Petrochemical production (ranging from plastics to agrochemicals, and their chemical precursors) has become the fossil fuel industry’s lifeline to buoy demand for its products and sustain its profits. Together with the program’s leadership and other relevant staff at CIEL, the Attorney will drive our work to confront the expansion of the petrochemicals sector and curtail the proliferation of false climate solutions that threaten to extend and deepen our fossil fuel dependence at a moment of converging planetary crises. With a primary focus on the US and Europe, this position will 1) research and develop internal understandings of various regulatory regimes – national (US and European) and international – governing or relevant to the fossil fuel, carbon capture and petrochemicals sectors; 2) develop and support high-impact strategies for legal and campaign approaches for engaging with such regulatory systems; and 3) lead on interventions such as permit challenges, administrative comments, or other administrative or legal filings.

This is a two-year contract; continuation is dependent on available grant funding.

This position may be based in a variety of locations including:

• In our Washington, DC office or remotely elsewhere in the United States (some states/jurisdictions excluded)
• In our Geneva, Switzerland office, or remotely in Switzerland
• Remotely from a non-US, non-Swiss country - due to restrictions, not all countries will be eligible for remote hiring

CIEL is unable to sponsor work visas and requires that applicants have authorization to work in their proposed location.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis; the first application review will take place on February 11, 2026. Desired start date: As soon as able. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and any other required materials or responses. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Minimum Qualifications:

• J.D. or equivalent degree with 2 years of relevant experience in a legal role.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely, and in accordance with standards for legal submissions.
• Knowledge of US law and familiarity with EU legal systems, and the ability to quickly navigate new legal and regulatory frameworks, including in the US, Europe, and at UN or other international fora.
• Demonstrated ability to distill key messages from technical information and translate them to different audiences and on different platforms.
• Ability to oversee and deliver multiple priorities by target dates and perform a wide variety of tasks over the course of the workday.
• Ability to work both separately and collaboratively, in close coordination across teams.
• Comfort admitting what you don’t know and recognizing that seeking and receiving feedback is part of the learning process.
• Awareness of how your words and actions affect others, openness to and respect for others’ perspectives.
• Able to travel occasionally for periods of up to 2 weeks
• Professional spoken and written proficiency in English

Moer details: https://cielorg.bamboohr.com/careers/122