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Director, Legal + Energy & Environment

This position is a policy-focused attorney ready to support the Association’s energy, environmental, and regulatory policy work, with a particular emphasis on vehicle emissions, clean energy transition, chemical regulation, and federal and state rulemaking. The Director, Legal plays a key role in anticipating, analyzing and responding to energy and environmental legal and policy developments affecting the Association and its members and managing any related litigation. The Director will also provide legal guidance across a broad range of issues including regulatory and legislative matters, compliance, and member engagement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Energy, Environmental & Regulatory Policy

  • Anticipate, monitor, and analyze federal and state energy and environmental legal and policy developments, including vehicle emissions regulations, low- and zero-emission vehicle programs, Clean Air Act Section 177 state adoption of California requirements, and related compliance and implementation issues.
  • Track and assess regulatory and legislative initiatives to identify potential legal, policy, and business impacts on the industry and Association members.
  • Develop, coordinate, and help articulate Association positions on energy, environmental, and climate-related regulatory and legislative issues.

Advocacy & Policy Development

  • Prepare and deliver high-quality written and oral advocacy materials, including regulatory comments, white papers, presentations, testimony, guidance documents, and member communications.
  • Support engagement in federal and state rulemaking and legislative processes, including participation in public meetings, workshops, and stakeholder convenings.
  • Maintain a thorough understanding of industry, technology, and policy trends relevant to emissions, clean transportation, infrastructure, incentives, and consumer adoption.

Member, Agency & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Develop and maintain strong, positive, and constructive relationships with member companies, trade associations, non-government organizations, and relevant federal, state, and local agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and other state environmental regulators.
  • Serve as a legal and policy resource to member working groups, committees, and task forces; help manage meetings and facilitate consensus among members with diverse perspectives.
  • Routinely interact with regulators, policymakers, and external stakeholders to advance Association priorities and ensure member views are effectively represented.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Communicate and coordinate energy and environmental policy positions with internal teams, including communications, federal affairs, state affairs, and legal colleagues.
  • Provide legal and policy analysis to support public messaging, advocacy strategies, and member outreach.

Legal & Compliance Support

  • Advise on legal considerations related to advocacy activities, including administrative law, antitrust, ethics, and lobbying compliance applicable to trade associations.
  • Support the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel on governance, contracts, and other legal matters as needed, with an understanding of the policy context.

Additional Responsibilities

  • Travel within the United States as needed to support meetings, advocacy efforts, and member engagement.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Required

  • Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
  • Admission to practice law in Washington, D.C., (in good standing).
  • Approximately 3–5 years of relevant experience in energy, environmental, regulatory, or government policy (including experience at a trade association, government agency, law firm, or in-house).
  • Familiarity with federal and state regulatory rulemaking and legislative processes.
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret legislative and regulatory initiatives and assess their impact on industry.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience preparing policy comments and running meetings or workgroups.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.

Preferred

  • Experience with vehicle emissions, clean transportation, energy, or environmental regulations, including low- and zero-emission vehicle programs.
  • Experience working with or engaging the California Air Resources Board (CARB), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE), or comparable agencies.
  • Prior experience in a trade association or member-driven organization.
  • Advanced degree in engineering or a related technical field.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and comfort learning association-specific systems and tools.

To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base pay ranges for all US-based job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function, level, and country location, benchmarked against similar-stage growth companies. The anticipated salary range for this position at Director level is $175,000 to $200,000. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate location, skills, depth of work experience, and relevant licenses/credentials, and may vary from the range listed. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, medical benefits, 401(k) plan, and other company perk programs.

At Alliance for Automotive Innovation, we are committed to hiring diverse talent of different backgrounds and as such, it is important to us to provide an inclusive work environment for all. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran or disability status, or any other protected class. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply.

Please send resume to: hr@autosinnovate.org

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