Staff Attorney – Beijing, China

Organization: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Position Title: Staff Attorney

Location:  Beijing, China

Hours & Compensation: Full-time. Competitive compensation.

Organization Overview:

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a non-profit, non-governmental environmental organization established in 1970 in New York. We are headquartered in New York City and have offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montana, and Beijing, China. Backed by more than 1.3 million members and online supporters, NRDC’s staff of over 400 environmental experts, lawyers and policy analysts work to protect the world’s environment for the benefit of public health, through science, policy research and advocacy, law, and public education. In China, NRDC has collaborated with many government agencies, research institutes, and industrial and civil society partners to promote energy efficiency, green buildings, clean energy technology development, sustainable urban development, corporate responsible sourcing, and environmental laws and regulations.

Description: 

We are looking for a Staff Attorney to work in our China Environmental Law team on helping advance China’s environmental law and regulations and their implementation. The Staff Attorney will be based in Beijing and a member of the China Program. He/she shall report to the Director of China Environmental Law Project.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement strategies and initiatives for improving environmental rule of law and environmental governance in China.
• Manage projects aimed to support the development of an environmental public interest litigation system in China, including conducting research, collaborating with local partners, writing papers and blogs, organizing workshops and study tours, and holding conversations with policy makers, etc.
• Work with project partners on the development of China’s environmental legislation and implementation thereof, and provide technical assistance to Chinese stakeholders through the introduction of international experience and the assessment of their possible implementation to China.
• Maintain strong connections and build ties with project partners and contacts in government, academia, civil society, and other areas.
• Conduct researches on environmental policies, laws and regulations.
• Represent NRDC in the media conference and the general public through press interviews, posting blogs and preparing other communication materials.
• Carry out project monitoring and evaluation, and prepare M & E reports.
• Drafting proposals, project progress reports and other project documents.

Qualifications:

• Deep understanding of China’s environmental challenges and judicial system.
• In-depth knowledge of Chinese and U.S. environmental law.
• Excellent research, analytical, writing, communications, and organizational skills.
• High fluency in oral and written English and Chinese.
• Ability to work with environmental agencies, NGOs, academics or other key players in environmental law, health and governance.
• Ability to work well with colleagues; strong sense of team spirit.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize tasks to meet project deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to nonprofit/public interest advocacy.
• Advanced training and degree(s) in both Chinese and US/international laws.
• Three to five years of relevant work experience.