State Campaigns Manager

Do you check #akleg before coffee? Watch the formation of caucuses or appointment of new commissioners as raptly as some people watch Game of Thrones? Are Alaska statutes, mine permits and timber sale announcements borderline beach reads? Does civic engagement give you a thrill? Do you have a passion for environmental conservation and want to help ensure a sustainable future for Southeast Alaska? We’re looking for you.

The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) is seeking a State Campaigns Manager to coordinate and lead our state level conservation work. The State Campaigns Manager reports to the Executive Director and manages SEACC’s work on all Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Natural Resources regulations and processes and tracks proposed state legislation. The State Campaigns Manager will work closely and collaboratively with other campaign and communications staff at SEACC to accomplish our goals.

What you’ll do:

In coordination and collaboration with the SEACC team you’ll work to further SEACC’s mission and vision in these key areas:

• Provide expertise on State regulations, environmental permits, timber sales, and management plans:
• Track and analyze rulemaking and proposed regulations, and develop policy positions;
• Research and understand Alaska statutes and the Administrative Code related to SEACC priorities;
• Track State of Alaska permits, land and timber sales, and plans;
• Provide technical analysis of impacts of proposed sales, permits, and plans;
• Develop policy and advocacy positions.

Provide legislative subject matter expertise:

• Act as SEACC’s subject matter expert for Alaska’s legislative process;
• Track, monitor, and provide technical analysis of proposed legislation;
• Prepare and present policy briefings for legislators and/or staff, including handout materials, and sectional or bill analysis as needed;
• Advocate for key legislative priorities, including preparing written testimony and preparing and providing verbal testimony;
• Build positive and productive relationships with legislators, staff, and key parties involved in SEACC priority legislation;
• Prepare for the legislative session by identifying priorities and partners well in advance.

Coordinate with partners:

• Coordinate and/or participate in and help lead local, regional, and statewide, coalition and partnership efforts to protect Southeast Alaska, coordinate state legislative priorities with partner groups, and help develop a new vision for the future of our region;
• Work with SEACC staff to further improve and grow SEACC efforts around Indigenous engagement and outreach;
• Coordinate with local communities, Tribal governments and grassroots groups to address state management concerns;
• Work with community, Tribes, and partners to minimize negative impacts from state timber and mining developments.

Public outreach and organizing:

• Engage with the public, elected officials and Tribal communities on SEACC’s priorities and organize them to take collective action;
• Inform the public about the impacts of State permits, sales, management plans, and proposed legislation, and promote public comment opportunities;
• Organize and facilitate various community sign-on letters in conjunction with seeking passage of resolutions from Tribes and municipalities with relevant Campaign staff when necessary;
• Actively cultivate relationships and contacts to further broad organizing efforts throughout communities in Southeast;
• Support grassroots activists by helping them to understand and effectively engage in legislative advocacy.

Who you are:

The strongest candidates will have many of the following qualifications:

• A background in environmental policy, and/or grassroots or grasstops campaigns;
• Thorough understanding of the Alaska legislative process;
• Familiarity with use of BASIS and the akleg.gov website;
• Familiarity with Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Natural Resources  permitting and public processes;
• Professional experience or study in environmental science, natural resource management, ecology or related fields;
• Effective communication skills (written and oral), ability to quickly understand, translate, and communicate problems and policy solutions the general public can understand and engage in;
• This includes a background, comfort, or interest in learning to communicate with the media, including as an occasional spokesperson;
• Proactive problem solving skills,  demonstrated people skills, and experience untangling tough social issues and working to bring people together to effectively advocate for shared conservation objectives;
• Commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, with demonstrated successes in previous work and self-awareness of growth areas, and demonstrated experience working effectively with a diverse team and partners, and ability to spot issues and develop practical solutions;
• Excellent time management and  comfort with planning, prioritizing, troubleshooting, and moving tasks forward while coordinating in all directions, especially across lines of difference (by building trust and rapport through warmth, humility, optimism, humor, etc.);
• Interest in and desire to work with a wide variety of people, a genuine interest in the people and places of Southeast Alaska, and an ability to sustain a high level of energy and engagement over community visits lasting several days;
• Knowledge of and interest in learning Southeast Alaska Indigenous languages, culture, cultural protocols, and knowledge systems to support the outcomes that best fit our region, and capacity to connect and build relationships with Native groups, Tribal representatives, and Indigenous community members and leaders to further conservation and equity objectives.

We know there is not one ideal candidate who has all of these traits — if you have a mix of interests, skills, and experience related to the above,  and a passion for this work — please don’t let a gap in your strengths for this role stop you from applying or reaching out.

What else you should know:

Compensation:

This role is a full-time position, and the salary range for this role is between $68,000 – $75,000 with exact salary dependent upon experience.

Benefits include:

• 3 weeks of paid leave your first year and 4 weeks of paid leave after one year, plus
• 11 federal and state holidays, plus
• fully paid healthcare, plus
• 12 days of medical leave annually, plus
• 2 days of community service or participation leave, plus
• a 401K plan with a 5% match that begins after just one year of employment, and
• In addition, the Executive Director closes the office between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day each year as a thank you to the staff!

Where you’ll work:

SEACC’s office is located in Juneau, Alaska. The political nature of this role requires the candidate to be located in Juneau. While we expect this role to work out of the SEACC office, we do have a flexible hybrid work policy that could be utilized.

Desired Start Date:

Mid August, 2024

Application process:

Please submit your cover letter, resume and a short professional writing sample of not more than 1,000 words (excerpts are fine) to admin@seacc.org. Please put ‘Job Application – State Campaigns Manager’ and your last name in the email subject line. Three professional references, including one from a former or current direct supervisor will be requested from those selected for interviews.

Statement of non-discrimination:

SEACC recognizes, supports, and values all forms of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

SEACC is an equal opportunity employer to all, without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.