Clean Transportation Analyst

We are currently hiring a Clean Transportation Analyst who will assist the Breakthrough Institute's Climate and Energy research program in completing original research and analysis on low-carbon transportation technologies, systems, and infrastructure. Analysts serve as a member of our core full-time research staff, writing reports and articles for external publication and for our website and building the team's base of expertise and knowledge. The Clean Transportation Analyst will focus on research projects and policy analyses that aim to accelerate progress in low-emissions vehicles, supporting infrastructure, and related public policy. This role will also engage in public-facing activities such as speaking opportunities, media communications, workshops, social media management, and network-building with new organizations.

We are considering applicants from a wide array of backgrounds that may include transportation planning, consumer economics, battery research, engineering, automotive industry, or related fields. This role is full-time and can be flexibly based from either of Breakthrough's offices in Washington, D.C. or Berkeley, California. This position will report directly to the Co-Directors of the Climate and Energy Program.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Execute Breakthrough's evolving clean transportation research agenda, which may include priorities such as: Supporting the development and deployment of low-emissions vehicles; Advocating for forward-thinking public policies to support innovative new clean transportation technologies, charging infrastructure deployment and grid upgrades, and upstream industries like manufacturing; Assessing the potential impact of regulations related to clean transportation policy issues in local, national, or international contexts.

• Develop a prominent public thought leadership profile in one or several areas of expertise related to transport sector decarbonization, low-emissions vehicle technologies, battery technologies, electric vehicle grid integration, or similar.

• Attend meetings as Breakthrough's expert, speak on panels, and give interviews on subject knowledge.

• Undertake qualitative and quantitative research including memos, reports, working papers, and peer-reviewed publications.

• Write articles for the Breakthrough website and external publications.

• Contribute to research and funding proposals as needed.

• Follow and engage with the public discourse on climate and/or energy issues, including in the popular press and on social media.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience or academic background in a field related to clean transportation policy, low-emissions vehicles, power grid engineering, battery technology, automobile sectors, or similar.

• Exceptional writing skills, able to produce both outstanding argumentative essays and clear, sharply-written research reports.

• Eager to publicly advocate for Breakthrough's ecomodernist approach to solving global environmental challenges, as outlined in the Ecomodernist Manifesto (https://thebreakthrough.org/ec...)

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced setting while balancing both urgent and long-term deliverables.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's or PhD degree

• Significant experience in transportation/energy systems, policy, or technology, with strong potential to become a recognized expert in one's specialty subject area(s).

• Significant experience independently supervising research teams, mentoring junior colleagues, and executing major long-term research projects.

• Experience with data analysis in Python, R, QGIS, or similar programs. Working experience with the Argonne National Laboratory's GREET model is also highly desirable.

• Professional foreign language proficiency, particularly in an Asian language(s).

Job Conditions:

• Employees are required to report to the office on certain days of the week and may choose to work from home on other designated days. Additional hours may be required to meet deadlines. Some travel and evening time may be required depending on events, invitations, presentations, meetings, and other job-related work outside of the office.

Salary:

• $70,000-$93,000
• Excellent health insurance, dental, vision, paid leave, retirement plan, life insurance, disability insurance, professional development support, cell phone reimbursement, and commuter benefits.

Application Instructions

• We encourage you to submit materials as soon as possible, as we will interview and hire on a near-term rolling basis.

• Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample ONLY to jobs[at]thebreakthrough.org. Please do not submit your application through alternate job sites.

• Your email subject should say: :

• Your email should state how you heard about this position

• Your cover letter should reflect on Breakthrough's work and how you perceive this opportunity as part of your career arc

• Your writing sample should be under 2500 words, should represent one of your proudest pieces of writing, and can be totally unrelated to clean energy or transportation.