Does working for Alaska’s premier environmental health and justice organization to achieve clean air, clean water, toxic-free food and a climate-stable future for your fellow Alaskans sound like a dream job to you? If so, you might be the right person for this job! Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) is seeking a highly motivated person to serve as our Civic Engagement Coordinator and advance the mission, vision, goals, and advocacy campaigns of ACAT.

The successful applicant will be an experienced, dedicated professional with a fervor for environmental health and justice and using your skills and experience to increase civic engagement, build Alaska’s environmental/climate justice movement and achieve ACAT’s policy initiatives. In this role, you will dive deep into the world of environmental health and justice and play a crucial role in developing, prioritizing, and winning ACAT’s local, state, national, and international policy goals as part of a close-knit team.

Organizational overview:

ACAT is a non-profit environmental health and justice research and advocacy organization with a meaningful mission: “We believe everyone has a right to clean air, clean water, and toxic-free food. Driven by a core belief in environmental justice, ACAT empowers communities to eliminate exposure to toxics through collaborative research, shared science, education, organizing, and advocacy.” We are a vibrant, diverse organization engaged in advocacy campaigns as well as complex longer-term community-based research and scientific projects. ACAT’s staff and governing board are ethnically and culturally diverse. Find more information here.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Deep commitment to environmental health and justice and alignment with ACAT’s vision, mission, values, and goals, including our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Outstanding research, communication, speaking, writing, and motivational skills.
• Enthusiasm for lifelong learning and keeping current with emerging scientific evidence of the links between toxic chemicals and plastics and adverse health effects.
• Established skills in building effective relationships with co-workers, policy leaders, environmental health and justice advocates, community members, volunteers, and other key influencers.
• Organizational proficiency and an eye for both the big picture and the details.
• Experience with community organizing, advocacy, and policy development.
• Adaptability and flexibility in the face of change.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Ability to build enthusiasm and effort among a team of people.
• Effective project management skills, able to prioritize and handle multiple tasks simultaneously within established deadlines.
• Creative, self-motivated, and able to work independently and collaboratively.
• Available to travel and work long, flexible hours as necessary to accomplish ACAT’s goals (e.g., during legislative sessions, international treaty meetings, conferences, evening meetings, and weekend events, etc.).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Drive, EveryAction or other constituent relations management (CRM) software, social media, digital advocacy tools, graphic design, and voter databases.
• Experience with canvassing, online organizing, political campaigns, and/or direct action would also be welcome.
• Experience working collaboratively and respectfully with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• At least two years' experience with a non-profit organization related to environmental health and justice, climate justice, advocacy, policy development, sustainability, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental or public health, science, sustainability, or other related field or equivalent work experience.
• Lived experience with impacts of plastics/petrochemicals would be a plus.
• Resident of Alaska for more than one year.
• Driver’s license and personal vehicle available for occasional business use.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Using the Integrated Voter Engagement framework, lead and facilitate ACAT’s local, state, national, and international policy work on toxic chemicals, climate change, and just transition.
• Using Integrated Voter Engagement framework, help organize communities, engage community members, support community activists, and help identify and develop the skills of promising community leaders.
• Engage ACAT’s base through one-on-one conversations, emails, action alerts, social media, ACAT’s website, tabling, organizing community events and workshops. Collaborate with ACAT’s Communications Coordinator as appropriate.
• Work with ACAT’s Communications Specialist to use social media and garner media coverage to increase policymaker and public awareness of the health, climate, and environmental harms associated with petroleum-based plastics and chemicals and extractive industries (oil and gas, mining, and associated infrastructure, etc.).
• Organize ACAT’s constituents, partners, and the public to participate in public meetings, rallies, and other activities that advance ACAT goals and educate public officials about the effects of increasing volumes of plastics/petrochemicals, toxic emissions from extractive industries, and constituents’ demand for legislative solutions to address both the toxicity and climate harming aspects of these activities. Prepare yourself and others to participate in public hearings and give testimony.
• Organize multi-faceted campaigns to support initiatives and hold legislators accountable.
• Capture, track, and analyze data to inform organizational growth, programmatic and campaign strategy, grant reports, and other needs of Executive Director and other staff.
• Work with constituents, partners, and allies to participate in marketplace campaigns to convince businesses and manufacturers to stop buying, selling, manufacturing, or using products with the most harmful toxic ingredients, unnecessary single-use plastics, etc.
• Collaborate with ACAT’s allies to achieve policy change; build relationships with additional allies; participate in national Environmental Health and Justice coalitions relevant to ACAT’s policy goals.
• Educate policy makers and their staffs, regulatory agency staff, and allies on the impact of toxic chemicals on humans and the environment.
• In partnership with ACAT’s Communications Coordinator, develop reports, fact sheets, and other resources to support and inform ACAT’s policy initiatives; and otherwise collaborate to enhance awareness of ACAT’s issues and initiatives, as well as respond to media inquiries.
• Engage ACAT’s stakeholders to achieve policy goals through reports, fact sheets, action alerts, advocacy training materials, webinars, workshops, etc.
• Foster a respectful, collaborative, and cohesive team environment.
• Engage in continuing education to remain current on latest science linking toxic chemicals with health and environmental harms.

Compensation and benefits:

We offer the Civic Engagement Coordinator job as a full-time position at our Anchorage office with competitive pay, generous benefits (health insurance, holidays, vacation, sick leave, and parental leave) and opportunities for professional development. 

ACAT is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity,

gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor that is not related to the position. If you are enthusiastic about the position, but you don’t have every qualification described here, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right person!