Project Attorney (2-year term)

About The Wilderness Society

The Wilderness Society is a national conservation organization dedicated to protecting America’s wild places since 1935. Our mission is to unite people to protect America’s wild places. Through science, advocacy, and partnerships with communities and policymakers, we champion the protection of wilderness, national parks, forests, and other public lands that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and the freedom to connect with nature. For more information, visit www.wilderness.org.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Project Attorney will support The Wilderness Society’s (TWS’s) critical conservation priorities related to public lands protection. They will bring legal and policy experience to assist with administrative record building, engagement in government agency decision-making processes, policy interpretation and advocacy, and managing litigation from an in-house counsel role. Work will include conducting research, supporting case management, and providing legal expertise to various campaigns and cross-functional teams. The position will help fill capacity gaps across the work of TWS’s Legal Team in areas ranging from land management planning and national monuments protection to federal oil, gas, and mining and Arctic public land defense. Throughout this work, the Project Attorney will integrate community-led conservation and Tribal partnerships, utilize the law and agency policy to advance and defend protective policy interpretations and outcomes, and establish a strong record for potential administrative challenges or litigation.

(Note: TWS does not represent itself in court but actively supports and partners with our litigating counsel.)

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide legal, policy, and land use planning support to help realize TWS’s programmatic goals, including defending America’s wild places and upholding the laws, policies, and agencies that safeguard our public lands and waters.
• Independently manage legal projects, including building strong administrative records in agency processes in anticipation of litigation, responding to deregulatory efforts across public land management agencies, and assisting in defending against existing and novel federal public land attacks.
• Conduct legal research and draft legal memoranda to inform litigation strategies, policy development, and other organizational program priorities, with a focus on key environmental laws, including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
• Assist in developing, drafting, and reviewing technical comments – as part of federal agency rulemakings and other administrative processes – white papers, fact sheets, press releases, and briefings.
• Coordinate closely with other TWS teams, including government relations, policy advocacy and conservation campaigns, science, Native Lands Partnerships, and place-based conservation teams, assisting with legal research and advocacy needs and ensuring application of data, science, and mapping.
• Work collaboratively with broad cross sections of TWS staff and external partners and participate in coalitions as appropriate.
• Adhere to all policies and procedures set forth by TWS (including, but not limited to, finance, human resources, and legal) to maintain a compliant and efficient work environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will possess most or all of the following qualifications:

• Juris doctor and bar admission required.
• Minimum 4 years’ legal work experience, preferably in environmental law.
• Excellent analytical and verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to write and speak concisely and persuasively.
• Fluency in administrative law, and preferably expertise in public land law, policies, and issues.
• Experience engaging in local, state, tribal, and/or federal agency decision-making, including through the effective application of environmental laws and policies, preparation of technical comments, and utilization of experts, and in challenging agency decisions through administrative remedies and litigation.
• Ability to review and comment on regulations, agency proposals, and environmental review documents, translate and advance national policies in place-based opportunities, and identify and execute important record-building opportunities.
• Highly organized, accurate, and detail-oriented, and able to synthesize and track significant amounts of complex information. Experience managing collaborative projects with multiple deliverables a plus.
• Ability to work well independently and as part of diverse teams, and able to keep a level head when responding to rapid changes in campaign strategies and plans.
• Willingness to travel for short durations.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position.

The ​preferred location(s) for this position are Denver, CO, Washington, D.C., or Bozeman, MT. The ​salary range for this position is $80,000- $95,000 depending on location and experience . To apply, please submit resume and ​cover ​letter by April 5.

The Wilderness Society offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, and pet insurance; sick and vacation leave; a sabbatical program; and a retirement plan with employer contribution subject to certain limits and requirements. TWS is an equal opportunity employer and actively works to ensure fair treatment of our employees and constituents across culture, socioeconomic status, race, marital or family situation, gender, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, veteran status or sexual orientation.

As an organization, we aspire to being inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are. Internally, this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day. Externally, this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive. We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.

To learn more about our commitment, please see http://wilderness.org/our-commitment-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-wilderness-society

Pursuant to applicable fair chance laws, TWS will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

TWS complies with federal and state disability laws and is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. If you require accommodation to complete the application process or to perform the essential functions of the position, please contact careers@tws.org. TWS only accepts resumes submitted for positions that are currently open. Unsolicited resumes or resumes for posted positions that are not submitted via the online application process (where applicable), will not be reviewed or retained.