Program Director

Summary

Join the U.S. Energy Foundation as the Program Director, Northeast Communications! This individual contributor role focuses on supporting regional strategies and grantees to advance clean energy policy. You will oversee a communications-focused grantee portfolio, providing guidance, connecting partners, and building grantee capacity. The ideal candidate possesses deep experience in political communications, strong writing and digital strategy skills, and a commitment to DEI. This role requires collaboration, excellent time management, and adaptability to a changing media landscape. The position offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and the flexibility of a remote-first work environment.

Requirements

• Practical experience in developing and executing strategic communications campaigns, including traditional and digital media projects, with a preference for experience in political, issue advocacy, and/or energy policy communications
• Experience developing and facilitating strategy collaboratively across a network of internal and external stakeholders and partnering with others to deliver high-impact outcomes in a fast-paced environment
• Experience in managing budgets and experience creating proposals and strategy documents
• Strong communication skills. Able to present complex information in a meaningful way to EF leadership, funding partners, and allies. Able to establish rapport internally and with funding partners, grantees, consultants, and other stakeholders
• An orientation toward service, inclusion, collaboration and clear communication—understanding that supporting others is fundamental to success in the role
• A demonstrated ability to manage work across multiple stakeholders in a complex, multi-site, multicultural organization

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with EF’s Northeast Regional team, state-based consultants, and with grantees on grantmaking strategy and activities to build power and capacity throughout the region
• Manage and coordinate multiple budgets from a cross-section of internal and external sources
• Oversee a portfolio of grantees and all activities within the grantee lifecycle, including, but not limited to: Manage and administer communications-related grants, requests for proposals, special projects, and contracts
• Foster and maintain a culture of transparency in communications regarding grant philosophy, budgets, strategy, and accountability
• Provide strategic guidance and resources to position grantees and consultants to develop and execute strategic communications strategies focused on driving long-term narrative change with storylines that grow support for clean energy policy action in service of the public good
• Develop and execute capacity-building programming to help EF grantees and consultants—particularly those representing frontline and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities—to build their communications skills, expertise, and understanding of best practices
• Facilitate periodic check-ins and meetings to ensure communications activities and campaigns of both internal and external partners are completed on time and within budget
• Foster active network learning, disseminating data, trends, findings, and developments of note to grantees, partners, and colleagues. Partner closely with aligned communicators active within the region
• Be conversant with energy, climate, political, and media (earned and digital) landscape with an eye toward tracking communications threats and opportunities related to the role’s scope of work
• Inform, synthesize, and apply EF National, DEI, and other Programs strategies and priorities to relevant work in the region. Identify programmatic intersections and collaborate with internal teams on communications strategies and tactics as needed, including on opportunities for communications-related grantmaking and capacity-building for grantees
• Provide timely information related to rapid-response requests, funder reports, proposals, and presentations
• Maintain regular communications and message guidance to EF grantees and partners. Engage with key funding partners upon request
• Operate in strict accordance with EF’s brand guidance and risk management procedures, which in part requires consistently working in partnership and coalition with others to drive strong programmatic outcomes
• Identify and seek out professional development opportunities, including networking, informational interviews, training, projects, etc. Formulate a personalized learning and development plan with assistance from the supervisor and others
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep experience in political communications
• Strong writing, digital strategy, media relations, and project management skills
• Understanding of data-driven communications tactics
• Ability to prioritize competing requests while adjusting to the rapidly changing media environments
• Commitment to excellent time management and a knack for flexibility
• Solid understanding of and commitment to the principles and foundation of DEI

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Medical, dental, vision, disability, and retirement benefits
• Paid time off
• Remote work