Climate Central seeks Civic Science Outreach Fellow

About Climate Central: 

Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and science translators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives. We use science and technology to generate thousands of local storylines and compelling visuals that make climate change relevant and show what can be done about it. We address climate science, sea level rise, extreme weather, energy, and related topics. Working with coastal communities, we develop and deploy science-based tools to help them understand and adapt to risks from rising seas. In addition, we collaborate with journalists, TV meteorologists, and other respected messengers, reaching broad audiences through local voices in the U.S. and 150 nations. Our research and visuals appear in thousands of TV spots and well over ten thousand other news stories each year, and our impact is growing.

About the role: 

Climate Central is seeking a Civic Science Outreach Fellow to bridge climate science and coastal communities. This position requires a dynamic individual who excels in stakeholder engagement and outreach. The Fellow will be responsible for connecting with various groups, such as city planners, community leaders, and climate justice groups, to promote Climate Central’s innovative web tools designed for coastal resilience. The ideal candidate will have a balanced skill set in climate science and communication, and be capable of translating complex scientific data into compelling narratives that resonate with our target audiences. The Fellow will be part of the Rita Allen Foundation’s 2024/2025 Civic Science Fellows Cohort, engaging as a cohort in a learning program and community, developed in collaboration with the network and an interdisciplinary committee of advisors.This is a full-time,18-month fellowship.

Job activities include but are not limited to:  

1. Developing and implementing outreach strategies to effectively engage a wide range of coastal stakeholders, with a focus on optimizing and promoting Climate Central’s free resources, including major enhancements to RiskFinder and its incorporation into Coastal Risk Screening Tool.
2. Coordinating and managing projects that effectively bridge the gap between scientific research and its practical application within coastal communities.
3. Facilitating both virtual and in-person meetings, workshops, and discussions to showcase the utility and benefits of our web tools to various stakeholders.
4. Gathering and analyzing stakeholder feedback to enhance tool features, improve user experience, and meet community needs.
5. Collaborating closely with internal teams and external partners to ensure project goals are aligned, integrated, and successfully achieved.

Essential qualifications: 

1. Stakeholder Engagement: You have experience developing and implementing effective outreach strategies to target stakeholders. You know how to cater outreach tactics and activities to stakeholder interests and needs, and how to bring stakeholders in and keep them engaged.
2. Project Management. You are highly organized and can turn multiple inputs into thoughtful and timely project plans and stakeholder updates. You have a proven capacity to coordinate across both internal and external teams from varied backgrounds on complex, high-profile, high-impact projects.
3. Communications and Relationship-Building. You have excellent verbal and written skills. You authentically connect with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, build lasting relationships, and you work effectively across diverse teams. You listen deeply, have a high level of emotional intelligence,and are committed to collaboration and work to learn from others. 
4. Meeting Facilitation. You can run productive meetings and engagements. You can develop agendas, facilitate meetings and track follow-up items. You work to foster inclusive discussions so that all voices are heard and respected. 
5. Climate Knowledge. You have a basic understanding of climate change and impacts, with a passion for climate communications and solutions. 
6. Capacity-enhancing Technology. You are comfortable working with a range of technology tools covering areas such as collaboration, project management, and budgeting.

Preference will be given to candidates who: 

• Have experience working with coastal stakeholders in the field of climate change communications.
• Exhibit a knack for creatively leveraging diverse outreach channels and techniques to effectively reach and engage varied audiences.

Compensation: The  base salary range for this position is $85,000 annually. Climate Central offers generous benefits including paid vacation, 12 weeks paid family leave, medical, dental, 401K with up to 12% matching, and partial college tuition for children of employees who qualify.

Location and employment eligibility: This position can be mostly remote, in accordance with Climate Central organizational policy. Presence at headquarters or other U.S.-based locations is required for periodic team and organizational meetings, events and retreats. Climate Central’s headquarters are in Princeton, N.J., operating under standard U.S. Eastern time business hours. Candidates must be eligible for employment in the United States.

Equal Employment Opportunity at Climate Central: Climate Central is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and promotes a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee on the basis of race, color, religious creed, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable discrimination laws.

How To Apply

Please apply via this link. The application deadline is January 12. 

Please note that our application process requires the submission of a resume only. We are intentionally not asking for a cover letter, so please do not send one with your application. 

If you choose to include your education history in your resume, please remove the name of your school from your resume.You may leave your degree (e.g., “B.A. Communication”), but please remove any undergraduate or graduate school names. This is one part of our effort to assess candidates against the essential qualifications for this role and to mitigate bias in the decision making process.

Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, Climate Central is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate.