Commission Shift is a fast-growing Texas-based 501(c)3 non-profit founded in March 2021. Our mission is to reform oil and gas oversight by building public support to hold the Railroad Commission of Texas accountable to its mission in a shifting energy landscape.
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is one of the most important oil and gas regulators in the world. Contrary to what its name implies, the Railroad Commission has no authority over railroads. Instead, the agency oversees oil and gas development, coal and uranium mining, and gas utility service in Texas, among other functions. Its mission is to serve Texas through stewardship of natural resources and the environment, concern for personal and community safety, and support of enhanced development and economic vitality for the benefit of Texans.
Too often, the Commission has promoted accelerated development of oil and gas over all other parts of its mission — to the detriment of natural resources and the environment, safety, and economic vitality.
Commission Shift’s goal is to build broad public support from a wide array of stakeholder voices to advance changes at the RRC that improve the agency’s function, transparency, and accountability to people and places impacted by the oil and gas industry. Our vision is for these changes at the RRC to support an energy transition in Texas that benefits the climate while fostering consumer protection and choice, public engagement, transparent government, a clean environment, a stable workforce and an economically diverse and resilient economy.
Throughout 2021, we published a drumbeat of reports and stories that detailed the profound leadership deficits of the current Railroad Commission in order to pressure the agency to better steward Texas’ natural resources and address the economic impact of declining oil and gas development. In 2022, we participated in key rulemakings and comment periods on weatherization of the natural gas supply chain, carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS), and orphaned oil and gas wells. Our work has been cited in national, state, and local media outlets, including but not limited to Bloomberg News, Texas Monthly, and the Houston Chronicle. Our focus areas include ethics, public participation, winter preparedness, and orphaned wells.
Commission Shift is planning to hire two Policy Managers, who will serve as subject matter experts on two or more focus areas related to our mission including, but not limited to: CCUS, orphaned wells, oil and gas waste disposal, ethics, campaign finance, public participation and language accessibility.
The Policy Managers will report to the Deputy Director and will collaborate with the organizing team, communications team, and research consultants to develop key strategies and policy positions for the organization. The role of the Policy Managers will be to develop a deep understanding of their designated focus areas, analyze current regulatory frameworks through a variety of social lenses (e.g. environmental, racial/ethnic, poverty, urban/rural, language access), and develop policy recommendations that center and respond to the needs of impacted communities.
These individuals will attend virtual and in-person meetings at the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Texas Legislature, and other agencies as needed. They will also interact with relevant stakeholders and coalitions to better understand the issues and develop strategies and recommendations.
The ideal candidate will have some combination of the following qualifications, but does not need to meet all of the following criteria.
Send a resume (no more than two pages) and cover letter to Dr. Maria Reyes, mreyes@commissionshift.org with the subject “Policy Manager Application.” Prepare to provide two professional references and a writing sample upon request. The writing sample could be a policy report, speech/testimony, an opinion article, comments on a rulemaking, or other similar document.
Applicants with a nontraditional career path or gaps in employment are encouraged to share knowledge, strengths, or skills they developed during this nontraditional experience in their cover letter, if desired.
Commission Shift believes that corporate and institutional bad behavior disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people in society — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with disabilities. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. We strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of marginalized communities that are not listed here.
Commission Shift is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.