New York, NY - August 18, 2008 - Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a leading national nonprofit organization, links science, economics, law and innovative partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF pioneered the NGO/corporate partnership model and over the past twenty years has helped businesses across the country take bold moves to adopt green practices and technologies that also improve their bottom line. Our partnerships achieve aggressive environmental goals "and set new industry standards. To multiply the benefits, we widely publicize the innovations, motivating competing companies to reach and exceed these new standards. Corporate partners have included DuPont, FedEx, McDonald's(TM), and Wal-Mart. For more information on our work, see www.edf.org/partnerships.

Summary: This senior position will launch and lead a major new Environmental Defense Fund initiative to inspire, inform and engage Fortune 1000 companies in reducing their environmental footprints and creating the next generation of environmental best practices.

The success of our partnerships has positioned us as the go-to group for companies seeking to make change, and demand for our work has never been greater. As a means of meeting that demand, we are launching an Environmental Innovation Institute to catalog and widely disseminate environmental best practices to a broad corporate audience, and to catalyze a new community of corporate environmental leaders. The Institute will provide new tools and information that companies can use today to reduce their environmental footprint. By overcoming the executive information gap, the Institute will be a source of information, inspiration and innovation for companies wanting to improve their environmental profile. Our goal is to create the most widely recognized source for information on substantive actions companies can take to reduce their environmental footprint, and to engage the majority of Fortune 1000 firms in taking those steps, sharing the results, and creating the next generation of environmental best practices.

Location: The preference for this position is in our Boston, MA office but candidates in Washington D.C. and San Francisco will be considered.

Responsibilities: The Director's overall role is to oversee the development and launch of the Institute, as well as provide the strategic vision to grow and expand the initiative in the years to come. Working with staff and contractors, the Director will be responsible for:

• Defining the Institute vision and goals and creating short and long term strategies for achieving those goals;
  
• Developing content and on-line tools that will attract users and lead to measurable environmental results;
  
• Establishing and growing the initiative's user-base through marketing, networking and building relationships with business schools, management consultants and other relevant organizations;
  
• Managing social media elements of the Institute (i.e. Wiki, blogs, list serves, etc.) to promote interaction between members and as a tool for understanding the impact of the Institute content and programs on user companies;
  
• Developing actual Institute programs to augment the virtual Institute, including training programs for corporate managers, internships and fellowships and others;
  
• Managing the annual EDF Innovations Review report;
  
• Coordinating with EDF's partnership project managers to translate partnership innovations into Institute tools and programs;
  
• Gathering user feedback and using it to improve the effectiveness of the Institute in achieving measurable environmental change and build new intellectual capital that augments EDF's reputation and impact in the corporate sector.
  
• Developing metrics and processes for measuring and communicating Institute results, both in terms of environmental outcomes and in terms of influence on corporate policies and actions.
  
• Developing innovative tools and systems for fostering collaboration between Institute members and engaging with entrepreneurs and investors to identify and promote funding for significant environmental innovations.
  
• Preparing and managing annual budgets for Institute development and upkeep, identifying opportunities to cultivate funders and developing fundraising strategies that promote the Institute vision and create excitement and buy-in from the funder community.

• An MBA or other graduate degree related to business, policy or technology; Web development, social media and content management skills a plus;
  
• A minimum of 10 years working in online community building, knowledge/project management, business strategy, marketing or a related discipline including specific experience working with major corporations;
  
• Demonstrated success at building new entrepreneurial initiatives, managing staff and achieving measurable results;
  
• An understanding and appreciation of the value of environmental protection and the opportunity for business to solve the environmental challenges of the future;
  
• Exceptional written and oral communication, and personal organization skills;
  
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced, dynamic and creative environment.

Environmental Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities and the physically-challenged are encouraged to apply.

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Environmental Defense Fund has a 20 year track record of success in partnering with business. To maintain its independence and credibility, EDF accepts no money from corporate partners; generous individuals and foundations fund its work. For more information, visit www.edf.org.

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