Deputy Director, California (Campaigns Department)

Heavy industry is the foundation of modern society. We need materials like cement, steel, and aluminum more than ever to rebuild our bridges and roads, construct wind and solar projects, and manufacture electric vehicles and heat pumps that will undergird our future. But industry needs a second revolution. For as much as industry made the middle class and ushered in a remarkable era of prosperity for many, it also threatens our climate, reinforces environmental racism, wastes valuable materials and energy, and leaves communities and workers behind.

At Industrious Labs, our mission is to set into motion unstoppable policies, people power, and analysis to make a triple impact on climate, justice, and jobs that drastically reduce dangerous emissions, and make industry accountable to communities and workers.

California is on the front lines of the industrial transformation. From the food we grow to the consumer goods we manufacture, the decisions made in California's legislative and regulatory arenas shape outcomes for communities, workers, and the climate and set the tone for the nation.

Industrious Labs is seeking a strategic, entrepreneurial Deputy Director to help lead campaigns to transform California's manufacturing base in support of union jobs, justice, and climate. A major and early priority for this role will be our green fertilizer campaign. California provides over one-fourth of the nation's food supply, and every season, farmers rely on hundreds of thousands of tons of ammonia fertilizers imported from overseas, produced using dirty fossil fuels. Reliance on dirty imports makes California food production vulnerable to volatile prices, hinders economic development and family-sustaining jobs, and unnecessarily contributes to global climate change and hazardous air emissions. We're working to onshore a distributed, green fertilizer industry in California - one powered by clean electricity, supporting good jobs and local economic development, and giving farmers a reliable, local supply while reducing overapplication.

Industrious Labs is fully remote, and you'll report to California Director Teresa Cheng. This public-facing role best suits someone based in California with deep knowledge of the local landscape and strong existing relationships.

You'll hold responsibilities that will evolve over time as the team grows and functions are distributed. This role spans interconnected campaign areas - green fertilizer, affordable, clean electricity access, and industrial clean heat -with the fertilizer campaign as the primary focus in the near term.

During your first year, we anticipate a push to move forward at least one pilot project on the fertilizer campaign, as well as administrative advocacy to develop a state policy roadmap to phase out fossil-based fertilizer. Across all issue areas, responsibilities include:

Coalition Building

• →Recruit and build aligned and powerful coalitions of labor, community, local economic development organizations, farmers, environmental justice advocates, and more, with a shared vision of transforming industry for climate, jobs, and justice.
• →Assess the landscape across issue areas, identify strengths, current players, and gaps, and engage key leaders, organizations, and industry partners.
• →Collaborate in developing comprehensive campaign plans and engage key partners in strategy development to build institutional buy-in for campaign goals.
• →Develop policy platforms and build the case with the Governor's office and key stakeholders.
• →Build new organizational relationships and alliances that reflect our values and priorities around equity, diversity, and environmental justice.

Strategy Development & Implementation

• →Engage in direct advocacy in agency settings, including participating in agency working groups, submitting comments, and lobbying meetings.
• →Serve as a spokesperson for Industrious Labs.
• →Stay apprised of industry trends, policy developments, and technology innovations that will inform campaign trajectories.
• →Provide briefs and analysis of these developments for partner organizations and funders.
• →Support fundraising and program budget management in partnership with the Administrative Department and senior staff.

Research and Education

• →Work with colleagues and external consultants/allies to understand the cost structure of green fertilizer, from renewable energy generation to ammonia production and transport.
• →Characterize the economic benefits and risks of transforming the fertilizer industry, including job creation and tax revenue for local governments, farming practices, and the existing political economy of ammonia.
• →Translate initial interest and intrigue into palpable excitement and momentum that can overcome the inertia of the current system.

You’re committed to Industrious Labs’ mission and values, with the leadership chops and entrepreneurial spirit to build a meaningful new campaign from scratch. You’re a strategic thinker, strong collaborator, and skilled campaigner who can work across lines of difference and lead with humility and purpose.

• →Comfort in a matrixed work environment and skill with cross-functional collaboration.
• →Scrappiness and resourcefulness, with a bias toward action and a “figure it out” mindset.
• →Entrepreneurial spark - you’ve built things before and thrive in fast-moving, dynamic environments where you don’t have all the answers.
• →You’ve got opinions, not an ego – you’re someone who can lead big, inspiring projects and still laugh at your own typos.

These are shared across all roles at Industrious Labs:

• Deep alignment with our mission, values, and goals.
• Highly collaborative work style and service as a peer and thought partner.
• Commitment to learning, curiosity, and personal growth.
• Strong communication skills — able to break down complex issues into clear strategies and decisions.
• Excited by the unknown and eager to build.
• Proven leadership and commitment to equity, transparency, and team culture.
• Demonstrated experience working across lines of race, class, gender, and geography.
• Skill within a dynamic, fast-paced environment and moving between solo efforts and teamwork.
• Openness to giving and receiving compassionate, direct feedback.

We believe diversity isn’t just a value — it’s essential to solving the climate crisis. If you’re excited by this job, even if your experience doesn’t match every bullet point, we hope you apply. We welcome candidates from a range of backgrounds and with skills that may be transferable. Industrious Labs is an equal-opportunity employer committed to equity in hiring, advancement, and workplace culture. If you need accommodations during the application process, contact Heather Beckford at heather@industriouslabs.org.  

Please submit a resume and cover letter that answers the following:

1. What attracted you to this position?
2. How do you describe power? How have you built power with others?
3. Have you led or contributed to a successful advocacy campaign in California? Briefly tell us the story and your role.

We will also ask you to please summarize your answers to these questions in the job application, in addition to addressing your points in the cover letter.

A Note About Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Please provide your original thoughts and ideas in your cover letter and answers to our questions. We hope to understand how you think your experience may contribute to being successful at Industrious Labs! Your authentic and unique perspective is important to us. We value this opportunity to gain an understanding of your independent thoughts without the use of artificial input or search tools.  

We understand that your resume may have been built or developed with AI; however, your resume should represent your qualifications and skills accurately. Otherwise, the of the use of AI in our hiring process, including responses to interview questions, thought exercises or writing prompts, may disqualify your candidacy. 

This position is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting immediately. The process typically includes a phone screen, panel interviews, and a thought exercise. Our searches usually take 3-4 months. The incumbent in this position must be eligible to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.