Climate Justice Fellow at Unitarian Universalist Assoc of Congregations.

Updated: December 1, 2024

Title: Climate Justice Fellow

Staff Group: Organizing Strategy Team

Reports To: Climate Justice Strategist

Location: Open*

Job Category: Temporary, March 2026- June 2026 with possibility of extension

Hours/Week: 19

* Location is open in the continental United States. You should have easy access to a major airport due to the occasional travel requirements of this position.

Purpose

To support the Four Intersectional Priorities of the Organizing Strategy Team by developing and implementing coaching supports and strategies for congregations engaged in the Green Sanctuary 2030 process and the UU Climate Justice Revivals and provide administrative assistance to the supervisor.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Work closely with the Climate Justice Strategist, the Climate Justice Fellow will support the assessment of congregational needs to integrate faith-rooted climate justice in meaningful, appropriate, and impactful ways with grounding in the contexts of oppression in their area.
2. Support the Green Sanctuary 2030 program, including assisting in the recruitment of congregations, supporting participating congregations, updating materials, data management, and processing recognition requests.
3. Provide coaching, spiritual support, training and resources for UUs transforming their congregations through climate justice.
4. Support congregations participating in the UU Climate Justice Revival with technical assistance, team building supports, training, resources, and spiritual guidance.
5. Engage in planning and implementing ongoing Climate Justice programming.
6. Work with individuals and groups in congregations on climate justice through collaborative coaching, shared leadership, and mutual supports.
7. Engage in regular needs assessments of congregational climate justice leaders, teams and other UU constituents, and use the information gathered to help design new workshops, training programs, and study resources to meet such needs.

1. Assist with publishing, promoting, and posting about Create Climate Justice, Green Sanctuary 2030, and UU Climate Justice Revival actions via CCJ emails, blogs, and social media.
2. Provide institutional support for climate justice at the UUA.
3. Performs other duties as requested by Supervisor, Staff Group Director, the Vice Presidents, or the President.

Qualifications

This is a non-exempt position with an hourly midpoint of $23. Compensation may vary based on factors such as experience, qualifications, and geographical location, with offers potentially ranging from 10-15% higher or lower than the midpoint. Priority will be given to applications received in January. Note that qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, and/or formal or informal training. Requirements include:

• Seminary or graduate school student preparing for career in UU social justice ministry.
• Climate justice organizing experience strongly preferred.
• Excellent skills in building and maintaining relationships. Experience working with ministers, faith leaders, congregations, and coalitions.
• Skilled in delivering public presentations, including the use of tools such as PowerPoint.
• Is an effective communicator, writer, and presenter in face-to-face and virtual contexts.
• Is a thoughtful and engaged team player and is skilled at conflict transformation.
• Respects continuous learning for self, colleagues, and UU leaders.
• Ability to design and facilitate trainings for a range of experience levels and different constituencies.
• Experience with learning, monitoring, and evaluation methods.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Must be able to work independently and be highly self-motivated, demonstrate creative problem-solving and excellent professional judgment, possess resiliency and ability to work in a rapidly changing and fast-paced environment.
• Experience using CRM volunteer management databases and spreadsheet data management strongly preferred.
• Computer proficiency, especially in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and computer proficiency is essential, especially in the Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook. Virtual meetings are the norm.

• Occasional travel is required.
• Work or lived experience with communities of color or indigenous peoples is of particular value.
• Eagerness to work in an organization in which the dismantling of white supremacy is a high priority.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and a solid working knowledge of Unitarian Universalism or other liberal religious tradition.
• Understanding of issues around anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism 
• Work or lived experience with BIPOC communities is of particular value 
• Eagerness to work in an organization in which the dismantling of white supremacy is a high priority

How to Apply

People with disabilities, people of color, indigenous people, Hispanic/Latinx, and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply. The UUA is committed to developing a diverse and talented staff team. If you are excited about this role, but are unsure whether you meet 100% of the requirements, we encourage you to inquire and/or apply. Please submit your resume and cover letter via our applicant portal (ADP WorkforceNow) on uua.org/jobs. If you have any questions, please reach out to careers@uua.org.

About the UUA

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive religious denomination headquartered in Boston’s waterfront Fort Point Innovation District. Our faith community of more than 1,000 self-governing congregations brings to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance, and social justice. Our normal workweek is 35 hours, we pay 80% contribution towards health insurance premiums, 10% towards retirement (after one year), and have generous paid time-off policies. We are a great place to work, and we value diversity. The UUA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all. As part of this commitment, the UUA will ensure that applicants and staff with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Department of Human Resources at careers@uua.org. For more information on the UUA, visit us online at UUA.org and uuworld.org.

Support for the Mission and Values of the Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive and historic religious denomination. All UUA staff members are expected to perform their job duties in accordance with the UUA’s values, principles, and mission. Unitarian Universalism puts love at the center of our commitments, which embrace the Shared Values of justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, pluralism and generosity. The following points drawn from these Shared Values are of particular importance for the UUA’s work environment and staff culture:

• Pluralism and generosity: We affirm the need for a human-centered workplace that allows our diverse staff to flourish. We also understand that our wider culture and society oppresses and denies human dignity, and we seek to counter the effects of that oppression in our hiring and workplace culture so that each person feels whole and valued.
• Justice and equity: We speak openly and publicly of our support for social and political issues, including LGBTQ equity, racial justice, climate justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice.
• Interdependence and transformation: We recognize that the liberation of all people is interwoven, and we work to counter patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, environmental exploitation, and other interrelated systems of marginalization.