Director, Energy Partnerships

About Audubon

The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Learn more at www.audubon.org and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Climate Strategy, the Director, Clean Energy Partnerships will play a central role in advancing Audubon’s clean energy strategy by building and managing strategic partnerships with clean energy and transmission industries, relevant decisionmakers, and non-governmental organizations (national and local NGOs), and other stakeholders. This role will lead national-level outreach and relationship management with existing and prospective partners in the clean energy sector to ensure that Audubon’s goals for bird conservation and climate mitigation are aligned with responsible renewable energy development and transmission capacity expansion.

The Director will serve as a key member of Audubon’s climate team, representing the organization in external coalitions, convenings, and collaborative forums. Working in close coordination with Audubon’s regional and state teams, federal policy team, and habitat leads, the Director will take a collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to advancing clean energy deployment that safeguards important bird habitats and biodiversity.

This position is national in scope and will require a highly collaborative team player who can build trust, communicate effectively across departments and disciplines, and support implementation of clean energy priorities across Audubon’s distributed network.

This position is classified as hybrid, in accordance with Audubon’s “Where We Work” Policy. Hybrid employees are expected to work in an Audubon office every Monday and Tuesday and an additional two days each month of the employee’s choosing. Candidates should be located within commuting distance of one of Audubon’s offices, which include locations in:

Albuquerque, NM; Albany, NY; Anchorage, AK; Baltimore, MD; Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Columbia, SC; Fargo, ND; Fort Collins, CO; Lincoln, NE; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; Palm Desert, CA; Roseville, MN; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Tallahassee, FL and Washington, DC.

Compensation:

Salary range based on geo-differentials:

• $92,000 - $103,000 / year = Albuquerque, NM; Charleston, SC; Columbia, SC; Fargo, ND; Fort Collins, CO; Lincoln, NE; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; Salt Lake City, UT; Tallahassee, FL 

• $103,000 - $116,000 / year = Albany, NY; Anchorage, AK; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Palm Desert, CA; Roseville, MN; Sacramento, CA; Washington, DC

• $115,000 - $129,000 / year = New York, NY; Oakland, CA

Essential Functions

• In partnership with the Senior Director, Climate Strategy, support development and execution of Audubon's Clean Energy Initiative strategies aligned with its broader climate and conservation goals.

• Identify, cultivate and manage strategic relationships with clean energy and transmission industry stakeholders, utilities, RTOs, and NGOs, identifying opportunities for collaboration and problem-solving.

• Represent Audubon in national, regional and state coalitions, working groups, convenings, and other external engagements focused on clean energy and transmission development, including siting, permitting and operation of utility-scale wind, solar, and transmission infrastructure, encouraging best practices by developers that conserve birds and habitat while supporting clean energy.

• Collaborate with state and regional Audubon teams to support and inform local clean energy and transmission engagement opportunities, ensuring alignment with national priorities and conservation opportunities.

• Serve as a trusted resource and central point of contact for internal staff engaging with the clean energy and transmission sectors, providing coordination, guidance, and strategic insight.

• Facilitate knowledge exchange and peer learning across Audubon’s network to support clean energy and transmission engagement and partnership development.

• Track and communicate emerging trends in the clean energy industry relevant to climate benefits and conservation of bird species and habitat, including policy development, siting and operation practices and research and implementation of new technologies that support avoiding, minimizing and mitigating impacts.

• Support a culture of philanthropy, including public funding efforts in partnership with members of the Climate and Development teams, including proposal development, reporting, and donor engagement.

• Work closely with Audubon's communications team to tell the story of Audubon's clean energy and transmission work, translating complex issues for broader audiences including decisionmakers, the Audubon Network of members and supporters including chapter members, and the general public.

• Promote an organizational culture and structure that fosters cooperation, communication, collaboration, respect, teamwork, and trust.

• Collaborate with colleagues across the Americas including through joint planning and execution of shared priorities.

• Maintain and foster culture of safety.

• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 10+ years progressive, professional experience in federal, state and/or local government relations, permitting policies for wind, solar and transmission, advocacy, public relations, and solid and verifiable conservation or natural resource management on species and habitat, clean energy collaboration, and/or public service. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.

• Working knowledge of climate change and federal, state and/or local energy regulatory policy, strong understanding of permitting processes and relevant state and federal agencies, strong commitment to bird conservation, connections with leading experts in the fields and with funders of climate change work is plus.

• Exceptional project management skills; including managing complex or multiple projects through to success, meeting project deadlines, and coordinating the work of key staff and partners.

• A self-starter, one who is able to work collaboratively with staff at multiple career levels in a matrix organization.

• Proven record of building and activating diverse coalitions to successfully advance policy or program outcomes.

• Experience working in a decentralized organization that coordinates strategies for national, state and local legislative issues.

• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills that can be adapted to reach a wide range of individuals and used to build consensus.  Ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and other web-based project management products.

• Must have a flexible approach to work, with a willingness to travel as needed.

• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.

• Experience fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments is valued.

National Audubon Society Competencies: This role will also be accountable to apply and develop the following competencies.

Building Trust: Take actions that give others confidence in your intentions and see you as a truthful and reliable person who follows through on promises and commitments.  

Coaching: Guide and develop individuals within the organization, nurturing their professional growth and enhancing performance for the future. 

Decision Making: Make decisions based on comparative data and input from various sources, incorporating diverse viewpoints and insights for a holistic understanding. 

Leading and Facilitating Change: Be effective in guiding, managing, and supporting organizational or systemic transformations, including considering diverse needs and perspectives.  

Strategic Leadership: Demonstrate creative problem-solving skills and articulate strategic vision to help team members and the organization achieve long-term goals.  

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic outlined by federal, state, or local laws. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates.

Accessibility Statement

The National Audubon Society endeavors to keep our careers site accessible to any and all users.  If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.