*This is a remote work-from home position until further notice, at which point the employee will report to work in the office.
Position Summary
Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director of Political Voice (“Director”) is charged with the overall management of the program area including fund development, fiscal oversight, staff supervision, policy and advocacy initiatives, program development, partnership building, and external relations. The Director will need to be a strategic thinker, able to gain ground when opportunities present themselves, a visionary on behalf of communities of color, and a strong communicator internally with staff and APCA leaders, as well as with external partners and stakeholders. The successful candidate will oversee a diverse, multi-disciplinary staff who provide policy analyses and engage in advocacy campaigns that address racial disparities in political participation and government responsiveness. The position requires an understanding of a broad range of democracy reform issues and how to run community-engaged legislative/advocacy campaigns.
Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to
• Directly supervise, oversee, and support Political Voice staff and operations on a day-to-day basis. Provide work planning and professional development support to staff executing project deliverables and ensure the highest quality.
• Set and implement strategic goals for the program area in line with Political Voice’s theory of change.
• Support staff with policy and advocacy plan development on democracy reform initiatives in state and local settings.
• Research and integrate emerging trends in democracy reform and best practices in ensuring the development of diverse community-based organizations.
• Work with the Managing Director to develop and implement annual program budget. Ensure the program area is running efficiently and effectively while staying within budgetary guidelines.
• Facilitate programmatic coordination with other APCA staff to ensure high quality and effective work products.
• Engage and represent the organization and program area to a wide range of stakeholders, including research, philanthropic, advocacy, and community-based organizations, as well as elected officials and other decision-makers.
• Stay up to date on political engagement and community power-building issues.
• Stay up to date on shifts in the political and community-based organizational landscapes.
• Embody the organization’s core values and ensure Political Voice staff and programmatic efforts are in alignment with APCA’s vision and theory of change.
• Serve as a member of the Leadership Team.
Team Development/Management
• Recruit and manage an appropriate team to promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach on a consistent basis.
• Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign duties, set objectives, establish priorities, and conduct performance reviews.
General Duties
• Support organization-wide planning, development, and communication activities as needed and ensure adherence to APCA’s goals and policies.
• Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function assigned satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Sincere and demonstrated commitment to advancing social, economic and/or racial justice progress for the highest-need communities.
• 10 plus years of experience working in the democracy reform or related social justice field, ideally with at least five years in a leadership role.
• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree in public policy, law, or the social sciences preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job duties may be considered.
• Successful track record of fund development from a diverse array of funding sources, and maintenance of programmatic budget.
• Demonstrated success building coalitions/partnerships with community groups representing a wide range of racial and ethnic communities.
• Deep understanding of and experience with racial and economic justice frameworks, the decennial census, redistricting, election systems, and public participation systems within government decision-making processes.
• Solid knowledge base of democracy reform policy and advocacy strategies, and a deep understanding of opportunities to transform political systems in ways that facilitate the participation of high-need communities of color.
• Direct experience working with legislative and administrative sources of influence.
• Experience working with community-based research, innovative technologies, and GIS mapping as part of advocacy campaigns.
• Strong presentation skills including skills for a variety of audiences (e.g., community partners, academics, policymakers, philanthropists, the general public, supervisees, teammates) and experience presenting to large audiences.
• Demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage and delegate to technical staff with expertise in a variety of disciplines.
• Demonstrated track record of successful project and staff management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a small team setting.
• Flexibility to adjust and contribute to continually evolving work situation and changing priorities.
• Excellent computer skills, proficient with MS Office applications.
• Excellent organizational skills with demonstrated ability to execute projects on-time and on-budget.
• Must be able to travel locally and statewide. Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, APCA staff are working from home and not traveling at this time. This qualification will be effective once it is safe to travel.
Competitive compensation depending on experience. Includes full health, dental and retirement benefits.
To Apply
Please email with subject “PV Director Application” and cover letter, resume and a policy-related writing sample in one PDF attachment titled last_name_first_name_pvdirector.pdf (e.g., Jimenez_Jorge_pvdirector.pdf) to:
Director of Human Resources, Finance and Administration
hr@advanceproj.org
Advancement Project is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive staff team. We strongly encourage applicants who are people of color, LGBTQ, women, people with disabilities; and/or formerly incarcerated people.