Clean Energy Fellow

Job Title: Clean Energy Schools Fellow Department: Utah Chapter Location: Salt Lake City, UT. This position requires an ability to travel.  Reports To: Chapter Director Duration: 6 months, 15 hours/week   # Open Positions: 3 Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism fuel injustice, we continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees. Scope: The fellow is responsible for assisting our Clean Energy Schools Chapter Organizer in implementing local campaigns to provide advocacy training and educational opportunities on the Sierra Club Utah’s Chapter Youth movement and Leadership Project.  They will help recruit, engage, and educate Utahns to take repeated action which will further Sierra Club’s targeted campaign goals. They will develop volunteers and build grassroots power and networks. The fellow will regularly work outside of the office to communicate with the public and will travel to relevant communities and locations to implement campaign plans. The fellow can expect to gain experience with research and campaign organizing. Job activities including but not limiting:

Help design and implement a strategic Clean Energy Schools Campaign: Work with chapter staff, Sierra Club Utah volunteers, UYES organizers, school districts, and partners to develop a youth-led campaign plan to transition Utah school districts to 100% clean energy. Ensure that the campaign is rooted in equity and justice and inclusive of frontline and directly impacted communities. Working directly with priority school districts, develop teams of youth, community members, and other partners to win district-wide commitments to clean energy and healthy, green schools. 

Recruit and onboard Clean Energy Schools Campaign volunteers: Mobilize community leaders and build grassroots power by tabling at community events, conducting in-person outreach to students in target school districts, and developing digital marketing materials, among other tactics. Onboard new volunteers to the campaign through thorough training and coaching. 

Implement the Clean Energy Schools Campaign through hands-on organizing: Facilitate meetings, conduct community education, develop partnerships, track policy and regulatory proceedings that are relevant to the Campaign, and identify opportunities for engagement, mobilization, or intervention. This may also include education and advocacy work targeting administrators directly to build support for Clean Energy Schools initiatives at the district level. 

Event Planning: Organize with volunteers, staff, and partners to plan events that support the Clean Energy Schools Campaign. This could include attending meetings with volunteers and/or decision makers, hosting educational webinars and in-person events, and engaging in other mobilization tactics. 

Media, Digital, and Communications: Develop and implement a variety of narrative strategy and engagement tactics. This may include writing and creating digital communications materials (email, action alerts, infographics, videos, etc), writing and/or supporting volunteer-written opinion pieces, securing earned media, building relationships and communicating with reporters, developing educational/informational materials such as newsletters, flyers, and fact sheets that use community-informed language, and engaging in face-to-face conversations with students, parents, community members, decision makers, and other stakeholders. 

Skill and Professional Development: Emphasize the fellow's interests to foster growth and learning in their area of focus.

Required Skills and Experience:

Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to clearly articulate ideas and easily strike up conversations with diverse groups of people.

An interest in bettering local communities through sustainable and green initiatives.

Ability to work independently, cooperatively, and effectively with the public, staff, and volunteers.

A willingness to learn and develop new skills.

Able to travel as needed. Valid driver’s license, satisfactory driving record, and proof of auto insurance required.

Committed to evolution: A deepening understanding of systems of oppression and self-reflection on privilege and power.

Uplifting and additive: A constructive approach with a can-do attitude, sense of humor, and kindness.

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Competencies:

Some experience as a leader or participant in a school or community club.

Experience organizing on a campaign.