Environmental Protection Network

DOE Alumni Network Future of DOE Initiative Lead 

Priority Deadline June 5th 

Background

The U.S. Department of Energy Alumni Network seeks to foster a collaborative community that champions a transformational science and technology agenda for the United States by facilitating non-partisan policy engagement, preserving and sharing institutional knowledge, and supporting career development and networking opportunities for its members. The Network, which is housed within the Environmental Protection Network, seeks to:

• Foster an Alumni Community: Grow a strong and connected alumni community, foster career growth and professional development, and maximize the impact of the community.  
• Support DOE’s Mission Space:  Support priorities, programs, and people within the DOE mission space and provide guidance on DOE capabilities, rules, and processes to affiliated stakeholders.
• Envision the Future of DOE: Play a central role in the ideation and actualization of the modernization of the Department. 

Note-The DOE Alumni Network team will be administratively housed at the Environmental Protection Network (EPN). EPN will oversee both payroll and benefits administration for this role. 

About the position

Reporting to the DOE Alumni Network Executive Director, Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, and working closely with the Network’s Policy Strategy Lead, Paul Donohoo-Vallett, the Future of DOE Initiative Lead will lead the DOE Alumni Network’s multi-year Envisioning the Future of DOE effort. This is a position for a person with experience with a deep background in energy policy, a keen understanding of energy innovation needs, experience developing and publishing large strategic analyses, and extensive experience leading multi-stakeholder processes.  

About the Envisioning the Future of DOE Initiative

The Envisioning the Future of DOE initiative is an effort to establish a non-partisan research and policy agenda for the Department to enable it to be more effective at achieving its mission. The initiative will work to develop a comprehensive set of development of R&D and policy recommendations; identification of operational improvements and associated implementation strategies; and hiring/personnel strategies and policy recommendations.

The multi-year effort will result in:

1. Future of DOE reports, intended to serve as a resource for  DOE leadership, that articulates:
   1. DOE-wide, office-by-office recommendations for priorities, funding, and implementation; and 
   2. Cross-cutting recommendations for DOE operations and organization.
2. Summary policy and funding priority papers meant for Congress and key stakeholders. 
3. A set of personnel staffing, hiring mechanisms, and policy recommendations that enable DOE to maintain institutional expertise, expand staffing expeditiously, and address newer and longer-standing vulnerabilities to employee hiring and retention. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversee the Envisioning the Future of DOE initiative 
  • Initial responsibilities: 
    • Establish a multi-year plan for initiative execution which includes engagement and leadership from the DOE alumni community, input from stakeholders, rigorous review, publication, and dissemination
    • Stand up a group of volunteers to engage in and help guide the effort. 
    • Coordinate the development of initial 2026 white papers, working closely with alumni volunteer leads 
    • Establish standard processes and templates for white papers, and an overarching structure, framework, and template for the DOE-wide effort
    • Identify future energy scenarios to guide the document development and process by which priorities will be established
    • Recruit alumni authors and coordinate teams of office-specific and cross-cutting topic focused alumni writers and reviewers
    • Lead a series of “big idea” round tables aimed at generating ideation for the effort  
  • Medium-term responsibilities:
    • Lead the development, socialization, and review of the Future of DOE report and associated end-products, including summaries 
    • Develop and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders and end users 
    • Engage with media and other interested parties on the outcome of the effort 
•  Serve on DOE Alumni Network Leadership Team
  • Contribute to the formation, growth, and management of the Network
  • Engagement in Network leadership activities, including engagement with the Advisory Board.  
  • Develop, track and maintain data and metrics on the impacts of program area.
• Serve as primary liaison and partner to organizations seeking to create plans for the future of government 
  • Build awareness of, partnerships with, and coordinate with relevant organizations 
  • Lead efforts to integrate alumni into relevant efforts 
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience: 

• Must have worked at the Department of Energy (either as a fellow, contractor, or federal employee) for at least two years, with additional experience preferred
• Preference for a candidate with 7 or more years of experience working on issues relating to domestic energy policy and energy innovation needs 
• Preference for a candidate with at least 5 years of experience leading teams
• Demonstrated experience developing and publishing large strategic analyses 
• Experience leading multi-stakeholder processes
• Experience developing and leading complex processes and projects 
• Ideal candidate will already be engaged with the DOE Alumni Network, demonstrating commitment to its efforts and familiarity with its work

Skills:

• Exceptional organizational and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging diverse audiences  
• Strategic thinking, and the ability to synthesize across multiple threads to articulate a clear vision
• Proven ability to build and motivate volunteer teams
• Demonstrated commitment to community and viewpoint inclusivity
• Excellent facilitation skills 
• Curious, and willing to dig into new topics

Personal Attributes:

• Demonstrated commitment to the DOE community, with a broad network of DOE connections
• Must be a network-builder and people-person, who enjoys connecting people, forming new relationships and partnerships

PAY: An annual salary of $158,616 in Washington, D.C. We will adjust the salary up or down based on the locality. 

BENEFITS:
The DOE Alumni Network team will be administratively housed at the Environmental Protection Network (EPN). EPN will oversee both payroll and benefits administration for this role. Please see the details on the benefits below. 

The  DOE Alumni Network is a fully remote virtual environment. We view our compensation as a total rewards package 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 (FY26-Dec 21st-Jan 1st, FY27-Dec 20th-Dec 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). 

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.