Senior Program Manager for Climate Equity

The Greenlining Institute•Oakland, CA

About The Position

The Greenlining Institute works towards a future where communities of color can build wealth, live in healthy places filled with economic opportunity, and are ready to meet the challenges posed by climate change. We work with communities of color to understand and analyze the racist barriers to economic opportunity, demand accountability from the public and private sectors to combat injustice, foster consensus-building that produces long-term change and success, and bridge research and policy to spearhead innovative strategies at the intersections of racial, economic, and climate equity. The Greenlining Institute is deeply committed to justice and equity not just in the work we do in communities, but also within our organization. We actively work to create a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace that values lived experience, community wisdom, and racial equity. The Senior Program Manager for Climate Equity leads implementation and capacity-building initiatives to advance equitable electric mobility and transportation, strengthening partner organizations' capacity for storytelling, advocacy, and community power. This role supports the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM) Community of Practice, which advances racial and environmental justice through equitable transportation electrification. TEEM includes over 20 organizations across four states — Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia — and since its 2020 launch has built a peer learning and advocacy model centered on the intersections of mobility equity, community building, and transportation electrification. Drawing on the networks and lessons built across the country, the Senior Program Manager provides direct, hands-on support to help partners build the organizing and narrative infrastructure needed to run effective policy campaigns — coordinating and aligning with other national efforts, including but not limited to The Clean RIDES Network. This includes maintaining ongoing partner relationships, delivering implementation support and technical assistance, and aligning partner priorities into shared campaigns. Separately, the Senior Program Manager will also spend a portion of their time supporting California-based efforts to reform state transportation funding, ensuring public investment is directed equitably. While distinct from TEEM, this work draws on the same core skill set in coalition support, storytelling, and power-building. This role is supervisory in nature but doesn’t currently supervise staff.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required
Three to five years of direct, related experience in policy, government, non-profit advocacy, or law
Experience navigating the legislative and regulatory policymaking processes, with experience supporting causes that serve vulnerable populations or low income communities of color
Ability to prepare well-organized written reports and other communication documents
Ability to deliver effective presentations to diverse groups and present complex information in a meaningful way
Excellent research skills with the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources into a coherent writing, as well as a strategy and workable plan
Strong project management skills to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, and workflows
Experience using Slack, Google Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite
Ability to adhere to a project budget and timeline, and assist hiring and managing consultants
Proven ability to work with emotional intelligence, navigating individual and team conflicts productively, with empathy and integrity
Ability to work with significant independence responding creatively and strategically when confronted with complex and multifaceted opportunities and challenges, and being able to manage supervisory relationships at multiple levels

Nice To Haves

Directly supervises program staff, fellows, summer associates and oversees their daily workflow
May support indirect supervision of external vendors
Contributes to cross-departmental collaboration and training
Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains staff in the department
Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations

Responsibilities

Maintains and grows expertise in assigned issue areas, including policy processes, political dynamics, and key stakeholders
Leads research to identify racial inequities through landscape analyses, literature reviews, interviews, and best practices analyses
Produces high-quality policy reports, comment letters, and recommendations that center equity and justice
Writes accessible content such as blogs, op-eds, and social media posts to inform and engage diverse audiences
Sets priorities and handles multiple projects simultaneously
Drives advancement of policy objectives within an equity framework
Leads and executes strategic advocacy campaigns aligned with organizational priorities and values
Leads internal efforts when issues require collaboration with colleagues
Tracks policy developments across the state of California, nationally, and at the federal level in specific area of focus
Develops equitable solutions throughout the policy life cycle when presented with obstacles or opportunities to accelerate the policy aim
Assesses short- and long-term impacts of enacted policies on communities of color and low-income communities to determine the degree to which desired outcomes have been achieved
Builds coalitions by conducting advanced independent outreach to community-based organizations, legislators, regulators, academics, and private sector partners
Plans and facilitates trainings, webinars, and convenings to deepen awareness and collective action
Represents the organization in conferences and public forums, and facilitates inclusive stakeholder collaboration
Builds and maintains key relationships across the issue area, including allied organizations and policymakers
Supports strengthening commitment and support from funders, including giving input for to grant proposals
Contributes to a work environment and culture that is centered on equity and inclusion
Supervises or mentors a Greenlining Leadership Academy participant and/or staff
Drives own specific area strategy and defines project scope and goals, including setting targets for milestones, adhering to deadlines, and securing necessary resources
Handles multiple projects simultaneously including setting targets for milestones, adhering to deadlines and securing necessary resources
Cultivates growth in all core competency areas including Communication, Collaboration, Strategic Innovation, Technical Expertise, Adaptability, and Accountability