Job description
Location: Remote (U.S.-based), with a preference for Washington, DC. Regular virtual meetings and occasional travel are required.
OVERVIEW
The climate emergency is the defining challenge of our time, demanding an urgent and transformative response. The window for small, incremental action has closed; the moment for bold, emergency-level action is now.
Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE) operates at the intersection of clean energy advocacy, strategic media, and civic participation to accelerate global decarbonization. Through cutting-edge media strategies, ACE combats climate disinformation, flattens the curve of clean energy opposition, increases diverse participation in our democracy, and inspires meaningful action. Our programs engage tens of millions of people annually, mobilizing audiences that traditional climate efforts often overlook.
ACE’s dynamic and diverse team thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment, united by a shared commitment to addressing the climate crisis. As we expand to meet this critical moment, we seek talented individuals eager to make an impact.
JOB SUMMARY
The National Organizing Director will lead and oversee ACE’s national grassroots organizing strategy in our key states. This role is responsible for designing and executing a youth-driven (18-34) organizing model that builds local power, advances renewable energy campaigns, and ensures young people play a decisive role in policy, elections, and legislative advocacy to accelerate the clean energy transition.
The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in national and local elections, legislative sessions, and policy advocacy—understanding how to build and execute strategies that advance pro-renewable energy laws and stop anti-renewable energy legislation. They will oversee field organizing, volunteer leadership pipelines, and grassroots mobilization tactics to influence decision-makers and shape long-term climate policy.
This position requires a highly skilled, detail-oriented leader with at least 10 years of experience in grassroots organizing, electoral campaigns, and legislative advocacy. The National Organizing Director must be able to develop high-impact strategies, execute large-scale organizing programs, and effectively mobilize volunteers to take political and advocacy actions at critical moments.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Organizing & Leadership
- Develop and oversee a national organizing strategy that scales ACE’s impact and builds long-term youth-driven climate power.
- Lead the execution of the ACE strategic national organizing plan,, ensuring seamless coordination across key states.
- Build and manage state field teams, including State Directors, Regional Field Managers, and Field Organizers, ensuring alignment with national goals.
- Integrate volunteer organizing efforts into electoral campaigns, policy advocacy, and legislative strategies to pass pro-renewable energy laws and block fossil fuel-backed initiatives.
- Utilize data-driven organizing methods to track progress, optimize engagement, and inform decision-making.
Policy & Legislative Strategy
- Deeply understand national and state elections, legislative sessions, and political landscapes to build effective advocacy and organizing strategies.
- Develop and implement state and national campaigns to push for clean energy policies and block anti-renewable energy bills.
- Work with coalition partners, policy experts, and legislative allies to advance siting and permitting reforms for renewable energy projects.
- Track key elections and legislative battles that impact renewable energy expansion and integrate electoral organizing into broader climate advocacy efforts.
Volunteer Recruitment & Leadership Development
- Implement a volunteer leadership model (Climate Teams) that empowers activists to take on core leadership roles such as team leaders, recruitment captains, and advocacy leads.
- Oversee training programs to build volunteer capacity in grassroots organizing, public speaking, policy advocacy, and electoral engagement.
- Develop systems for tracking volunteer growth, ensuring clear progression from engagement to leadership.
Electoral & Field Organizing
- Develop and execute issue-based and electoral organizing campaigns that increase youth voter engagement, turnout, and advocacy for climate policies.
- Work with field organizers to build political power in key states by mobilizing young voters and activists.
- Lead rapid-response organizing efforts around legislation, ballot initiatives, and fossil fuel industry influence.
- Integrate relational organizing, voter outreach, and coalition-building into campaign strategy.
Program Management & Team Oversight
- Manage a large-scale organizing team, including full-time state organizers and regional managers.
- Establish and maintain high-performance standards, ensuring that organizers meet weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals.
- Drive a culture of accountability, creativity, and strategic thinking, ensuring that organizers continuously refine their tactics for maximum impact.
- Oversee budgeting and resource allocation to ensure cost-effective program implementation.
- Ensure strong coordination across departments, including digital, data, policy, and communications teams.
- Ability to work overtime with little notice; able to work hours exceeding stated office hours to get the job done.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be an experienced and dynamic organizer with a deep understanding of grassroots movement building, climate policy advocacy, electoral strategy, and legislative sessions.
- 10+ years of experience in grassroots organizing, field management, or movement-building campaigns, with a proven track record of scaling large volunteer programs.
- Extensive experience designing and executing organizing programs focused on electoral engagement, climate justice, and renewable energy policy advocacy.
- Strong understanding of national and state elections, legislative processes, and political power mapping to influence clean energy policy.
- Demonstrated success in managing diverse field teams and ensuring the execution of complex multi-state campaigns.
- High-level strategic thinker with experience developing winning campaigns to pass or block legislation at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Deep understanding of digital and in-person organizing strategies, including voter outreach, town halls, public testimony, and issue-based advocacy.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple workstreams, set priorities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Attention to detail and ability to analyze and optimize organizing strategies using data and performance metrics.
- Expertise in relational organizing, volunteer recruitment, and leadership development using Ladder of Engagement and Snowflake Model frameworks.
- Deep knowledge of clean energy policy, permitting issues, and climate justice advocacy.
- Exceptional ability to build coalitions and partnerships, particularly with environmental justice, youth, labor, and frontline community groups.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders across a broad spectrum of backgrounds.
- Adaptive and creative problem solver, capable of pivoting strategies to meet emerging challenges.
Compensation:
- Annual salary range: $110-130,000, commensurate with experience
- Generous benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 403b retirement savings plan, Vacation, Sabbatical, Paid Parental Leave, 2 Floating Holidays, 2 Community Service Floating Holidays, sick time, two weeks of full-staff time off (July 4 week and Christmas-New Years week) and 13 observed holidays
- ACE is an equal-opportunity employer that highly values staff diversity
- Location: Remote (US only)
If you meet the majority of the above qualifications, please apply. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.
This description reflects ACE’s assignment of essential functions, it does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. ACE retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position at any time. Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.
