Director of Program Advocacy / Director of State Advocacy (2 Openings)

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking experienced advocates to serve as our Director of Program Advocacy and Director of State Advocacy. Reporting to our Advocacy Strategy Director, each position will lead and support a team of advocates working across SELC’s program areas and states, respectively, to advance environmental policies and solutions throughout the South. Applicants may apply for the Director of Program Advocacy position, the Director of State Advocacy position, or both.

These are excellent opportunities to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation.

These positions are open to candidates with at least ten years of relevant experience, with an anticipated start date in early 2027. These are full-time, exempt positions that may be based in any of the following SELC offices: Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Chapel Hill, NC; Charleston, SC; Charlottesville, VA; Nashville, TN; or Richmond, VA.

SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. Employees must reside in a state where SELC has an office, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. Relocation reimbursement is available for those moving to join us.

About the Positions

The Director of Program Advocacy and the Director of State Advocacy are hands-on leaders responsible for advancing SELC’s policy agenda by building, training, and managing different teams of advocates across SELC. These Directors will also provide strategic guidance and advocacy support to program staff across the organization.

• Director of Program Advocacy: Leads a team of advocates embedded in SELC’s eight program areas: clean air, clean energy, environmental justice, forest protection, transportation and land use, clean water, wetlands and coasts, and wildlife. This Director will maintain a firm grasp on policy priorities and advocacy opportunities within each program area, spanning the entire region.
• Director of State Advocacy: Leads a team of advocates embedded in SELC’s six states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. This Director will have a firm grasp on state priorities, localized political dynamics, and advocacy opportunities within each state.

Primary Responsibilities

• Build, direct, and maintain a structured team of advocates focused on delivering long-term impact to ensure clean air, clean water, and a livable climate for Southern communities.
• Supervise advocates across SELC’s eight program areas or SELC’s six states, providing guidance and hands-on training to strengthen the work taking place on the ground.
• Work with advocates to implement policy at the federal, state, and local levels; advance solutions to pressing environmental challenges; deepen relationships in SELC’s states and communities; and provide support to allies and clients.
• Work with individual Advocacy Team members to develop multiple advocacy plans each year, focused on SELC’s unique place-based priorities, for those team members to implement.
• Help develop advocacy resources, trainings, and systems for program staff across the organization to support ongoing learning and strengthen advocacy skills.
• Collaborate with SELC’s communications, federal affairs, and development teams, among others, to strengthen advocacy efforts organization-wide.

Required Qualifications

• Ten or more years of direct experience developing and implementing successful advocacy efforts at the state and local levels, including:
  • Direct lobbying, education and outreach, engagement in regulatory proceedings, coalition building, meeting facilitation, and mobilization of supporters;
  • Designing, drafting, and executing strategic advocacy campaigns that achieve desired outcomes; and
  • Policy development.
• Demonstrated success managing staff individually and building effective teams, including experience providing individual and group trainings, coaching, and mentorship.
• Demonstrated understanding of statewide and regional political and power dynamics.
• Commitment to working with communities of color and other underrepresented communities.
• Proven project management experience in nonprofit settings, including the ability to independently manage concurrent fast-paced projects.
• Strong work ethic, sense of initiative, and ambition, including the ability to meet internal and external deadlines while maintaining SELC’s collegial and collaborative approach; an entrepreneurial spirit; and creative, solutions-oriented thinking.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical and legal issues into plain language, develop and deliver persuasive public messaging, and build and maintain relationships with a diverse range of clients, partners, government officials, and stakeholders.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly across the region.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in environmental advocacy in the South.
• Litigation or legal advocacy experience.
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace that welcomes people from across the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region.

About SELC

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 250, including more than 160 legal and policy experts and advocates. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, SELC has offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.

At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that welcomes people from across the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and values diverse perspectives. We approach our work with the highest level of integrity, holding ourselves to high standards with an emphasis on honesty, accountability, and thoughtfulness. We value collaboration and camaraderie, realizing we are strongest when we work together and knowing that everyone has a critical role to play. We strive for impact through a strategic, bold, pragmatic, and ambitious outlook that is dedicated to achieving powerful results. We believe in these values and in the power of SELC. We hope you consider joining us. Learn more at www.selc.org.

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental nonprofits nationally and provides an excellent benefits package.

SELC is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer.

SELC will also provide relocation reimbursement for those relocating for a SELC position, up to a specific dollar amount and contingent on the move being at least 50 miles from the current primary address.

For more details about our benefits package, please visit our Careers page.