Careers & Internships at PennFuture

Lehigh Valley Civic Engagement Coordinator

Reports to: Director of Civic Engagement

Conservation Voters of PA is the statewide political voice for the environment. We elect environmentally responsible candidates to state and local offices, advocate for strong environmental policies, and hold our elected officials accountable to safeguard the health of our communities, the beauty of our state, and the strength of our economy. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) efforts matter to CVPA because pollution and the impacts of climate change disproportionately impact communities of color. Yet our state constitution establishes clean air, water, and land as a right of ALL Pennsylvanians - not just those with the most power, influence, money, or education. Leaders in frontline communities, which are often communities of color, have been doing climate justice work for decades, and people of color are passionate supporters of environmental policy change. CVPA can and must learn from and follow these communities, while leveraging our strengths and connections when asked in order to help ensure that those most impacted communities are at and heard at the decision-making table.

Summary 

Our Lehigh Valley Civic Engagement Coordinator is primarily responsible for building a sustainable volunteer advocacy program and managing local partnerships in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. The Coordinator will report to the Director of Civic Engagement and will serve as the principal point of contact for local candidates, activists, volunteers, partner organizations, and elected officials. The Coordinator’s work will include working to elect environmental champions, drive local policy changes, create and deepen partnerships, connect local environmental partners to advocacy support, recruit and train volunteer environmental advocates, and be a trustworthy environmental resource in the region. The Coordinator will leverage a suite of community engagement tactics to build volunteer teams, including petitions, events, tabling, speaking engagements, and other in-person and online advocacy tools. The Lehigh Valley Civic Engagement Coordinator will be responsible for lifting up the work of BIPOC allies and organizations in their region and ensuring that issues important to the communities most impacted by climate change and pollution are centered in their work. 

This position will also conduct work with our strategic partner, PennFuture. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice 
PennFuture knows that to achieve our mission, we need to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have equitable access to clean air, clean water, a stable climate, and a clean and sustainable economy. We are committed to ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our organizational culture, policies, practices, and programs. Like the environmental and conservation movement writ large, we have historically fallen short in our efforts to build a truly equitable Pennsylvania. Our vision is to center equity and justice in everything we do as well as to combat systems of oppression and injustices that have long harmed Pennsylvania’s environmental justice communities. 

Responsibilities 

Community Building 

• Manage regional volunteer recruitment and engagement to advance policy and advocacy goals.
• Represent CVPA with local environmental, watershed, and activist groups.
• Identify ways to use CVPA resources to support the work of local environmental and activist groups, particularly BIPOC-led and serving groups. 
• Utilize those relationships to expand CVPA’s visibility in the region, to build political power, and to win environmental fights. 
• Implement grassroots tactics to engage prospective volunteers and help to transition them into volunteer leaders. 
• Mobilize and train volunteer advocates in key legislative districts. 
• Become a leader in local advocacy and local coalitions, always advocating for diverse representation in all groups. 

Policy 

• Develop working knowledge of local township and county level intersectional environmental policy issues. 
• Host and recruit for educational forums and events to educate our activists about key environmental and democracy policy issues. 
• Facilitate engagement of constituents with their elected officials on prominent statewide environmental and democracy policy issues.
• Cultivate experts in policy issues to supplement that knowledge. 
• Develop an ongoing list of local policy priorities to use in candidate questionnaires and for accountability work. 

Political

• Build relationships with local candidates and elected officials in their region, from municipal and local to state legislative office holders. 
• Identify races and potential appointments in which an endorsement or political advocacy work could have a positive environmental and political impact, with a particular emphasis on electing more women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and BIPOC candidates who better represent the electorate. 
• Run C3 and C4 voter education and turnout programs.
• Recruit advocates to become involved with election volunteering, such as poll workers, election protection work, and more.
• Manage strategic political activities in electoral races in your region and across the state, including canvassing, phonebanking, textbanking, and digital voter education.

Communications 

• Build relationships with local reporters and influencers. 
• Work with digital staff to use email lists and social media tools in their region. 
• Monitor and update local social presence and engage with local groups, activists and candidates. 
• Work with the Director of Civic Engagement and other Leadership Team members to develop action alerts and press releases as needed based on issues related to their region. 

Fundraising 

• Identify prospective top-tier donors among the volunteer pool to introduce to Development staff. 
• Collaborate with appropriate staff on grant reports and renewals as needed.
• Work with the Director of Civic Engagement to find new and creative ways of working with marginalized communities through our own grant funding.

The following skills are required for the successful applicant: 

• Strong commitment to CVPA’s mission. 
• Lives in either Lehigh or Northampton County. 
• Minimum 1-2 years of relevant experience, including field or community organizing, political campaign work, or issue advocacy campaigning. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and connect with people. 
• Demonstrated commitment to Conservation Voters of PA's racial justice and equity initiatives by fostering relationships with BIPOC and environmental justice allies while embodying cultural competencies that reflect a nuanced understanding of racial justice and institutional inequity. Familiarity with the challenges faced by communities of color in environmental engagement is essential in this role.
• Collaborative spirit. Must be a dependable team player. 
• Strong written and oral communication skills. 
• Ability to travel and maintain a flexible work schedule; be willing to work some evenings and/or weekends, as needed.

The following skills and experience are preferred for the successful applicant: 

• Experience working with stakeholders, advocacy organizations, and candidates.
• Excellent personal organization and time management skills
• Fluent Spanish speaker preferred. 
• Strong understanding of regional environmental issues in the Lehigh Valley. 

Location, Salary, And Benefits 

This is a full-time position based in either Lehigh or Northampton Counties. Evening and weekend hours are required, along with significant travel throughout the region. Applicants must have reliable access to transportation. Reimbursement for mileage and/or required travel-related expenses will be reimbursed pursuant to CVPA policy and as required by applicable law. 
$47,500. Benefits include medical and dental coverage; 401K with employer
match; paid vacation and sick leave; life insurance; and short- and long-term disability coverage.

SUBMISSION: 

Please submit your cover letter, resume, and contact information for two
references to jobs@conservationpa.org. Please write “LEHIGH VALLEY CIVIC ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR” in the subject line. Phone calls will not be accepted. Applications are due by close of business on July 9, 2024.