Jobs at Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

Leads NRDC Action Fund political and electoral strategy, including candidate endorsements, coordinated activities, PAC giving, fundraising, advocacy campaigns, coalition engagement, political events, and communications planning. Oversees core staff, develops multi-year plans, presents strategies to stakeholders, supports donor engagement, and coordinates with campaigns, government affairs, communications, and development teams.

Secures planned gifts by managing a portfolio of 150–200 prospects, cultivating donor and professional-advisor relationships, preparing customized gift proposals, and conducting donor visits and educational seminars. Collaborates with development colleagues to identify prospects, support cultivation events, and close deferred and complex gifts. Maintains accurate donor database records, tracks commitments, and contributes to gift-planning strategies and annual goals.

NRDC seeks an Attorney for its Oceans Division to support federal litigation, regulatory advocacy, ocean conservation policy development, congressional and agency advocacy, and coalition partnerships. Responsibilities include legal research, analysis, briefing, litigation support, regulatory proceedings, and strategy implementation. The role requires a Juris Doctor, bar admission or willingness to qualify, and at least four years of legal advocacy experience with direct litigation experience. This is a limited-term 2.5-year hybrid position with approximately 10% annual travel.

Supports NRDC’s Principal Gifts team with donor research, meeting preparation, engagement summaries, outreach drafting, follow-up tracking, and database management. Maintains donor information in Salesforce and SharePoint, leads a project to align records across systems, and coordinates information flow with operations teams. The role is a 10-week graduate internship based in New York City with a hybrid schedule.

Supports NRDC’s Membership and Donor Relations teams through donor event assistance, member communications, direct mail and fundraising materials, donor information organization, template management, collateral development, and major-donor data analysis. The intern also researches NRDC programs, creates responses to member questions, develops communications assets, and recommends improvements to fundraising materials and processes. This is a 10-week hybrid summer internship based in New York.

Supports the Chief Program Office with strategic, programmatic, and operational initiatives. Responsibilities include researching and preparing executive briefings, assisting with strategic planning and special projects, coordinating institutional events, developing project trackers and internal resources, participating in cross-functional meetings, and recommending process improvements. The internship provides exposure to executive leadership and collaboration across program teams.

Graduate intern supporting NRDC’s Science Office by developing a user-friendly knowledge management system for scientist-vetted environmental information. Responsibilities include synthesizing scientific literature, organizing internal scientific knowledge, creating AI search integrations, developing AI SOPs and prompts, and recommending ways to incorporate AI into organizational workflows. The role requires strong science and information systems or knowledge management credentials, collaboration, attention to detail, and onsite work in Washington, DC three days per week.

Supports NRDC’s Federal Climate initiatives through climate litigation research, legal memorandum and brief drafting, administrative advocacy, comment letters, standing declarant interviews, and strategy discussions. The intern collaborates with litigation teams and participates in legal learning programs while working onsite in Washington, D.C. three days per week.

Provides helpdesk and audiovisual support for NRDC’s New York office by identifying, prioritizing, tracking, and resolving end-user requests. Coordinates support with IT team members and may contribute to workflow automation, AI engagement, and data compliance projects. The intern works onsite three days per week for a 10-week summer assignment and collaborates with nonprofit teams while developing IT service and project-management skills.

Supports NRDC’s Science Office on economic research projects, particularly the environmental and political implications of AI and data center development. Conducts research, data collection, and analysis; prepares written materials; and may present findings for internal strategy and public-facing communications. The intern collaborates with economists and policy staff while working onsite in Washington, DC three days per week during a 10-week summer session.

Graduate intern supporting community science partnerships through data gathering, analysis, visualization, mapping, policy analysis, and communication of scientific concepts to public audiences. The role collaborates with environmental justice partners, produces presentations and visual materials, and contributes to community science initiatives. Strong communication, research, analytical, creative, and proactive skills are required. GIS, data visualization, and statistical analysis experience is preferred.

Supports NRDC’s Chief Science Officer with public and external engagement initiatives, including strategic relationship mapping, identifying engagement opportunities, and planning high-profile events such as New York Climate Week. The intern will help elevate the role of science in environmental protection, build support for NRDC’s work, and strengthen relationships with aligned organizations. Additional work may include research, communications, project management, and collaborative team initiatives.

Supports the Institutional and Principal Giving Operations team with Salesforce data management, workflow documentation, data analysis, reporting, process improvement, and special projects. The intern will help improve fundraising operations, data integrity, and organizational efficiency while collaborating cross-functionally. This is a 10-week hybrid internship requiring 35 hours per week and three onsite days weekly in New York or Washington, DC.

Develop fundraising materials for foundation and corporate donors, including concept notes, proposals, budgets, grant reports, and donor communications. The role synthesizes technical, financial, and programmatic information; coordinates contributions across international and internal teams; manages submission timelines; supports financial documentation; and provides copy editing. It requires strong nonprofit development writing experience, excellent organization, and proficiency with Microsoft Office and Salesforce.

Lead multi-state renewable energy campaigns across Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Organize labor and community partners, build relationships with developers and policymakers, develop advocacy strategies, manage consultants and budgets, secure union workforce commitments, support fundraising, create campaign materials, and represent NRDC at public meetings and industry events. The role requires approximately 25% travel and is limited to two years.

The Benefits Director leads NRDC’s benefits strategy, administration, compliance, renewals, budgeting, retirement plan governance, wellness programs, leave and accommodation processes, employee communications, and vendor relationships. The role partners with Finance, Payroll, Legal, Labor Relations, leadership, and benefits committees; supports unionized employees and international programs; manages benefits technology and process improvements; and leads the Benefits Team.

Leads the global HR Partner team and serves as a strategic HR advisor to executives and internal clients. Responsibilities include workforce planning, organizational design, talent management, employee relations, compensation, DEI, policy interpretation, investigations, performance management, HR analytics, and organization-wide HR initiatives. The role manages team performance, partners with senior leaders, ensures legal and regulatory compliance, and travels to NRDC offices up to 20% annually.

Provides administrative, financial, contracting, scheduling, expense reporting, travel, meeting, and event-planning support to NRDC’s International Department. Maintains budgets, invoices, contracts, records, databases, and expense tracking; coordinates internal and international partners; prepares materials and meeting documentation; and supports communications, logistics, and information sharing. The role requires strong organization, discretion, cross-cultural communication, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a hybrid environment.

Paid law student internship supporting NRDC environmental litigation through legal research, memorandum writing, drafting pleadings and briefs, preparing agency comments, interviewing members, and developing proposed legislation. Interns collaborate with litigation attorneys for approximately 10 weeks during the Spring 2027 academic term, working at least 14 hours weekly in Chicago, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C.

Manages fundraising and donor relations for NRDC’s China Program in Beijing. Coordinates with development, finance, legal, international, and program teams; supports donor engagement, stewardship, grant agreements, reporting, proposals, concept notes, fundraising databases, and documentation. The role also tracks donor communications, prepares briefings and call reports, develops fundraising processes, supports risk mitigation, and trains staff on development best practices. Requires bilingual Chinese-English communication, environmental fundraising knowledge, and approximately 10–20% annual travel.