants, and external partners. The position is part of the Energy and Climate team at the United Nations Foundation, which houses the U.S. Climate Alliance Secretariat.

This position is based in Washington, DC (hybrid schedule) with consideration for remote work in the contiguous United States.

Essential Functions

Support strategic planning and execution efforts across the Alliance’s policy team.

• • Work with the Policy Director to ensure Alliance policy priorities and efforts are strategic, responsive to state needs, of additive value to state efforts, and conducted in close collaboration with partner organizations.
  • Foster collaboration, innovation, and cross-pollination across policy staff, including by supporting the development of comprehensive policy solutions that touch on multiple sectors, facilitating the sharing of lessons learned, and ensuring integration of cross-cutting initiatives throughout the Alliance’s work.
  • Partner with policy staff to create and execute new multi-state initiatives while ensuring successful implementation of existing partnerships and workstreams.
  • With the Policy Director and Executive Director, help manage rapid response to emerging, time-sensitive, or disruptive events with implications for climate policy.
  • Help ensure Alliance policy activities are timely, nimble and strategic.

Supervise a cohort of policy advisors and help lead the Alliance’s policy team.

• • With the Policy Director, help prepare for and oversee policy team meetings and follow up on action items and deliverables.
  • Support policy advisors in independently managing their work, seeking help when needed, and identifying opportunities for increased impact, growth, external partnerships, and portfolio diversification as appropriate.
  • Assist team members in responding to major political shifts, current events at national and state levels, and important moments for governors and the broader climate community.
  • Provide advice and counsel to policy staff in carrying out their work on behalf of Alliance members, serving as a sounding board and always keeping in mind organization-wide goals, values, and mission.
  • Conduct regular check-ins, complete performance assessments, set and support individual performance goals, work with staff to resolve issues, and approve leave.

Support broader Alliance development and grant management efforts.

• • Support sector-based fundraising, including drafting and reviewing proposals, growing relationships with donors, and tracking and reporting progress.
  • Identify resource gaps and partner with the development team to evaluate prospects and secure additional funds to most effectively meet state needs.
  • Conduct oversight of agreements that support and advance policy team members’ portfolios and workplans.

Directly manage at least one policy priority area. 

• • Manage engagement with relevant working group(s).  
  • Complete sector-specific annual work plan(s) and conduct policy research, analyze key sector trends, and draft chapters of the Alliance’s annual report that outline progress toward our climate goals.  
  • Contribute to products that help Alliance states improve quantification of opportunities, measure progress toward policy goals, and quantify the co-benefits of