Priority Application Deadline (December 2nd)

Background: The Environmental Protection Network (EPN) is a 501c3 non-profit organization with over a $5 million annual budget. EPN has a small staff across the country, a number of contractors, and more than 700 EPA alumni volunteers focused on building and defending the capacity of environmental agencies and the communities they serve to address the most urgent health and environmental crises. EPN works to:

• Ensure that EPA advances policies, budgets, and institutional changes to address climate and environmental injustices, as well as other pressing public health needs 
• Provide pro bono capacity-building technical assistance and training to environmental justice communities, NGOs, and under-resourced state/local/tribal government agencies 
• Provide pro bono support to civil servants. 
• Educate Congress and serve as a critical resource for facts, objective analysis, and scientific rigor for reporters and NGOs. 

Work will be predominantly remote, as EPN does not have an office. There will be some in-person meetings in other locations in the United States. You will work closely with other staff, including EPN Senior Director for Policy and Public Affairs. We are looking for this position to start immediately.

About The Position:

Reporting to the Policy Director, the Senior Policy Associate will partner with and act as a support across the policy and public affairs team. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who loves working in deep collaboration with others and can quickly adapt to changing landscapes and conditions. This staff member will support three main workstreams:

• First, this person will work closely with our policy team to offer support where needed. 
• Second, they will support the protection of environmental health expertise and tools.
• Lastly, assist with the SAVE EPA Campaign efforts to localize and personalize the value of EPA and its mission in partnership with local leaders, EPN staff, volunteers and coalition partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Policy Team Support

• Schedule meetings with and draft emails to EPN volunteers and partners.
• Track projects and accomplishments in EPN’s database and update the database, as needed.
• Assist with Weekly EPN Update and Bimonthly Newsletter, as needed.
• Support with special projects for the Policy Director.

Volunteer Recruitment & Enrollment 

• Identification and recruitment of new volunteers
• Enrollment and activation of volunteers in priority work areas

Safeguarding and Curating EPA Information Assets

• Supporting FOIA and other daylighting efforts
• Assisting in archiving and protecting EPA scientific and technical outputs and products - i.e. reports, research papers, technical analyses, critical datasets and models, regulatory and policy guidance, memos, proposals, and analysis.  Including: identifying, curating, archiving, safekeeping, distributing, and applying those materials

Science Advisory Functional Support 

• Support the re-assembling of advisory committees and panels, creating structured venues for expert input into policy development and regulatory oversight. 
• Assist in developing and maintaining partnerships with universities, professional associations, NGOS, and community organizations to support joint research projects
• Connect scientists directly with state, local, and tribal initiatives that need technical expertise while leveraging relationships with policymakers and agencies. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 2-4 years of relevant work experience 
• Highly productive in remote working environments 
• Self-starter 
• Interest in environmental justice, US environmental and health policy, and/or the work of EPA
• Experience with or knowledge of social justice and equity issues 
• Strong writing skills 
• Strong project management experience 
• Detail-oriented and unafraid to ask questions 
• Ability to work independently, work on many different projects, and switch effectively from one task to another 
• Experience working in collaborations or with multiple partners 
• Strong work ethic 
• Familiarity with Google Docs and Spreadsheets 

CORE COMPETENCIES: 

1. Building Relationships: Establishing and maintaining strong relationships is vital for success in this role. The Senior Policy Associate should foster trust and rapport with internal and external staff, leveraging these connections to advance organizational goals. They must be skilled in networking, collaborating, and navigating complex relationships to execute support across the entire policy and public affairs team. 
2. Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgement: The Senior Policy Associate demonstrates sound judgment by prioritizing tasks, assessing resource needs, and providing support where necessary. They evaluate staff and volunteer capacity, connect communities with appropriate resources, and form strategic partnerships. Using data and stakeholder feedback, they make informed decisions to ensure effective and sustainable community support.
3. Managing Execution: This Senior Policy Associate ensures effective execution by coordinating tasks, tracking database progress, and supporting staff during absences or high demand. They facilitate connections between volunteers, communities, and resources, schedule key meetings, and foster partnerships to align community needs with organizational goals. Additionally, they collaborate with senior leadership on policy and public affairs on resource needs, special projects, and conference representation, ensuring seamless and impactful operations.
4. Planning- The Senior Policy Associate creates strong plans to ensure effective management of their core responsibilities and day-to-day workflow. Additionally, the Senior Policy Associate will be responsible for becoming a project manager for a core priority for the policy team. This will require creating and managing a project plan with a wide variety of stakeholders, monitoring progress, and adjusting the course when necessary. 

PAY:

• An annual salary of $74,261 based in D.C. We will adjust the salary up or down based on locality. Note that this salary is also eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment that would go into effect in 2026. 

BENEFITS

The Environmental Protection Network is a fully remote virtual environment. We think about our compensation as a package of total rewards that starts with a competitive salary. 

Work-Life Balance:

• Employees are encouraged to balance a 40-hour work week with a flexible work schedule and core hours of 11 AM-4 PM ET. 
• 11 paid Federal Holidays and other paid days when the office is closed, including: 
  • The work day before or after July 4. 
  • The day before and after Thanksgiving. 
  • The week of December 25th and the week of Jan 1st (FY25- Dec 22nd-Jan 2nd, FY26-Dec 21st-Jan 1st, FY27- December 20th-December 31st).
• Organization-wide non-meeting days on all major holidays that fall outside of the federal calendar (our staff can submit these to our calendar based on religious or cultural holidays).
• 3 weeks (120 hours) of paid time off (inclusive of sick, personal days, and vacation).
• 5 days of annual disaster relief time off in the event of a natural disaster impacting you or your family (does not carry over or pay out upon exit).
• 5 days of annual bereavement (does not carry over or pay out upon exit)
• 3 annual “EPN” days to be used for any purpose across the year (does not carry over or pay out upon exit)- starts 1/26. 

Financial Security:

• Competitive market-based salary. 
• Annual tenure bonus (determined annually, where funds are available)
• Performance-based bonuses where applicable.
• 401K Retirement Plan, 4% company match. 

Wellness Benefits:

• 90% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance, 50% employer-paid family.

• 100% employer-paid life (50K), opportunity to purchase additional life coverage is available for employee and spouse. 
• 100% employer-paid short and long-term disability insurance. 
• Access to employee-paid FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits. 
• Up to 6 weeks of paid leave upon the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Career Development:

• Up to $500/year for professional development-related expenses. 
• Ongoing access to internal professional development training. 

Additional Benefits:

• $150 monthly cell phone plan and home internet reimbursement. 
• Up to $2,000/year for the purchase of phones, computers, headsets, software, or other equipment used consistently to carry out staff responsibilities.
• Applicable travel expenses will be reimbursed, including travel time outside of your local area.

Environmental injustices disproportionately impact the most marginalized people in society, including people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQIA+ people. Because we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.