Community Environmental Health Manager

About Us:

At the Center for Environmental Health, we are dedicated to our mission to protect public health and support decision-makers by leading science-backed approaches that center prevention and remedy environmental injustice. Our team is committed to making a difference through innovative programs and a deep-rooted culture of inclusivity and equity. Join us and be part of a mission-driven organization where your contributions will have a significant impact. 

Make a Real Difference in Community Environmental Health

The Center for Environmental Health has a proven track record of reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, but we can’t do it alone. As our Community Environmental Health Manager (CEHM) you will provide strategic capacity building and technical assistance support to current and future community partners to end environmental exposures to toxic chemicals. You will be managing environmental exposure cases, policy advocacy campaigns, providing technical assistance, maintaining open lines of communication with leaders regarding litigation developments, advocating on residents’ behalf to CEH staff and attorneys, and recommending solutions to environmental health concerns. Your work will bolster meaningful public health advocacy that deeply impacts people and the environment. CEH fights because we believe everyone has the right to a healthy environment and consumer products that are free of toxic chemicals. We are committed to catalyzing solutions, driving public awareness, developing standards, crafting policies, and litigating toward systemic change in the world. This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference. 

Why You’ll Love Working Here:

• Culture and Values: We foster a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative work environment. Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is at the core of everything we do.
• Professional Growth: We offer robust opportunities for professional and leadership development, including training and mentorship programs.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy flexible work arrangements, including hybrid work.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Our competitive benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k match, generous paid time off, and more.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and support for community-based air and water contamination cases, and environmentally preferrable products and standards development initiatives.
• Collaborate with community leaders and advocacy organizations from initiation of a legal case through its conclusion.
• Build and maintain partnerships with local and national environmental justice and environmental health organizations during legal cases and after their conclusion.
• Conduct community outreach and provide capacity building resources to community leaders and organizations during legal cases.
• Create technical documents related to legal cases, including but not limited to toxic chemical profiles (incorporating relevant information such as health effects and routes of exposure), air, soil, and/or water sampling protocols and summaries, lab result summaries, etc.
• Schedule, participate in, and co-lead or lead meetings with affected community members, community-based organizations, CEH’s legal counsel, and/or regulatory agencies (e.g., EPA, Air Quality Management Districts, Department of Toxic Substances Control, CARB, Water Board) as needed.
• Represent CEH at resident-led or community based organization-led meetings, regulatory agency hearings, working group meetings, and other meetings on toxic exposure issues in California.
• Communicate and advocate for community wants and needs to CEH staff, CEH’s legal counsel, and partner organizations.
• Serve as a primary contact for environmental justice community inquiries related to potential toxic environmental exposures, managing follow-up research, and connecting residents/ community groups with additional legal and technical resources (when CEH cannot support further).
• Work with CEH’s Science Lead to execute internal capacity building (e.g., knowledge-sharing of new tools, training) to support new case research for community exposure cases.
• Identify new advocacy issues and opportunities based on emerging scientific research and/or contaminants of concern, particularly around toxic chemicals, plastics, and petrochemicals, to protect consumers from endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Community Exposure Strategy 

• Conduct investigative (online, scholarly, and field) research (e.g., review and analysis of EPA and company-reported data, academic studies, physical air monitoring, soil, and water sampling); utilize that data to inform strategy for targeted solutions to air pollution and water contamination issues.
• Manage environmental exposure cases:

• Communicate outreach and case development progress to the team.
• Manage programmatic and administrative tasks of community exposure cases.
• Maintain detailed and accurate records of program-related data.
• Develop and manage evaluation methods for capacity building, policy and legal work performed through community exposure cases.

• Collaborate across CEH teams to enable science-informed decision making, conduct policy analysis and advocacy, and evaluate and develop scientific approaches that support work to reduce communities’ exposure to toxic chemicals.
• In collaboration with the Communications team, support in the drafting of op-eds, press releases, action emails, and provide other communication support related to the work.
• Assist in preparing funding proposals and reports for community exposure work.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required.
• At least two years of experience in managing environmental health issues through community engagement and case management required.
• Extensive project management experience, including demonstrated ability to design, launch, and manage projects against tight timelines, to apply a proactive collaborative style that gains the support of stakeholders, and to identify and/or secure funds to support critical activities
• Experience in conducting investigative research and using data to inform strategy for targeted solutions to address community health issues.
• Experience in reviewing technical documents related to health effects from toxic chemicals and routes of exposure.
• Experience working with disadvantaged and environmental justice communities as an organizer, advocate, community engagement specialist, or other community-oriented role.
• Strong commitment to and understanding of social and environmental justice principles such as Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing.
• Experience applying a racial, environmental, and economic justice lens to work and advocacy.
• Experience advocating in regulatory forums and engaging local, regional, and state agencies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information into accessible forms. Comfort with public speaking. Clear writing style is a must.
• Strong meeting facilitation skills and experience.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Proficiency in using technologies like Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and video conferencing services.
• Preferred but not required: Bilingual in Spanish and English.
• Ability to work some weekend and evening hours for community engagement meetings, as needed.
• California-based (preferably San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles).
• Must hold a California Driver’s License.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time throughout the state of CA (mainly throughout Southern CA and CEH headquarters in Oakland).

Salary:

CEH offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. This position offers a competitive base salary of $75,000 based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. Our offices are open, and we are operating in a hybrid model.

CEH is an equal opportunity employer. As an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, it considers applicants equally of race, gender, gender identity or expression, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, age, ability, personal appearance, family responsibilities, or national origin.

Join Us: Be part of an organization where your work truly matters. Apply now and contribute to our mission to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals in our air, water, soil, food, and the products we use every day.

How to Apply:

Submit your cover letter and resume in a single PDF with “Community Environmental Health Manager” and your surname in the file name to Jobs@ceh.org. Center for Environmental Health is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.