Director of Environmental Justice

Job Title: Director of Environmental Justice

Location: Remote hybrid, Detroit office

Position Type: Permanent, Full Time

About the Organization

Founded in 1970, the Ecology Center fights for a just and healthy future for people and the planet. In recent years, the Ecology Center has been at the forefront of protecting communities from PFAS, lead exposure, air, water, & plastic pollution, among other environmental health concerns. In addition to our environmental health work, the Ecology Center is a leading advocacy organization in Michigan’s clean, equitable energy revolution. The Ecology Center is committed to, and actively works on, justice, equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace and with our partners. The Ecology Center has offices in Ann Arbor and Detroit.

Position Summary

The Ecology Center seeks a senior-level Director of Environmental Justice to develop and direct environmental health and justice program campaigns at the Ecology Center, including coalition work related to clean air.

Our ideal Director of Environmental Justice is a dynamic, experienced, and creative leader who is passionate about environmental justice, and who has the vision and skills to take our environmental justice and health programming into its next chapter. The Director of Environmental Justice will provide leadership to our environmental health team to plan and execute Ecology Center’s education, policy, and advocacy campaigns related to environmental justice and our clean air work. The Director of Environmental Justice will play a leadership role in Clear the Air, a coalition established in 2024 by Ecology Center and 22 partner organizations dedicated to the right of all Michiganders to breathe healthy air.

This person will have experience building diverse coalitions that center the needs of impacted community members. They are excited about developing new programs and campaigns, and bring strong skills in program management, fundraising and grant development, and program budgeting. The Director of Environmental Justice will have a strong understanding of the environmental justice movement in Michigan and beyond.

This is a permanent full-time position at 40 hours per week, with a preference for a candidate based in Detroit, Michigan. This position is a remote hybrid, with the option to work from our Detroit office, and an expectation of in-person engagement in community settings, and monthly in-person attendance at staff meetings at our Ann Arbor office.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of experience in environmental health, climate and energy, toxics and waste issues, air pollution and monitoring, environmental justice and/or related field
• Skilled in community organizing and/or coalition building
• Commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
• A well-developed network of relationships within the environmental justice movement, preferably in Detroit and/or other Michigan community
• A strategic thinker, with experiences developing and leading community-based campaigns and campaign strategy that employ systems thinking and root causes
• Skilled in program planning, development and implementation
• Competent in fund development, maintaining funder relationships, networking and connections to support the continued success of the program.
• Experience with grant administration, including budgeting and tracking expenses, managing contracts and subgrants, grant writing and reporting.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills

Duties & Responsibility

Organizational and Program Strategy

• Develop new program initiatives consistent with the organization's goals and commitment to environmental justice, as well as needs of the Detroit community and coalition partners
• Support strategy development for environmental health programs, climate & energy, and toxics programs
• Participate in high level organizational strategy development

Air Quality Program Leadership

• Oversee implementation of programming in Detroit and coordinate with other staff working in Detroit
• Take a leadership role Clear the Air coalition, and other coalitions as needed to support the work.
• Work with program staff to plan and implement work that supports community needs with respect to air quality, air monitoring and/or community education to promote clean air awareness and advocacy for policy change.
• Take initiative to identify and develop new programs or solutions, to address environmental health concerns and community needs
• Maintain strong collaborative relationships and teams within the Ecology Center
• Build and maintain strong collaborations with outside partners

Fund Development and Grant Management

• With support from other staff, lead on fundraising efforts for Detroit programming, including grant prospecting, grantwriting, reporting, budgeting
• Lead on maintaining relationships with relevant foundation funders and major donors for the program
• Based on program planning, support fund development for new areas of work
• Support Ecology Center’s role as fiduciary for Clear the Air, acting as a liaison between Clear the Air’s finance committee and Ecology Center’s finance staff.

Salary and Benefits

Salary Range: $84,872 to $92,372

This is a salary position and wages are commensurate with experience.

Generous benefits package including health, dental, FSA, 403(b), paid time off, ongoing training, and growth opportunities. Supportive, collaborative, and goal-oriented team atmosphere.

To Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@ecocenter.org with “Director of Environmental Justice” in the email subject. Please include how you heard about the position.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you are excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Ecology Center is committed to diversity and inclusion in our internal practices and opportunities, and in how we fulfill our mission of working for healthy people and a healthy planet. The Ecology Center is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Application Deadline

Please apply by Friday, March 6. Applications received by that date will be given priority, but we will continue to receive applications until the position is filled.

Generous benefits package including health, dental, FSA, 403(b), paid time off, ongoing training, and growth opportunities. Supportive, collaborative, and goal-oriented team atmosphere.