Climate and Energy Fellow (2024-2025)

Third Way is a national think tank that develops and champions modern, center-left ideas.

Third Way’s Climate and Energy Program is seeking a fellow to join a dynamic team engaged in an ambitious, multi-year effort to enact climate policies that will set the United States on the fastest, fairest path to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, using all of the carbon-free tools we have and inventing the ones we still need.

This position will be filled by a hard-working and entrepreneurial individual who is interested in applying a technical background and deep understanding of US energy systems toward creating federal energy policy. Fear not, we’ll bring the fellow up to speed on politics and the inner workings of Washington. The majority of the fellow’s time will be spent working within the Climate and Energy Program’s innovation portfolio, which focuses on ensuring the US gets the most out of its clean energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment efforts.

The Fellow will report to the Senior Policy Advisor for Innovation.

Fellowship Information

The Nancy Hale Fellows Program is a full-time, 12-month program that comes with a $60,000 annual stipend and two weeks paid vacation, plus healthcare and benefits. It also comes with the chance to meet with top Washington policy players; to co-author papers and work with our policy teams to produce new ideas, research, and insights; to learn our methodology; and to leverage our wide-ranging D.C. network into future career opportunities.

During your time at Third Way, you will learn skills in workflow management, leveraging polarities, meeting facilitation and participation, parallel thinking, dynamic presentation and communication, creativity, design thinking, networking, and interview skills.

Upon completion, our fellows find fulfilling work at other think tanks, congressional committees, private-sector firms, advocacy organizations, and the federal government. They take full advantage of Third Way’s ever-growing network of public policy professionals. If you are a future-oriented thinker and a policy wonk willing to listen and learn, we’d like you to join us.

Skills

The ideal candidate has:

• An interest in moderate politics and commitment to Third Way’s mission;
• An advanced degree (master’s or law) in a related field;
• The ability to take initiative on individual projects, but willingness to work collaboratively on a team;
• Strong research and technical skills, with a talent for knowing and telling the story a dataset demands;
• The ability to explain complicated concepts in a way that makes sense to policymakers;
• Diplomacy and discretion when dealing with external groups.

Duties

• Conducting in-depth research and quantitative analysis of a variety of sources, including online databases, media, and reports from the government, NGOs, and academia;
  
• Developing original legislative proposals and producing high-impact written products by distilling complex issues, often under tight deadlines, into succinct and accessible formats, including policy briefings, memos, and presentations;
  
• Organizing and participating in high-level external meetings, briefings on Capitol Hill, professional networking events, and other activities to promote Third Way policies;
  
• Presenting our research and policy ideas to Hill staff, advocates, think tanks, and academics both through individual and coalition meetings and in other events around D.C.; and
  
• Supporting other members of the team with research and minor administrative tasks as needed

Compensation

$60,000 annual stipend and two weeks paid vacation, plus healthcare and benefits.

The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree with a quantitative focus, preferably in a field of engineering, the hard sciences, or climate policy. While this position requires strong technical abilities, Third Way’s success relies on our ability to build relationships and communicate our message. Therefore, the Climate and Energy Fellow must be able to explain complicated concepts in a way that makes sense to the general public.

To engage and excite an audience, the Fellow will need to convey personality in their written and verbal communication – even when dealing with dense, data-heavy topics. Policy is all about solving problems, something that the ideal candidate enjoys and is good at. Creativity is a valuable skill at all stages of policy development, so the Climate and Energy Fellow must have the ability to identify and pursue opportunities that might not be visible to the average Joe. Finally, the fellow must have a deep commitment to fighting climate change, promoting clean energy, and furthering Third Way’s mission of representing Americans in the “vital center.”

Third Way is committed to the health, safety and wellness of all employees, candidates, stakeholders, and communities. In support of that commitment, all current and newly hired employees are required to provide proof of Covid-19 full vaccination. Proof of full vaccination status will be required after an offer of employment is extended and accepted. Failure to provide proof of full vaccination prior to the start date will result in the offer of employment being rescinded.

Third Way offers a flexible, hybrid work environment to support our employees’ healthy work\life balance. This position is based in Washington, DC, and Third Way’s in-office days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Third Way is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates, supports, and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable laws.