Position: Senior Campaigner — Just and managed decline of North Sea oil and gas production

Contract: 1 year contract with potential for renewal, full-time or 4 days/week.

Location: Location flexible for the right candidate, North Sea countries (UK, NO, DK or NL) strongly preferred. 

Salary and Benefits: Generous compensation in line with experience. Initial one-year contract with potential for renewal. Salary range will be between $40 to $50 per hour depending on experience.

Application Deadline: 9 March, 2021

Reports to: Stop Funding Fossils Senior Campaigner

To apply: Please email 1) Cover letter explaining your interest in the position, and 2) CV to jobs@priceofoil.org with the subject heading “Senior Campaigner – A just and managed decline of North Sea oil and gas production.“ Position will remain open until filled.

More Information:

Oil Change International (OCI) is seeking an experienced campaigner to drive forward our work on ensuring a just and managed decline of North Sea oil and gas production. 

Shortly after the Paris Agreement was signed, OCI released groundbreaking analysis showing that even if global coal use was phased out overnight, the oil and gas industry would still push us well above 1.5ºC  of warming with their current operating fields alone.. The implications are clear: meeting the Paris goals will require stopping the expansion of the oil and gas industry and planning for a just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuel production, including transition support for affected workers and communities. From an equity and historical responsibility perspective, rich countries with diversified economies, like the North Sea countries, should move fastest in phasing out oil and gas production. 

A number of North Sea countries and public financial institutions have started to act towards these aims. In December 2020, Denmark announced an end to new licensing rounds for oil and gas production and the United Kingdom is currently reviewing its oil and gas licensing policy and developing a North Sea transition deal. Toward the end of last year the UK announced an end to international public finance for fossil fuels. 

Change is on its way, but to meet climate goals in a fair way, oil and gas phase-out policies need to both reflect the urgency of climate science and be accompanied by just transition plans for and designed in collaboration with affected workers and communities. Well coordinated domestic and regional campaign efforts will be critical to leverage recent supply-side wins in a way that is commensurate to the challenge. In this position, you will work with regional and national partners to develop and execute strategies to achieve a just and managed decline of North Sea oil and gas. This work will complement efforts to build a coalition of leading “first mover” governments that phase out oil and gas production with a regional strategy.

The ideal candidate for this position will use direct advocacy, coalition-building, and communications skills to ensure North Sea governments (and public finance institutions) plan for a managed and just phase-out of oil and gas extraction and infrastructure – as part of comprehensive climate action. These efforts would include (i) Conducting direct advocacy with decision-makers, (ii) Developing campaigns and coordinating efforts with coalitions and partner organizations, and (iii) Supporting strategic communications efforts to amplify “first mover” commitments and raise pressure on those that need to move next, building the narrative that governments and institutions cannot be climate leaders without a plan for a just transition away from oil and gas production. The successful candidate will work closely with civil society partners on this agenda and report to the Stop Funding Fossils Senior Campaigner at OCI.

If you are passionate about climate action and justice for frontline communities and understand we cannot effectively tackle this crisis without taking on the fossil fuel industry, and have experience in developing campaign strategies, direct advocacy, building coalitions, and strategic communications, this is the role for you.

Roles and Responsibilities

Advocacy & strategic communications

• Monitor developments in North Sea countries and identify strategic opportunities for engagement.
• Conduct direct advocacy with decision makers (e.g. civil servants, elected officials).
• Support the development of interventions, e.g. Parliamentary Questions, responses to government consultations and parliamentary inquiries. 
• Support organization of a (series of) multi-stakeholder convening(s) between North Sea oil producing countries (NL, UK, DK, DE and NO) in order to build towards a joint understanding of the future of North Sea production and the role of governments in supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels.
• Advance strategic communications efforts to amplify “first mover” commitments and raise pressure on those that need to move next. This may include engagement with media, digital campaigning, and more.

Partner Engagement & Coordination

• Build coalitions with civil society partners and trade unions already working on this agenda at domestic and regional levels and participate in regular discussions and planning with these partners.
• Identify and build relationships with other relevant stakeholders.

Internal responsibilities 

• Participate in regular staff and team meetings. Contribute to organizational development initiatives and a healthy, inclusive, and collegial work environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of successful experience in campaigning, including direct advocacy with decision-makers (ideally in one of the North Sea countries)
• Strong familiarity with climate, energy and financial policy, specifically supply-side fossil fuel policy
• Demonstrated ability to work in coalition / coordinate with civil society partners
• Strategic communications skills: writing press releases, emails to supporters, drafting social media materials, contributing to the writing of briefings etc.
• Commitment to the mission and values of OCI and an approach to the work grounded in social justice / equity
• Willing to work in a team-oriented remote environment

Strong preference for life or work experience in a North Sea country (NL, UK, DK, DE and NO)

About Oil Change International

Oil Change International is a non-profit organization that campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the coming transition towards clean energy. We’re a small, gutsy group that wages hard-hitting campaigns, grounded in solid and credible research, to push the energy industry towards an environmentally and socially sustainable future. We work together with a broad network of allies, in the United States and globally, that are committed to identifying and overcoming political barriers to a clean energy transition and shifting the balance of power in the energy industry.

Founded in 2005, Oil Change International now has a creative, passionate and dedicated staff of twenty across five countries and a supporter base of hundreds of thousands. Known both for our credible, insightful research on the fossil fuel industry and our aggressive nonviolent campaign tactics, Oil Change is a talented group that continues to punch above its weight.

Oil Change International values diversity, equity, and inclusivity as central to our work; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.