Coastal Organizer, Southeast Louisiana

Position title: Coastal Organizer, Southeast Louisiana

Reports to: Campaign Director

Status: Full-time/Exempt

Location: Southeast Louisiana, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the New Orleans office

Salary: 40 hours per week at $50,000-$60,000 (depending on experience) plus generous benefits package, including medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, short term disability insurance, SIMPLE IRA with 3% match, 12 days of paid sick leave annually, and 3 weeks paid vacation annually.

Summary: A massive fracked gas (also known as liquid natural gas or LNG) export and petrochemical buildout is underway in Southeast Louisiana, which presents an existential threat to the people of the Gulf Coast and the environment. These new facilities and pipelines along with proposed carbon capture and waste injection (also known as carbon capture and sequestration or CCS) infrastructure will have significant environmental justice, climate, pollution, and wetland impacts if they are allowed to move forward. Healthy Gulf is working with frontline communities and nonprofits to oppose these developments and shift existing power structures in the region. Healthy Gulf is also working with allies to promote a Green New Deal developed by frontline communities that will benefit the Gulf South. 

The Coastal Organizer will organize with frontline community members and nonprofit partners to stop or delay LNG, petrochemical, and CCS buildout in Southeast Louisiana and help advance a just transition to a clean energy economy in the region.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Within the region, maintain and expand relationships with people and organizations who have been or will be affected by LNG, petrochemical, and CCS development or who represent those affected, with a focus on environmental justice communities and nearby residents impacted by development
• Support potentially impacted communities in resisting proposed projects and pipelines by, among other things, engaging in local, regional, state, and federal government decision-making on permits, zoning, and other policies that directly impact those communities; attend and recruit residents to attend public meetings, organize public comment strategy, and give testimony 
• Hold events to educate the public and collaborate with Healthy Gulf team members to provide workshops, trainings, and other educational resources, as needed and identified by community partners
• Assist with organizational fundraising by creating presentations, email alerts, reports, proposals, and other materials and attend meetings and events with funders 
• In accordance with the Healthy Gulf media relations policy, participate in media outreach as needed
• Work with Healthy Gulf’s communications staff to contribute to the creation of materials to educate the public and decision makers, such as newsletters, action alerts, blogs, fact sheets, op-eds, letters to the editor, and social media content
• Develop relationships with elected officials and government agency staff through regular communication and in-person meetings
• Work with key partners and other Healthy Gulf staff on shared near-term strategy in Southeast Louisiana and long-term movement building, including promotion of Gulf South for a Green New Deal and participation in other regional and national coalitions 
• Create and maintain a database of contacts in the region in collaboration with other Healthy Gulf staff
• Serve as a point-of-contact with communities in the region in the event of a disaster, chemical spill, or other emergency incident
• As needed, train and supervise Organizing Fellows, interns, and service learners 
• Other duties as assigned
  

Ideal Qualifications:

• Experience with environmental justice issues and political/issue-based activism
• Comfortable with public speaking and effective at written communication 
• Self-motivated, well organized, attentive to details, and focused 
• Excellent interpersonal skills for working within a team environment
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental, racial, and/or social justice
• Organizing experience is preferred but not required
• Consistent access to a vehicle and a valid driver’s license is required
• Strong preference for someone with a personal connection to Southeast Louisiana

To apply, submit the following to jobs@healthygulf.org:

• Cover letter. Within your cover letter, answer the following question in no more than 2 paragraphs: Climate change disproportionately affects communities of color. In the Gulf South, how can we ensure equity and inclusion as we adapt to the changing physical landscape that climate change causes?
• Resume
• 3 references

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Organizational Background:
Healthy Gulf’s mission is to collaborate with and serve communities who love the Gulf of Mexico by providing research, communications, and coalition-building tools needed to reverse the long pattern of over-exploitation of the Gulf’s natural resources.

Healthy Gulf values and respects all types of diversity and strongly encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply. We prohibit discrimination and harassment and provide equal employment opportunity without regard to, and not limited to, ethnicity, religion, race, national origin, abilities, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or genetic information. We are committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting those from traditionally marginalized groups.