OPEN POSITIONS: 2026 Fellowship Associate (FA) - Energy Leadership
Position Description
The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) is hiring Fellowship Associates (FA), as limited hours, independent contractor positions, to support the 2026 CELI Fellowship and each of the 2026 CELI Fellowship cohorts.
Four positions are available that will support in-person cohorts in CA’s Bay Area (San Francisco), Washington, DC, New York City (Manhattan/Brooklyn), and Chicago (the Loop).
Title: CELI Fellowship Associate (FA) - Energy Leadership
Primary Location: Must be living in the United States.
In-Person Fellowship Associates (FA): 3 out of 10 hrs of work is performed in-person each week, with the other hours performed virtually. Generally, in-person sessions occur weekly on Wednesday evenings, from 5:30 - 8:30pm local time, in addition there will be in-person sessions on Saturday, September 19 and Thursday, December 3 that require mandatory attendance. Otherwise, the work is performed entirely online, with both synchronous and asynchronous responsibilities each week.
FAs supporting the in-person cohorts should be living within commuting distance to one of the following cities/metro areas: CA’s Bay Area (San Francisco), Washington, DC, New York City (Manhattan/Brooklyn), and Chicago (The Loop).
Reports To: Director of Energy Leadership
Application Deadline: Rolling - to be filled as soon as possible
Term: July 15 - December 15, 2026 (5 months total)
Work hours: Flexible work hours that can be successfully balanced with other responsibilities (e.g. graduate school); all weeks require 10 hrs of work a week; some weeks require 15 hrs a week during special events, approximately once a month. Includes, but is not limited to: 1-hr team check-ins once or twice a week (synchronously with CELI staff), weekly Wednesday evening sessions (5:30 - 8:30 pm local time for PT, CT, ET), four Tuesday evening sessions (6-7 pm ET; 5-6 pm PT) and maximum two weekend Saturdays (8 am - 5 pm) during July-December.
Compensation: Short-term, limited-time contractor position, $2,500 per month (5 mos).
CELI Website: cleanenergyleaders.org
LinkedIn: Clean Energy Leadership Institute | Instagram: @energyleaders | X: @Energy_Leaders
About CELI
The Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to creating a multiracial, diverse, and inclusive community of change-makers working across sectors and disciplines to drive an equitable, decarbonized, and resilient energy future. Through CELI’s programs, including the Fellowship for early- to mid-career professionals, CELI brings together many players in the clean energy ecosystem to take collective action towards our values. Fellowship Associates will become an integral part of the CELI network, building relationships with the CELI fellows, speakers, and volunteer alumni.
CELI equips emerging leaders with the skills and expertise to lead the transition to a clean energy economy. Since 2013, in partnership with our champions, CELI has trained over 1,600 emerging leaders across 900+ companies and organizations and has provided energy education to more than 6,250 professionals across the U.S. through our community programming.
Fellowship Associate - Energy Leadership
CELI is hiring Fellowship Associates to support our 2026 CELI Fellowships (click here to view the Curriculum-At-A-Glance). Each FA will be assigned to one of the fellowship cohorts.
On-boarding and training for the Fellowship Associate position will commence, virtually, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, and the position will close on Tuesday, December 15, 2026. The CELI 2026 Fellowship will be delivered from July 29 - December 3, 2026.
Between July 29 - December 3, the Fellowship cohort participants meet once a week to receive topical trainings from experts in the field and to engage in activities and exchange knowledge with their peers. Fellows will also have the option to meet about four times throughout the fellowship for one hour on Tuesday evenings to hear from a special guest speaker.
Each Fellowship Associate will be present with their cohort and help facilitate each session (either in-person or virtually). For the full program schedule, please visit CELI’s 2026 Curriculum-at-a-Glance page.
Fellowship Associates will support learning, community-building, and engagement within their assigned cohort. They will collaborate closely with CELI staff and our all-volunteer Leadership Team, and provide administrative and logistical support to ensure each session runs smoothly.
In-Person Fellowship Associate Role & Required In-Person Dates
CELI is hiring four in-person fellowship associates to support one of four separate, in-person cohorts in CA’s Bay Area (San Francisco), Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago. This position will report to the Director of Energy Leadership and will work closely with other Fellowship Associates, as well as with the Program Lead.
This position is a great fit for a graduate student working towards a degree in energy, sustainability, environmental justice, or a related field.
FAs will communicate closely with their cohort of fellows and prepare session materials (agendas, activities, Google Classroom, etc.) in advance of each session.
3 out of 10 hrs of work is performed in-person each week, with the other hours performed virtually. All weeks require 10 hrs of work a week; some weeks require 15 hrs a week during special events, approximately once a month. Includes, but is not limited to: 1-hr team check-ins once or twice a week (synchronously with CELI staff), weekly Wednesday evening sessions (5:30 - 8:30 pm local time for PT, CT, ET), four Tuesday evening sessions (6-7 pm ET; 5-6 pm PT) and maximum two weekend Saturdays (8 am - 5 pm) during July-December.
Generally, in-person sessions occur weekly on Wednesday evenings, from 5:30 - 8:30pm local time, in addition there will be one in-person Saturday session on 9/19, and one in-person Thursday session on 12/3; otherwise, the work is performed entirely online, with both synchronous and asynchronous responsibilities each week.
FAs supporting the in-person cohorts should be living within commuting distance to one of the following cities/metro areas: the Bay Area (San Francisco/Oakland), Washington, DC, New York City (Manhattan/Brooklyn), and Chicago (The Loop).
Team meetings and trainings will require virtual and synchronous participation (with CELI staff) each week for about two hours on most weeks, in addition to a few virtual Tuesday sessions with guest speakers, which FAs will coordinate virtually.
Please note that there are 26 weekly sessions with the Fellows. As part of this position, the FA is required to attend all 26, of which 14 will be held in-person. The planned in-person sessions include 7/29, 8/5, 8/12, 8/26, 9/2, 9/16 Saturday 9/19, 9/30, 10/7, 10/21, 10/28, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, and Thursday 12/3. For the full set of dates (including those delivered virtually as well as “in-person”), please view the Curriculum-At-A-Glance. Please note these dates may change slightly, but the FA and the fellows would have advanced notice. In-person FAs must commit to attend each of the in-person fellowship sessions.
Experience and Responsibilities
Fellowship Associates should have some experience facilitating teaching and learning, and they should bring exceptional interpersonal skills to their work. Experience working with volunteers from diverse backgrounds is welcome. Fellowship Associates will thrive in fast-paced environments and should be strong managers of many moving parts. Fellowship Associates will be expected to provide the highest quality of support to CELI’s volunteer Leadership Team in execution of the fellowship program, as well as to the participants (the Fellows). Fellowship Associates must be highly organized, detail-oriented, able to manage an email inbox well, and show up as reliable team players to be successful in this position.
Fellowship Associates will have a passion for driving learning about the clean energy ecosystem, climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience, and energy justice.
Fellowship Associates are invited to “audit” the Fellowship as they wish, as a “complementary” Fellow - for both teaching and learning purposes. We encourage Fellowship Associates to build relationships with Fellows, CELI alumni volunteers, and speakers.
Areas of responsibility include but are not limited to:
Assist with the execution of CELI’s flagship Fellowship program and take care of related logistical and administrative tasks;
Tracking data and maintaining CELI’s data systems across all aspects of the fellowship, including fellow participation, guest speakers, and program activities;
Opening, holding space and closing the fellowship sessions;
Reliably attend and support weekly Fellowship sessions, as listed in the Curriculum-At-A-Glance, including some Tuesdays, consistent Wednesdays, one Thursday, and Saturdays as indicated;
Work closely with the alumni volunteers, including the Leadership Team, the Module Leads, Curriculum Advisors, and all other CELI community members to deliver the best CELI experience possible;
Successfully manage informational flows, track of multiple work items, such as agendas, speaker confirmations, informational emails, calendar invites, Zoom meetings, attendance, and other details;
Liaise with weekly guest speakers;
Organize and disseminate weekly agendas and exercise materials on Google Classroom;
Monitor weekly session flow and ensure that the parties adhere to the meeting agenda;
Track attendance and capstone submissions;
Be prepared to facilitate weekly sessions in case the leadership team is not available;
Support Fellows during the weekly sessions, and, generally, work to create a strong cohort experience, including community-building;
Qualifications
Preferably pursuing a graduate-level course of study focused on clean energy, climate crisis mitigation, sustainability, energy justice or a related field.
Passionate about CELI’s mission of developing the next generation of clean energy leaders.
Extremely well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to self-manage deadlines and tasks.
Ability to work with a large number of diverse CELI volunteers.
Comfortable with public speaking
Advanced knowledge of different Zoom functions (breakout rooms, scheduling, screen share, recording) and Google Suite of Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.
Willingness to learn how to use Google Classroom and additional online platforms.
How To Apply
Submit the application that includes your resume detailing relevant experience for the position, as well as five short answer responses. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
While Fellowship Associates are selected based on established criteria—including demonstrated leadership, strong track records, and a clear commitment to service—inclusion, belonging, access, and equity also remain central to CELI’s mission. We therefore strongly encourage professionals that identify as People of Color, LGBTQIA+, women, those from communities harmed by environmental injustice, persons with disabilities, and other individuals from underrepresented demographics to apply.
CELI does not discriminate based upon race/ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other characteristics.
Submit any questions via email to celi@cleanenergyleaders.org.