Minnesota EJ Coordinator, Full – Time Exempt (Remote)

Minnesota EJ Coordinator, Full – Time Exempt (Remote)

Reports to: Project Manager

Candidate must reside in Minnesota

Who We Are

CEED is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. CEED conducts research and provides community education on important energy, environment, and community development issues so that all members of society may effectively participate in public decision-making. The mission of the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy (CEED) is to provide tools and information for communities and policymakers to create just climate and environmental policy.

We enhance the capacity of the environmental justice movement through collaboration at local, regional, and national levels. For over a decade, our work has been in partnership with other justice-based organizations, state and regional government entities, professional networks, universities, and advocacy organizations.

CEED advances environmental justice and energy democracy by providing frontline and climate justice organizations with education, policy research, and leadership development. We aim to build permanent movement infrastructure in communities on the front line of energy democracy and climate organizing from our home base in Minnesota to the Midwest and beyond.

We do this work because we believe everyone deserves a society that equitably protects and promotes a healthy and vibrant environment for all people in current and future generations. Our work in Minnesota and the broader Midwest influences and is informed by our work to shift the national climate conversation on policy. This is a time of great opportunity to advance the goals of securing a healthy and vibrant environment for all communities in current and future generations.

Summary of Position

As a member of the CEED team, the Minnesota Environmental Justice (EJ) Coordinator will help create and implement CEED’s state organizing strategies in Minnesota. The Minnesota EJ Coordinator will be tasked with helping build colorative and coordinating coalition spaces that strengthen the equity and climate work in Minnesota. The Minnesota EJ Coordinator will engage and build relationships with local and state partners to take action in the fight against pollution, climate change, and environmental racism through amplifying CEED’s goals of justice and equity. They will act as a strategist and thought partners to build community and to learn and grow together as equity-focused advocates. This work will be undertaken in collaboration with multiple teams within CEED.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to conceptualize, implement and assess strategies to engage local partners with a focus on building a more diverse and inclusive community that advances the overarching justice and equity goals of CEED.
• Lead efforts to develop and implement community-building strategies to foster connection and peer-learning among partners.
• Coordinate coalitions and support grassroots partner organizations within and outside of coalitions in which CEED is represented. Establish and maintain trusting, collaborative and transparent relationships with CEED’s grassroots partners and team members.
• Build relationships with local coalitions (labor unions, faith-based groups, public health groups, etc.) to collaborate to advance shared goals.
• Work closely with policy, communications and education teams within CEED to support efforts for climate solutions in Minnesota, keeping abreast of changes within the state and legislative areas.
• Formulate, build, and maintain a landscape analysis of EJ in Minnesota. Assist in conducting policy analyses, memos, and advocacy products.
• Advocate for climate and environmental justice policy positions to advance administrative, agency and legislative goals in Minnesota

Organizational Responsibilities

• Ensure that CEED’s policy advocacy efforts align with the mission and vision of CEED and in service to the environmental justice movement.
• Establish and maintain trusting, collaborative and transparent relationships with CEED’s grassroots partners in Minnesota.

Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated interest in understanding the environmental justice movement locally and key environmental justice concerns.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including project and program management ability.
• Demonstrated ability to collaboratively develop and execute strategy at an organizational level
• Outstanding oral and written communications skills.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years in grassroots community, issue labor organizing programs and/or network building and management.
• Successful track record of grassroots community organizing, leadership development, implementing strategies and tactics, and forming alliances with other groups.
• Ability to effectively work as part of a team and in community.
• Ability to effectively present programs to the community, elected officials and allies in an effective way.
• Committed to confronting institutional racism and inequity within our political system. An ability to apply a racial justice lens and a variety of communities’ distinct perspectives to organizing strategies.
• A commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture as well as understanding the ways in which principles of racial justice and equity are vital to improving our democratic systems and environmental challenges effectively.

CEED Values and Qualities

• A deep commitment to the values of social justice and anti-racism in all its forms.
• A collaborative spirit.
• Drive for accountability and transparency.