Summary 

Title: Director, Clean Water & Equity  

Status: Full-time, Exempt  

Location: This position is remote and will be located within the Great Lakes states or Washington D.C., with a preference for proximity to a major airport. 

Role: The Director of Clean Water and Equity will develop and execute campaigns to advance the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ (Alliance) water infrastructure program goals as guided by our strategic plan. The Director leads these campaigns across the Great Lakes region with an initial focus on Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. The Director is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with partner organizations, stakeholders representing a variety of interests, and decision-makers. The Director identifies and pursues opportunities to advance and improve water policies, programs, and funding across the region. The Director works closely with the water infrastructure team and other program staff working on our water infrastructure goals at the local, state, and federal levels to integrate this work. 

Structure: The Clean Water and Equity Director reports to the COO / VP of Programs. They collaborate with other directors and VPs as a team leading the Alliance’s program work. The Director supports media and communications staff to advance strategic media campaigns, public education, and constituency growth in support of our goals. The Director supervises a Water Policy Analyst and Senior Program Manager, with the potential for a third team member to be added in 2024. 

Compensation and Benefits: Salary range begins at $100,000, with the starting salary determined commensurate with experience. Medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, FSA, 11 paid holidays plus the business days between 12/26 and 12/30 (staff who must work on any holidays may take those holidays at another time subject to the employee handbook), 3 weeks vacation to start + PTO, Fidelity 401(k) with employer match of up to 6% of salary.  

Work Environment: Fully remote with some travel required. Overnight travel within the Great Lakes region is required, with an average of once per month. A driver’s license and comfort with solo travel by car is required. If the candidate is located in the Chicago area, the Alliance’s downtown headquarters office is available for in-office work. 

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Overview 

The Alliance seeks its next Director, Clean Water & Equity to lead the Alliance’s work to advance drinking water, wastewater and stormwater policy goals in the Great Lakes states. The Director develops and implements advocacy strategies supporting equitable access to clean water, increased water infrastructure investment, and engagement of public officials, organizations, and businesses in service of these priorities. The Director serves as a strategist, convener and relationship builder.  They work collaboratively with Alliance staff and external partners to ensure timely and high-quality delivery of written policy analysis and recommendations, advocacy actions, and grant and partnership deliverables in support of the Clean Water & Equity portfolio. 

Current core projects include 1) the State Revolving Fund (SRF) Advocates’ Forum, a national network supporting organizations advocating for equitable and just delivery of federal and state water infrastructure funds 2) state-level efforts to reform and improve SRF programs with an emphasis on advocacy around Intended Use Plans. The Director will set direction for and implement organizational clean water goals related to water infrastructure investment, drinking water safety, including lead service line replacement, nature-based solutions, and water services affordability across the region with a near-term emphasis on Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. They identify and strengthen relationships with diverse allies across the Great Lakes region to advance program and policy priorities.

The Director is a public figure for the organization who speaks with authority and diplomacy, is regarded as a regional thought leader on water issues and cultivates extensive partner relationships that further the Alliance’s clean water & equity goals. The Director manages relationships with state decision-makers, agency staff, businesses, partners, and other individuals across the Great Lakes region. The Director provides counsel to the Alliance’s senior staff on meaningful community engagement and works as a team with our local and federal policy staff. 

The Director will start work from a position of strength. Our staff of 26 and 18-member Board of Directors include some of the country’s leading Great Lakes advocates, experts and communicators. Our organization has a well-regarded record of recent and historic successes dating to 1970. The Alliance’s capacity stands tall among state and regional environmental advocacy organizations across the country, with more than $10 million in assets, of which more than 70% is unrestricted. The Alliance is growing toward an operating budget of $5 million by the end of 2024. 

The  goals of this position  are to: 

By the end of 2024: 

• Play a lead role in the State Revolving Fund Advocates Forum, a national network of  organizations focused on ensuring that federal water infrastructure funds are allocated to communities that need it most 
• Ensure Great Lakes states, particularly Illinois and Michigan, are doing a better job of directing water infrastructure funding to disadvantaged communities 

• Partner with organizations in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio to advance one piece of high-priority water infrastructure legislation in each state  
• Recommend  water infrastructure policy goals for the Alliance’s next strategic plan 

Within five years: 

• The Alliance is recognized as a leader in the Great Lakes region on drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure policy and funding 

• Multiple Great Lakes states have made substantial progress since 2024 in advancing water infrastructure restoration projects that protect public and lake health 

• The Alliance has clear policy goals and sufficient staff capacity and structure to deliver on those goals 

A typical week for the Director might begin with a meeting with the Water Infrastructure team to ensure everyone is clear on their goals for the week and any obstacles or opportunities are identified and decisions are made regarding next steps. You touch base with the Media Director about a report on where water infrastructure funding is being directed in Michigan to ensure that the release and talking points are solid, and that external partners feel well-prepared to share their stories and provide supportive comments. Midweek, you have a call from an Ohio legislator who wants to introduce legislation to ban water shut-offs in the state. You commit to helping get bipartisan cosponsor signed onto the bill and, organizing a lobby day with partners in Ohio, and sharing a quick update with your Ohio coalition. There is an upcoming water week in Washington, so on Friday, you book a flight to go to DC a month from now to meet with Great Lakes members of Congress along with our Director of Federal Affairs to highlight the importance of federal water infrastructure funding to their constituents. You review the most recent quarter’s work plan metrics and prepare a brief to present to the Leadership Team the following week. 

Responsibilities 

Strategy 

• Set direction for organizational clean water and equity goals related to water infrastructure investment, drinking water safety, nature-based solutions, and water services affordability across the region with a near-term emphasis on Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. 
• Works with Alliance staff to align and integrate policy and funding campaigns across local, state and federal levels of government 
• Builds and sustains a strong and diverse set of trusted relationships with advocates, decision-makers and other stakeholders that informs organizational strategy and tactics 
• Maintains expertise in relevant funding mechanisms, regulations and administrative programs, and uses that knowledge to inform Alliance strategy 
• Designs and executes multi-year policy reform campaigns in Great Lakes states to implement Alliance strategic plan water infrastructure priorities. 

• Recommends future long-term strategic options for the Alliance to fill gaps in water infrastructure advocacy across the region, and to center our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice principles through the program. 

Advocate 

• Accountable for delivering policy change for the Alliance’s Clean Water & Equity work across the region. 
• Creates regular short-term policy, organizing and communication successes as we advance toward our long-term goals. 

• Ensures policy goals are connected to real-world outcomes that have an impact on the lives of people 
• Ensures Alliance advocacy agendas are supportive of the needs of our partner organizations. 
• Collaborates with Alliance staff and external partners to create work products including reports, stories, and media placements to advance thought leadership of Alliance with decision makers. 
• Builds and leverages relationships outside of the traditional environmental community, including with environmental justice leaders, labor leaders, municipalities, and businesses. 
• Collaborates with NGO partners and community organizations for decision maker education on water issues (e.g., lobby days, legislative briefings, advocacy workshops, etc.) 

• Supports Alliance media and communication staff in development of mass advocacy campaigns, supporter activation, conference presentations and media engagement on policy priorities.  

Manager & Institutional Leader 

• Ensures this work contributes to the Alliance’s role as a collaborative and contributing member of the environmental community in the Great Lakes region 
• Presents and reports on the Alliance’s Clean Water & Equity work to Alliance leadership, including to the Board of Directors 

• Manages a team of policy analysts and advocates 
• Supports the Development Team in building and maintaining critical personal relationships with institutional and individual donors that support this work 
• Serves as a voice of authority and insight to traditional media, social networks and to the Alliance’s supporters.  
• Actively engages in organizational discussions to help steer the direction and culture of the Alliance. 
• Expands the Alliance’s regional network of NGO and community-based organizations. 

• Motivates and mentors staff that work in multiple locations to execute campaigns as team members, peers and collaborators. 

Knowledge/Skills  

• Leadership ability and experience as demonstrated by a track record of successful problem identification, mentorship, relationship and partnership building, conflict resolution, and strategic decision-making both internal and external to an organization.  

• Demonstrated success at motivating key influencers to act in a coordinated and strategic manner. 
• Strong existing network of relevant and influential leaders in one or more areas of geographic focus for the Alliance, i.e., Illinois, Ohio, or Michigan. 
• Prior demonstrated success at managing multiple closely aligned and well-coordinated priorities at the same time. 
• Fundamental commitment to socioeconomic and racial equity in clean water outcomes and demonstrated skills in identifying the policy options that advance equity. 
• Top echelon skills at writing and speaking to motivate powerful people. 

• Staff management and/or mentoring experience. 
• Experience with and commitment to use of project management software. 
• Driven by a strong commitment to public interest work and the values of the organization. 
• Optimistic outlook both internally and externally 
• Committed to a big-tent approach to water advocacy that bring together science, data, relationships, stories and winning strategy 

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree preferred. Leadership of significant past successful campaigns may substitute for advanced degree. 
• Minimum of 7 years of experience culminating in proven leadership of state, regional or national scale advocacy, political or marketing campaigns. 

Job Parameters 

• This position is full-time and consistent with Alliance employment policy. The salary range begins at $100,000 with a starting salary determined commensurate with experience. 

• Excellent benefits, including medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, FSA, 11 paid holidays plus the business days between 12/26 and 12/30 (staff who must work on any holidays may take those holidays at another time subject to the employee handbook), 3 weeks vacation to start + PTO, and Fidelity 401(k) with employer match of up to 6% of salary, eligible after 30 days. 

• This position is remote and will be located within the Great Lakes watershed, with a preference for the southern part of the region and proximity to a major airport, with occasional travel required. If located in Chicago, an office is available downtown for use.

Application Process 

Please e-mail a cover letter, resume, references, and writing or work sample that demonstrates relevant qualifications to: hr@greatlakes.org. Include the job title in the subject line. 

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Materials should be compatible with Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. Applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of their materials and further guidance and updates about the hiring process by e-mail, with interviews provided for finalists. No phone inquiries please. 

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The search process will reinforce the Alliance’s belief that achieving diversity requires an enduring commitment to inclusion that must find full expression in our organizational culture, values, norms, and behaviors.  

Our vision is a thriving Great Lakes and healthy water that all life can rely on today and far into the future. We aspire to be a voice for the lakes, and to support the voices of the communities that depend on the lakes and their waters.

The mission of the Alliance for the Great Lakes is to protect, conserve and restore the Great Lakes, ensuring healthy water in the lakes and in our communities for all generations of people and wildlife. We advance our mission as advocates for policies that support the lakes and communities by building the research, analysis and partnerships that motivate action and by educating and uniting people as a voice for the Great Lakes.   

To achieve our vision and mission, everyone in our organization will live our values of Community, Relationships, Courage, Integrity and Optimism and weave the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into all our work. Each value and principle is backed by measurable goals and expectations for our Board of Directors and staff.  

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Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2023/09/director-clean-water-equity/

Michelle Farley