Advocacy Manager

Start Date: mid-May 2017

Location: New Orleans, LA

Terms: Full time

The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) is a community -- supported by a 501(c)(3) non-profit -- which develops and applies open source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. By democratizing inexpensive and accessible Do-It-Yourself techniques, Public Lab creates a collaborative network of practitioners who actively reimagine the human relationship with the environment.

Position Summary

The Advocacy Manager will be a community environmental advocate, working with groups in person and remotely to achieve their environmental advocacy objectives by building on the experiences and capacity of others in the Public Lab network. 50% of community partners will be centered in the greater New Orleans and Gulf Coast region. Broadly, the Advocacy Manager will develop systems in the Public Lab network to amplify and support the knowledge and expertise of community groups, situating these as a primary source of ideas, techniques, and strategies alongside the input of traditional expert communities (professional / institutional scientists and technologists). Success in this role will center on the ability to facilitate equitable exchange of knowledge between culturally disparate groups, and multiple expert cultures to actively and tangibly support communities facing environmental injustices.

The Advocacy Manager will facilitate communication and collaborative development of environmental monitoring and advocacy strategies, and support communities in their pursuits. A significant portion of the Advocacy Manager's work will involve documenting processes, amplifying the resources developed by and for communities, and supplementing these resources with translations of regulatory methods and policies in their environmental monitoring, advocacy, and management practices.

The Advocacy Manager will work closely with the community development and advocacy team: the Outreach Manager, the Data and Advocacy Manager, and the Director of Community Development.

The ideal candidate will:

Provide advocacy support for communities and individuals including:

1. Creating spaces to collect and amplify the stories, tactics, hard-won expertise and knowledge of community groups with successes to share,
2. Working systematically to support greater autonomy on the part of community groups in their struggles,
3. Assisting with campaign design and development,
4. Identifying political push points, and where projects situate in relationship to them,
5. Creating collaborative publicly available resources for environmental justice communities to engage with and benefit from,
6. Providing in-person and online support for communities.

Build communication pathways that increase the capacity of the Public Lab network, including:

1. Creating public documentation of projects, narratives, advocacy strategies, and environmental monitoring methods for others to adapt and utilize,
2. Collaboratively designing strategies to invite and amplify community voices in advocacy pursuits,
3. Assisting in developing strong working relations and bridging cultural barriers between technical developers and community partners,
4. Aiding in the curation of a positive, productive and inclusive platform in Public Lab's online and in person spaces.

Provide event and project support including:

1. Assisting the community development and advocacy team in organizing and hosting online and in-person events,
2. Working with Public Lab staff and community members on new and ongoing projects.

Maintain and adhere to nonprofit policies and procedures, Public Lab values and the Code of Conduct.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Required:

• Knowledge and appreciation of Public Lab (community & nonprofit), its mission, its approach its programs and services, and the ability to communicate them effectively.
• Familiarity with peer production models of knowledge exchange.
• Commitment to equity in the spaces where Public Lab works. Equality is treating everyone exactly the same, while equity starts from the idea that people/groups start from different social, political, and economic positions and strives to address that unevenness.
• Critical understanding of how knowledge and expertise is built, exchanged, and collected, especially in different models and media - whether written, online, printed, orally, experientially, and by and for people from vastly different backgrounds and cultures -- professional and otherwise.
• High level of attention to detail.
• Excellent self-organizational and administrative skills.
• Strong communication skills in written, verbal and online formats.
• Ability to work collaboratively, both in-person and with remote co-workers, to envision and promote positive change, and to be supportive of others.
• Ability to facilitate activities amongst a highly diverse community of people from many different fields and experiences.
• Ability to learn, disseminate and teach about technology with communities.
• Ability to identify and solve problems as a team member, and to make decisions and involve others in the decision-making process where appropriate.
• Ability to create a work environment that fosters shared goals and objectives, and to be part of a cohesive online and offline community.
• Travel is required approximately 25-35% of the time.

Compensation includes benefits package and is based on experience and qualifications. Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@publiclab.org by April 27, 2017 at 8pm ET. No phone calls please.

Public Lab is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. We encourage people with different ability sets, people of color, and people of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities to apply.