State Organizing and Legislative Coordinator, Movement Building

Title: State Organizing and Legislative Coordinator, Movement Building

Location: New York, New York

Type: Full-time

Department: Public Policy

Supervisor: Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives

Last Day to Apply: Applications will be reviewed immediately and will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization of people who believe the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. In its vision of the future, individuals will not be punished simply for what they put into their bodies, only for harm done to others. DPA fights for drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights and seeks to promote dialogue on cutting-edge drug policy issues around the country. Its work spans issues from ending marijuana prohibition and promoting more honest and effective drug education to reducing the many harms of drug use and drug laws. DPA works to ensure that our nation's drug policies no longer arrest, incarcerate, disenfranchise and otherwise harm millions of nonviolent people, especially people of color.

DPA's work encompasses a wide array of policy issues, including:

• Sentencing reform and alternatives to incarceration
• Harm reduction (HIV, hepatitis C and overdose prevention)
• Ending marijuana prohibition, marijuana decriminalization, medical marijuana
• Drug education, youth and drugs
• Race and the drug war
• Effective drug treatment
• Civil liberties and rights
• International drug control
• Alternatives to prohibition and pragmatic steps for ending the drug war

In the last 14 years, DPA has expanded from its New York headquarters to include eight offices, 60 plus staff, an annual operating budget of approximately $12 million, 35,000 dues-paying members and more than 250,000 online subscribers. It has a solid track record of success at the local, state, and federal levels and consistent visibility in prominent media and policy circles. (For more information, see www.drugpolicy.org)

The Movement Building Team

DPA's Movement Building Team, based in New York, works to extend the reach of DPA's advocacy to new states and constituencies, and works with grassroots organizations around the country to build the movement for drug policy reform. Our goal is not simply to pass drug policy reform legislation, but to do so while increasing the numbers of activists and advocacy groups that view drug policy reform as essential to their own organizing or advocacy.

The Position

The State Organizing and Legislative Coordinator in the Drug Policy Alliance's Movement Building department reports to the Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives, and works with allied state-based advocates and DPA staff largely on legislative strategies to advance drug policy reform, serving as a conduit between state-based advocates and DPA's expertise and resources..

Broad responsibilities include:

• Preparing drug policy reform landscape analyses and strategy in DPA priority states and nationally, including tracking legislation, elected leadership and grassroots organizations to find opportunities for DPA to help advance drug policy reform.
• Working with DPA partners and allies on legislative and other reform efforts in various states, providing campaign planning and support.
• Cultivating relationships with state and local elected officials around the country and building the presence of legislators in the drug policy reform movement.
• Online organizing, working with organizers across movements and constituencies.
• Development of advocacy materials for policymakers and advocacy partners, including briefing books, fact sheets, and information packets.
• Convening stakeholder meetings, facilitating communication between people and organizations doing parallel or intersecting work across the country.
• Evaluating campaign/advocacy best practices and disseminating them among advocates nationwide.
• Facilitating the sharing of DPA resources, including staff expertise, with allies working on drug policy reform throughout the country.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Use CQ Statetrack and other services to track the status of drug-related state legislation; keep colleagues, DPA partners and others informed of the status of important state legislation.
• Prepare state profiles and other documents setting out opportunities for DPA to advance drug policy reform in non-resident states.
• Reach out to and cultivate relationships with movement allies, supportive elected officials and others with an eye to connecting advocates to each other; serve as the "connector" between advocates around the country on drug policy reform issues.
• Work with state-based advocates to develop legislative and other strategies to advance drug policy reform.
• As a member of the Movement Building team, work to ensure that DPA's national efforts are coordinated between DPA allies, partners, DPA's Office of National Affairs (ONA) and state-based DPA staff
• Work with DPA Policy and Communications staff to facilitate staff support of allies' efforts in various states
• Draft fact sheets, sign-on letters and other materials;
• Research policy issues;
• Recruit, train and manage a group of interns to track legislation and help with administrative tasks;
• Set up partner meetings for Movement Building staff, plan events, perform administrative tasks as needed;
• Participate in partners meetings, policy meetings, and other meetings as required;
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• Excellent writing, analytic, and verbal communication skills.
• At least four years working in a campaign, policy, organizing or advocacy environment.
• Familiarity and experience with the state legislative process.
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, creativity, curiosity and a good sense of humor.
• Ability to build and cultivate relationships with people and organizations of various orientations and backgrounds.
• Ability to be a self-starter and to be extremely detail-oriented.
• Ability to work under pressure, meeting quick deadlines while juggling multiple projects.
• Demonstrated knowledge of, and commitment to, issues DPA addresses, including racial justice.
• High degree of proficiency with standard office applications such as Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint, and with CRM databases.
• Experience in community-based organizing or legislative advocacy preferred.
• Familiarity/facility with social media a plus.
• Spanish language skills a plus.
• A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent.