Environmental Policy Specialist

Description

At the American Public Power Association (APPA), we serve as the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 54 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 96,000 people they employ. We advocate and advise on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Help us continue to achieve our mission for our members and the communities they serve! 

At APPA, we strive to hire the very best and are committed to creating exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and feels valued.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Environmental Policy Specialist to support meaningful work that helps public power respond to today’s most pressing environmental and regulatory challenges. The Environmental Policy Specialist supports APPA members and staff on important federal environmental policies, proposals, and programs related to climate, air, solid waste, water, and endangered species. This detail-oriented role helps advance APPA’s strategic goals by tracking key regulatory developments, supporting project execution, coordinating meaningful member and partner engagement, and contributing to clear, timely policy analysis and communications. The specialist works closely with the Senior Director and Senior Manager of Environmental Policy, APPA members, and partners in the environmental policy community.

This is a hybrid position which requires the incumbent to reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and come into the office a minimum of two to three days each week (with Tuesdays being a mandatory day). 

• Analyzes environmental rulemakings or case law and prepares responses to EPA and other agencies as appropriate in consultation and coordination with APPA members.
• Assist in implementing appropriate advocacy strategies and programs to advance APPA’s interests in environmental regulation in coordination with APPA members, allied organizations, and others.
• Briefs management and the broader advocacy team on workload status, issues of concern and potential solutions or approaches.
• Participates in and develops technical programs on environmental topics for APPA workshops and conferences, utility education courses and webinars. 
• Contributes consistently to the APPA outreach resources, such as the Environmental Update, Issue Briefs, Public Power Current, the Public Power Magazine and similar resources that may be developed to keep APPA members and staff informed about activities relating to environmental policy issues.
• Coordinates policy opportunities related to our issue portfolio and makes recommendations regarding policy positions and messaging.
• Develops and maintains a strong understanding of members’ needs, regulatory impacts, policy positions, and internal politics and continuously enhances and expands that knowledge.
• Builds APPA’s voice and influence stakeholders to support APPA’s advocacy efforts through engagement in trade associations and representation for industry initiatives.
• Coordinates administrative and project-management functions for the environmental policy portfolio, including tracking regulatory deadlines, maintaining issue lists, organizing materials, and supporting timely completion of deliverables.
• Provides technical and administrative support for member meetings, committee calls, webinars, roundtables, conferences, and internal planning meetings, including scheduling, preparing agendas, coordinating materials, taking notes, and tracking follow-up items.
• Maintains organized records and shared files for regulatory proceedings, member communications, comment packages, presentations, meeting materials, and related resources.
• Assists with drafting, formatting, distributing, and tracking environmental policy communications, including member updates, surveys, meeting materials, and outreach resources.
• Coordinates with internal APPA departments and cross-functional teams to support conferences, member engagement, education programs, and environmental policy initiatives while helping implement best practices and streamline workflows.

Requirements

• Degree from a 4-year college or university (engineering, environmental, or related discipline preferred).
• 2-5 years of environmental regulatory policy, government relations, analysis experience.
• Knowledge of the electric utility industry (public power in particular), federal government and regulations including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements, and other related federal statutes. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to think strategically and creatively to achieve advocacy goals for the members.
• Must be able to work in a collaborative environment with a solution-oriented mindset to build consensus and gain agreement on a plan of action.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, coordinate projects, maintain organized records, and support meetings, events, and member communications.
• Expertise with tools used to manage documents, deadlines, calendars, collaborative workflows, and shared files, including Microsoft Office, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint.
• Experience with project management, technical writing and editing, meeting coordination, member engagement platforms, association management systems, SharePoint, Excel-based trackers, or similar tools used to manage policy workflows and member services. Familiarity with federal regulatory processes and government information resources such as the Federal Register or Energy Information Administration. (plus) 
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Prolonged periods of standing and extensive walking during conferences and meetings. 
• Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs. 
• Travels out of town up to 5% of the year to support APPA’s conferences, events, and meetings.

In addition to a highly competitive salary and bonus program, APPA offers a robust benefits package to include a comprehensive health and wellness package, 20 days of PTO accrued in the first year, 401(k) match and additional contributions, and more!

APPA is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion. This commitment pertains to our internal policies and staff expectations but also extends out to the wider public power community. As part of our strategic plan, we aim to assist members in meeting workforce challenges—including attracting and retaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace culture—through offering educational programs, developing resources, and serving as a platform for the public power community to exchange ideas and best practices.