Job description
Please be aware of recruiting scams!
All legitimate communication from our recruitment team will come from an official calstart.org email address via email, we will not text you about a role you have not applied to or shown interest in. We will not perform any interviews via text or Zoom chat.
CALSTART does not ask for any fees or personal information such as social security numbers or bank details during the recruitment process.
About Us:
CALSTART is a mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all.
For over 30 years, it’s been CALSTART’s mission to develop, assess, and implement large-scale, zero-emission transportation solutions to mitigate climate change and support economic growth. CALSTART works with businesses, organizations, governments, and communities to create real-life impact toward clean air and equitable access to clean transportation for all. CALSTART provides scientific, technical and policy support for regulatory development and clean technology and infrastructure acceleration.
About The Role:
CALSTART is seeking a strategic and mission-driven Deputy Director to lead the design, development, and implementation of clean transportation programs. This position will report to the Senior Director and plays a critical leadership role in ensuring CALSTART’s incentive-based efforts are effective, equitable, and aligned with state and federal clean air and climate goals.
The Deputy Director will oversee a portfolio of incentive programs policy initiatives, lead cross-functional teams, and serve as a primary liaison with public agencies, private stakeholders, and partners. This role requires a combination of strategic thinking, team leadership, and policy expertise to ensure high-impact program execution and long-term success.
What You’ll Do:
- As Deputy Director, Incentive Policy, you will play a key leadership role in shaping and advancing incentive policy to accelerate clean transportation adoption. Your work will directly influence major public programs and regulatory initiatives.
- Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of clean transportation incentive policies, ensuring alignment with regulatory goals, equity priorities, and market readiness.
- Supervise and mentor a team of policy analysts, project managers, and stakeholder engagement staff, fostering growth, accountability, and collaboration.
- Serve as the primary policy liaison to government agencies and regulatory partners, including CARB, EPA, and other state/federal agencies, ensuring timely coordination and feedback loops.
- Oversee the drafting of guidance documents, eligibility criteria, and technical requirements in collaboration with legal, technical, and operations teams.
- Shape and respond to legislation, board resolutions, and regulatory directives by drafting policy recommendations and providing strategic input.
- Support cross-departmental alignment by working closely with incentive operations, outreach, communications, and legal teams to ensure policy is clearly translated into program implementation.
- Drive strategic initiatives and special projects that advance CALSTART’s clean transportation goals, including equity frameworks, market transformation strategies, and incentive innovation.
- Represent CALSTART in external workgroups, policy forums, and public engagements, serving as a subject matter expert and thought leader in incentive policy design.
What You’ll Bring To The Table:
- At least 8 years of relevant experience in public policy, environmental programs, government affairs, or incentive-based program design—ideally within the clean transportation, energy, or climate sectors.
- Strong policy development expertise, with a demonstrated ability to translate regulatory guidance and stakeholder input into effective program frameworks.
- Bachelor’s degree required in Public Policy, Environmental Science, Urban Planning, Political Science, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
- Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with experience supervising and mentoring staff in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.
- Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to lead presentations, write clear policy documents, and engage diverse audiences.
- Analytical and strategic mindset, with the ability to assess program performance, recommend improvements, and support data-informed decision-making.
- Familiarity with regulatory and legislative processes at the state or federal level, and experience working with public agencies or non-governmental organizations.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Salesforce, and project tracking tools such as Monday.com or Jira.
Desired Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Public Policy, Environmental Management, Law, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- Experience working with or for state or federal agencies, particularly in a regulatory, policy advisory, or incentive program capacity.
- Familiarity with environmental justice and equity-centered policy frameworks, and experience applying these in program design.
- Technical knowledge of zero-emission technologies, fleet operations, or transportation infrastructure.
- Experience with data analytics tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) or program evaluation frameworks to support policy refinement.
- Public speaking or media engagement experience, especially in industry forums or regulatory workgroups.
- Working knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM systems as applied to program administration or stakeholder tracking.
- Bilingual or multilingual abilities are a plus, especially Spanish, to support broader stakeholder outreach.
- Ability to travel occasionally for stakeholder meetings, events, or public forums (10-15% anticipated).
$105,630 - $120,260 a year
CALSTART values transparency and strives to provide as much information regarding compensation as possible. The complete salary range for this role is $105,630 - $120,260 . We determine pay based on several factors, including but not limited to job-related skills, qualifications, experience, education, internal equity and other factors relevant to the job.
We understand that not everyone will match the above qualifications 100%. If your background isn’t perfectly aligned but you feel you would be a great addition to the team, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re a tight-knit team of world-class innovators, business minds, and change agents who believe passionately in our mission and put our team ahead of self. We are committed to the continued development and growth of our employees and invest in your success!
We care about your personal well being as much as your professional success and offer generous benefits to full time employees including: 100% company paid comprehensive health benefits for Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability and Life Insurance, Retirement plan with generous company contributions, FSA for Health and Dependent Care, 3 weeks of vacation time in the first year of employment, 11 paid company holidays, paid sick time, paid family leave, and more!
Our inclusive environment focuses on making decisions based on merit without regard to race, color, hair texture, gender, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
