Movement Building Program Manager/Director

Michigan Environmental Council is a nonprofit organization which is a coalition of nearly 100 organizations created in 1980. Our mission is to champion lasting protections for Michigan's air, our water, and the places we love.

In our vision, Michigan is a national environmental policy leader where a powerful network of advocates has built a track record of enacting enduring and equitable policies that protect the health of our communities and offer unparalleled stewardship of our land, air, and water in the face of climate change.

Position Overview:

The program manager/director for movement building ensures that the Michigan Environmental Council is the nucleus of Michigan’s powerful, well-connected, and diverse environmental movement. Through this position we expect to evolve our 100-organization-strong membership network into a powerful, integrated force for achieving big policy change by fostering strong member relations, empowering connectivity between members, and consistently growing and strengthening the movement. The program manager/director for movement building will lead the expansion of the Environmental Council’s membership to 400 organizations by 2027.

This position is also chiefly responsible for guiding and implementing our external vision for diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the movement. This involves ensuring that non-white and non-male advocates have equitable access to leadership roles in the nonprofit network and state government; that disadvantaged communities are served by strong community-based environmental organizations; that state government is flowing resources to those communities; and that environmental issues and organizations are actively deracializing.

This position combines detailed project management and strong interpersonal skills allowing the program manager/director for movement building to represent the organization to an exciting and diverse set of environmental and conservation organizations (ECOs).

This position reports to the chief executive officer and oversees a movement building coordinator. This position is open at the manager and director level, depending on the experience level of the person hired.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Membership engagement

• Grow the Environmental Council membership to 400 organizations by 2027, managing member recruitment, stewardship, and renewals;
• Design and implement annual membership engagement activities and events, including an annual members’ conference;
• Develop regular member-oriented communications, including monthly newsletters, a digital communications platform, and an annual magazine; and
• Formulate strategies to increase collaboration with and support of our members.

Movement stewardship

• Develop, oversee and implement the strategy for evolving Michigan’s ECOs into a powerful network that can effectively demand durable policies to protect the environment;
• Conduct or oversee research and reporting on the status and impact of the movement in Michigan;
• Design systems for fostering greater interactivity among movement members;
• Develop tools and programming to advance the professional development of movement members;
• Foster the development of effective coalitions across the membership;
• Support the COO in developing and managing our fiscal sponsorship program; and
• Staff the Environmental Council Board of Directors’ Movement Building committee.

Diversity, equity & inclusion

• Develop a strategic plan for the organization to lead (internally and externally) on DEI outcomes;
• Design and support efforts to Improve the racial diversity of boards and staffs of environmental and conservation organizations;
• Implement programs to improve the strength, competitiveness and visibility of BIPOC executive leadership in the environmental sector;
• Advise the CEO on approaches for ensuring DEI outcomes are integrated into the organization’s efforts to develop and advocate for environmental policy; and
• Staff the Environmental Council Board of Directors’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Manager Level

• Five years of professional experience in campaign leadership, community organizing, association management, or nonprofit leadership;
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects with excellent attention to detail;
• Clear coalition partner experience and the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including those of diverse communities and backgrounds;
• Self reliance and creative problem-solving skills;
• An ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Passion for the Environmental Council's partners, members and mission; and
• Proficiency with Google Suite (Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides); Microsoft Suite (especially Excel and Word), Zoom, and Adobe Acrobat.

Director Level

• A master’s degree in community organizing, social work or a related field;
• Proven staff management experience;
• Project management experience or certification;
• Practical experience designing and implementing a theory of change or logic modeling
• Direct experience in or familiarity with the Michigan environmental and conservation movement; and
• Leadership or training in diversity, equity, inclusion and justice programs.

OTHER POSITION NOTES:

This position requires regular travel throughout Michigan and occasionally out of the state. The Environmental Council has offices in Lansing and Detroit. Telecommuting or remote work is an option for many aspects of this role. This position requires regular work outside normal hours, including evenings and weekends. The Environmental Council has a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless you qualify for a federal government-approved accommodation.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE:

The Environmental Council offers an industry-leading compensation package, including full individual medical, dental and vision benefits; organizational matching to a 403(b) retirement program and a flexible schedule with unlimited paid time off. Salary and position title will be determined based on relevant experience. The manager level offers a salary between $60,200 and $75,900; the director level offers a salary level between $79,800 and $91,700.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Submit a single PDF with 1) a strong, detailed cover letter, 2) a resume and 3) at least three references (minimum two professional) to jobs@environmentalcouncil.org. Include “Movement Building Program Manager/Director” in the subject line. Please direct questions about the job description to chief operating officer Joe Bower at joe@environmentalcouncil.org. Application review is underway and continues until the position is filled.

Michigan Environmental Council is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative of the Michigan citizens we serve. MEC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities are encouraged to apply.