Jobs

Photo by Leila Kilion

We offer paid positions and internships that provide strong experience in policy, litigation, development, and communications.

Riverkeeper is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage women and people of color to apply and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, military status, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran.

• Riverkeeper President

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  For more than 50 years, Riverkeeper has sought to protect and restore the Hudson River from source to sea and to safeguard drinking water supplies through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science, and law. Riverkeeper’s goal is to ensure the Hudson River, its tributaries and watershed, and the New York City drinking watershed are: restored to ecological health and balance; free-flowing, resilient, and teeming with life; reliable sources of safe, clean drinking water; recovered from historic and inequitable environmental harms; safe and accessible for swimming, fishing, boating, and other recreational activities; and valued and stewarded by all.

  Riverkeeper is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors and has an annual budget of $4.6 million. Riverkeeper volunteer leadership includes: a 25-member Advisory Board and a Leadership Council comprised of key leaders in business, science, law, philanthropy, and the arts who have a passion for Riverkeeper’s mission; a Young Advocates Council that supports Riverkeeper as a network of young professionals raising awareness and providing on-the-ground support and informed advocacy; and Riverkeeper’s Corporate Stewardship Council (CSC) – a group of companies in and around New York that share a common goal of protecting and restoring the Hudson River, safeguarding clean drinking water, and promoting environmental sustainability and responsibility with their employees, clients, and customers.

  BASIC FUNCTION

  Riverkeeper is looking for a President to lead a 30-member staff team and implement a recently completed strategic plan to maximize mission impact.

  The President should value:

  • The fundamental rights of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and all the living things that depend upon them to exist and thrive in healthy, balanced ecosystems;
  • Clean water as essential to all living things and access to clean drinking water as a human right;
  • A reduction of environmental harms, especially for disproportionately impacted communities and decimated fish and wildlife populations;
  • Facts, science, and community voices as the foundation of Riverkeeper’s work;
  • Trust, respect, integrity, and justice as the basis for Riverkeeper’s relationships, both within and beyond the organization; and
  • Environmental and recreational benefits for all.

  Building upon its legacy, strengths, and core strategies of advocacy, science, law, and community partnerships, the President will provide collaborative leadership, vision, and strategic direction for Riverkeeper, its programs, fundraising, enforcement, and community engagement efforts. In partnership with an engaged board, a committed staff, volunteers, advisors, and community partners who share a common vision and purpose, the President will embrace Riverkeeper’s rootedness in the Hudson and leverage and build upon its sphere of influence, core values, and good standing as an intellectually hard hitting, science-based advocate with an ingrained and well-earned reputation for punching above its weight.

  The President will ensure that Riverkeeper remains clear and ambitious in its strategic intent, as reflected in the programmatic goals detailed in its recently adopted strategic plan, and maintain the quality and integrity of its programs and key initiatives and their alignment with Riverkeeper’s mission and vision.

  It is critically important that the President continue to raise the visibility of Riverkeeper. As an external presence and spokesperson, the President must speak credibly, articulately, and passionately about the impact of climate change and other environmental concerns related to the Hudson and facilitate communications and collaborations with local communities, partner organizations, legislative bodies, and government agencies in support of both ongoing campaigns and new initiatives.

  The President will: champion and enhance fundraising strategies and outreach in order to develop a broader base of support for Riverkeeper and its mission; cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors; and develop plans and goals to support annual revenue targets, a new fundraising campaign for the strategic plan, a business partnership program, and fundraising events.
  Ever mindful of the organization’s culture and values, the President will serve as a resource to programmatic and organizational leadership internally, fuel innovative thinking, and both acknowledge and nurture the expertise of a knowledgeable and highly dedicated staff, who are the organization’s most critical assets and are indispensable to its ongoing success. In this vein, the President will demonstrate a commitment to internal equity and transparency.

  PRIORITIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  The President will capitalize on Riverkeeper’s legacy and potential and have the following priorities and key responsibilities:

  • Quickly acclimate to Riverkeeper; thoroughly understand its history, mission, culture, structure, and the critical importance of its advocacy, track record of success in litigation, and current range of ecological priorities;
  • Take ownership of Riverkeeper’s strategic plan; advance institution-wide priorities; attach actionable plans and specific goals or milestones to be achieved in order to show progress and success; within its current framework, seize opportunities to extend Riverkeeper’s leadership and influence in the field;
  • Review Riverkeeper’s portfolio of campaigns, cases, and other initiatives; know how its programs are structured and funded and how resources are being prioritized; ensure that the organization is well positioned to identify and implement new programs that address critical needs or key issues; provide input and advice on when to mount legal challenges to proposed actions by public and private entities;
  • Quickly establish relationships with Board members and existing key public and private donors in order to facilitate the ongoing flow of support and contributions; identify new sources of funding among individuals and foundations; build upon Riverkeeper’s current endowment;
  • Seize opportunities for new partnerships and initiatives and represent Riverkeeper and its work with national and local government, the business community, donors, partner organizations, and the broader community working at the intersection of ecological and social justice;
  • Provide cohesive managerial leadership so that Riverkeeper’s day-to-day operations, patrols, and programs are professionally and efficiently administered; understand each staff person’s strengths and contributions and support and promote their work; assess and clarify roles, responsibilities, and scope of authority as necessary to ensure the right structural model and talents are in place to sustain Riverkeeper’s vision and direction; allow staff’s skills and abilities to come forward; nurture and reward talent; sustain open channels of communication at all levels and continue to provide professional development opportunities;
  • Quickly establish a presence in Albany, ensuring that Riverkeeper’s concerns continue to be given a voice and are heard at all appropriate levels and venues; lead effective advocacy efforts while ensuring that such efforts support the interests and concerns of Riverkeeper’s agenda and partnerships; build new relationships externally;
  • Sustain and enrich Riverkeeper’s current diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice initiatives; work with the staff and Board DEIJ committees and broadly identify Riverkeeper’s existing goals in these areas;
  • Ensure that Riverkeeper remains fiscally sound and that financial systems, budgets, and planning strategies accurately reflect the financial realities of the organization; achieve realistic and attainable financial projections and ensure fiscal stability and growth;
  • Foster a cohesive and collegial working relationship with the Board, finding ways to use effectively their individual expertise to benefit Riverkeeper; keep the Board engaged; identify and tap into underutilized talents and connections of various Board members as appropriate; be strategic in the recruitment and development of new Board members.

  IDEAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

  The President should have a deep and abiding commitment to and passion for the Hudson River, the core values of Riverkeeper, and how science, law, and community partnerships can be combined and galvanized to create successful advocacy campaigns. The President should also have or be:

  • A high degree of experience in advocacy and environmental protection, with a track record of high-quality work around environmental policy issues; experience leading or partnering with other stakeholders and/or other credibility in the sector;
    Comfort overseeing multiple engagement strategies in a highly collaborative environment; committed to grassroots change and influence; leadership ability to accelerate impact and foster big ideas; respectful of the institution’s unique grounding in evidence-based practical strategies, litigation tools, and policy; respected by policymakers and funders, with the ability to work comfortably in Albany, Washington DC, and similar halls of power and influence;
  • Proven management, problem-solving, and implementation skills as well as strategic capability, with commensurate fiscal and business acumen as an executive with an environmental or other relevant nonprofit organization or government agency;
  • Proven ability to lead a highly dedicated staff to whom much responsibility and appropriate authority are delegated; able to envision and operationalize new initiatives and deeply understand how operational and programmatic decisions are being experienced by staff;
  • Intentional about what leadership around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice looks like; able to build Riverkeeper’s culture of DEIJ through an antiracism lens;
  • Proven experience as a dynamic fundraiser with the ability to cultivate and steward major donors and frame the vision and concepts to secure financial support from diverse sources: individual donors; foundations; ecologically minded corporations; and government, particularly in a climate of increasing financial constraints, fewer resources, and increased competition;
  • The ability to embrace and engage new audiences and an evolving membership base including tech savvy and passionate millennials and young people in frontline communities who expect new paradigms for addressing environmental justice, climate change, and the intersection of these concerns within social justice movements/platforms;
  • Experience working with media, public relations and community outreach; competence in social media marketing and digital platforms and technology.

  The President should also be or have:

  • A diplomatic executive of the highest integrity who is intellectually nimble, collaborative, and empathetic, with a demonstrated commitment to shared decision making where appropriate; capable of building consensus and maintaining high morale; a person who will recognize and respect a group of deeply committed employees at all levels;
  • A proactive, analytical, and creative problem solver and skilled negotiator who can anticipate, initiate, and implement rather than just respond to challenges as they arise; bold and decisive when needed; able to break down silos as necessary and skillfully navigate issues related to hierarchy, communications, and decision making;
  • Able to manage multiple priorities ranging from the broad and strategic to the narrow and tactical without loss of focus; able to think strategically and communicate with passion;
  • An effective relationship builder, internally and externally; highly visible, approachable, and willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty and/or wet; transparent and respectful of Riverkeeper’s history and traditions;
  • A good and active listener; able to balance diverse agendas and points of view and delegate responsibilities as appropriate while maintaining on all fronts a sense of continuity and common purpose; willing to embrace the suggestions and promising ideas of others;
  • Emotionally mature, with a good sense of humor and the ability to maintain balance and perspective.

  Riverkeeper is an AA/EEO employer. Riverkeeper is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law.

  Please send application – expression of interest letter and CV – or nomination(s) to Angela Henry and Mark Tarnacki at [email protected].

• Human Resources Manager

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  Position Overview

  Riverkeeper is seeking a talented and motivated Human Resources (HR) Manager who can develop effective relationships across the organization, think and plan strategically, and participate in all aspects of the HR function, including recruitment, classification and compensation, training and development, employee wellness and recognition, employee relations, performance management, policies and procedures, administering pay, benefits, and all other HR administration to ensure legal compliance and organizational effectiveness.

  Additionally, the HR Manager will be a champion of Riverkeeper’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) by working closely with the DEIJ Committee on the implementation of our DEIJ goals and objectives. This newly created role will report to the Chief Financial and Operating Officer (CFOO) and be a vital member of the Finance and Operations team, including helping to support other key operations on the team. This is an exciting opportunity to make a big impact, as this role will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals related to our newly adopted strategic plan, as well as advancing our goals related to DEIJ.

  Duties & Responsibilities
  Specific duties and responsibilities include:

  • Work closely with DEIJ Committee on the implementation of Riverkeeper’s DEIJ goals and objectives. Ensure that DEIJ best practices are integrated into all HR functions.
  • Oversee recruitment, hiring and onboarding of staff, utilizing internal resources. Includes expanding our outreach to candidates across diverse audiences and ensuring that job descriptions and interviewing techniques are welcoming and accessible for all.
  • Work with CFOO to strengthen, develop and implement banding and compensation policies and practices.
  • Create and implement programs, trainings and other initiatives that promote employee engagement and recognition.
  • Oversee the performance management program and help support and coach managers on best practices and techniques related to delivering feedback, conducting performance reviews, professional development, etc. Work with managers to ensure staff job descriptions are up to date and that goals and key indicators of success are relevant to each position.
  • Work with CFOO to oversee employee relations. Resolve and mitigate employee relation issues, conduct investigations, as necessary, and make recommendations.
  • Strengthen a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just organizational culture through internal communications, staff meetings and other activities such as employee surveys, discussion groups and educational opportunities. (In coordination with DEIJ Committee.)
  • Strengthen and ensure equitable policies and practices across the organization, particularly compensation, promotion, benefits, recruitment, and workload policies. (In coordination with DEIJ Committee.) Ensure all policies maintain legal compliance and are adhered to.
  • Monitor value of benefits and surface ideas for improvements. Serve as a liaison with benefits broker(s) and vendors to manage relationships, contracts, renewals, as well as evaluation of benefits for cost-effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
  • Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law.
  • Support other key functions of Finance and Operations team, as needed.
  • Participate in relevant Riverkeeper staff, board and advisory board meetings.
  • Other duties as assigned.

  The listed responsibilities are intended to describe the essential functions of the position. They are not an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.

  Qualifications

  • A minimum of 3-5 years of experience as an HR generalist or specialist, including such areas as recruitment, training, conflict resolution, etc.
  • Additional experience in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) and restorative justice practices are strongly preferred.
  • Passion for staff development and DEIJ are a must.
  • Collaborative mindset with strong interpersonal, communication, and coaching skills.
  • Organizational resourcefulness – ability to navigate complexity and thrive in a fast paced and changing environment using strong judgement and decision-making skills.
  • Demonstrated history of working with confidential matters requiring sensitivity and discretion.
  • Proven ability to multitask, prioritize, be flexible and problem-solve.
  • Highly organized, detail oriented, and self-motivated.
  • Ability to plan agendas, lead meetings, and convey expertise.
  • Knowledge of payroll and HR software systems a plus (ADP, HRIS, etc.).
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. G Suite a plus.
  • A commitment to the mission, vision, values and goals of Riverkeeper, and to promote justice, equity, diversity and inclusion through work for a non-profit organization.
  • A connection to the Hudson River and its watershed, and a general familiarity with Riverkeeper’s priority issues.
  • Bachelor’s degree, or additional work experience, in a relevant field is preferred.

  Location
  This position will be located in Ossining, NY. Currently, due to Covid, almost all staff are working remotely and we do not expect a full return to the office until Fall/Winter 2021.

  Compensation and Benefits
  This is a band 6 position. Compensation is commensurate with experience ranging from $65,000 to $70,000. This exempt position is full time (37.5 hours/week). Occasional evenings and weekend work will be required, and flex time encouraged. Riverkeeper offers health, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, vacation, sick, personal days, as well as parental leave and other benefits.

  Application Procedure:
  Please submit your résumé and cover letter as well as a list of at least 3 professional references to [email protected]. Please write ‘HR Manager’ in the subject line. The position will be open until filled. Phone calls will not be accepted.

  Riverkeeper is an AA/EEO employer. Riverkeeper is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law.

  People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

• Government Affairs Internship – Fall 2021

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  Riverkeeper is looking for an exceptionally qualified law or graduate student to join our team for the summer to work on state and federal government affairs. The Government Affairs Intern will partner with the Senior Manager of Government Affairs on legislative affairs, public affairs, research, communications and administrative support. The intern will gain firsthand experience in state and federal level advocacy at an internationally recognized environmental non-profit, working closely with Riverkeeper’s program team of scientists, advocates, and lawyers. This is an exciting opportunity for an emerging environmental leader seeking a fast-paced internship.

  We seek independent and motivated students with a commitment to environmental protection and an ability to handle multiple, diverse assignments at the same time. Strong research and writing skills and organized work habits are a must. 

  • Training: The intern should expect training and onboarding the first week of the internship followed by ongoing mentorship and supervision from the Senior Manager of Government Affairs. The intern should also expect regular check-ins with their supervisor and the Community Partnerships team. The intern will receive training and relevant written materials to become versed about and comfortable with the range of Riverkeeper’s campaigns, initiatives, and mission.
  • Commitment: A commitment of at least 20 hours per week minimum. 
  • Location: Primarily remote with occasional opportunities for in-person advocacy events such as lobbying meetings, press conferences, and other activities
  • Compensation: unpaid; school credit or external grant funding preferred

  Internship Duties

  • The intern will work remotely and develop an understanding of the Hudson River Estuary, pollution threats, environmental policies, and local governmental agencies 
  • Lobby legislators and their staff on Riverkeeper’s legislative priorities
  • Assist in reviewing, analyzing and tracking legislation, and drafting memos and testimony on budget priorities and legislation
  • Assist in the distribution of memos and factsheets to public officials and their staff
  • Assist in monitoring committee hearings and meeting
  • Assist in drafting testimony
  • Coordinate coalition meetings and communication
  • Possible participation in hearings, meetings with government officials, trainings, and investigations
  • Assist in organizing and participating in advocacy events such a webinars and roundtables via zoom
  • Attend various meetings with Riverkeeper staff or independently on behalf of Riverkeeper 
  • Draft blogs, letters to the editor and op-eds supporting Riverkeeper’s campaigns

  Qualifications

  • Available on a regular schedule for the entire duration of the internship
  • Skilled in working with computers, websites, online databases, and complex research topics
  • Familiarity with google drive software such as Google Sheets and Docs
  • Resourceful, self-starter, excellent problem solver;
  • Online research experience
  • Enthusiasm for the Riverkeeper mission and for helping the Senior Manager of Government Affairs reach annual goals

  How to Apply
  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Interested applicants should send a 1-page cover letter and 1-page resume to: Human Resources via email at [email protected] and Jeremy Cherson, Senior Manager of Government Affairs via email at [email protected]. Please write “2021 Fall Government Affairs Internship Application” in the subject line.

  Riverkeeper is an equal opportunity employer and provides opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, and military status.