California Director

About the Position:

Local Progress and the Impact Lab are seeking a California Director with a track record of organizing, base and coalition building to support our ever-growing work in California, including training and facilitation, strategic campaigning, fundraising, staff management and supervision.

Working as part of a Membership and Organizing team, the California Director will be working in deep collaboration and coordination with the current California Coordinator to strengthen the organizing infrastructure in the state. Additionally, the California Director will also be responsible for envisioning and building out our statewide strategy, which involves membership recruitment and engagement, and identifying and cultivating relationships and buy-in from key allies, organizational partners and funders. The California Director will supervise and support the development of Membership and Organizing Team members.

The ideal candidate for this job is someone with a track record of relational organizing, developing leaders, and bringing people across diverse backgrounds and opinions together in coalition to shift the material conditions of our communities. We’re looking for a strategic thinker who also pays attention to details and knows how to build systems to reduce redundancies, and increase efficiency by creating tools to produce high quality work. Other key qualifications include strong supervision, fundraising and funder cultivation experience and a keen interest in transformational policy and organizing at the municipal level.

The California Director will report to the Organizing Director.

Location: This is a remote position with no in-office requirement. However the candidate must live in California, with a preference for Northern California.

Primary Responsibilities:

Support Local Progress and the Impact Lab’s work in maintaining the California State Chapter and lead the development of a Statewide strategy:

• Statewide Strategy: Spreadhead the exploration, development and implementation of a statewide strategy, building an organizing and governance infrastructure to grow and strengthen membership, and support and mobilize local electeds across the state. Represent Local Progress, the Impact Lab, and the state chapter in statewide coalitions, campaigns, and other strategic tables.
• Membership recruitment, organizing and support. Expand and strengthen the Local Progress California-based membership, including creating and implementing a strategy to continue to both recruit new members and increase engagement of existing members across the state. Provide and facilitate policy, communications and campaigns support to Local Progress members.
• Partnerships & Collaborative Governance: Identify and cultivate deep, long-term relationships and buy-in from key allies, state and local partners, labor and funders in California to align on shared priorities and collaborate by establishing Local Progress as a trusted and strong coalition partner that helps strategize, launch and coordinate trans-local and statewide campaigns.
• Leadership Development: Collaborate across Local Progress teams to plan, design, and execute robust local and statewide leadership development initiatives that equip California members to govern effectively, lead with equity, and organize for impact.

Support Local Progress and the Impact Lab’s national work:

• Cross-team collaboration: Collaborate across Local Progress teams to support organizational activities and infrastructure including caucuses, state chapter activities, Progressive Governance Academy, Progressive Governance Labs, reports, convenings, web products, etc.
• Supervision: Supervise up to 3 members of the organizing team and help develop a culture of excellent supervision and staff development within Local Progress and the Impact Lab.
• Fundraising: Lead a fundraising portfolio with an assigned annual fundraising goal, cultivating new and maintaining existing relationships and identifying new funding opportunities.
• Policy & Program support: Supporting national projects (policy, organizing or campaign related).

Required Qualifications

• Must reside in California, with a preference for Northern California
• 7-10+ years of organizing, strategic campaigning, and/or advocacy experience.
• 3+ years of demonstrated success in supervising staff working across a breadth of issues and functions.
• 3-5 years of demonstrated history of success in fundraising
• Experience in relational organizing and an ability to relate to and move to action a diverse group of people from a variety of local contexts and backgrounds, including in a virtual setting.
• A background and skill set in designing membership-based and/or issue-based organizing strategies.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects, create and execute organizing work plans, anticipate obstacles and identify ways to navigate challenges, identify and involve stakeholders appropriately, and drive projects independently.
• A commitment to inside/outside strategy and movement governance that features deep partnership between “outside” organizing and “inside” elected officials.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep interest in local policy, politics, and government.
• Ambition, drive, energy, and the ability to work flexible, long hours when necessary and travel (approximately 1-2x per month up to 6 days a month).

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Experience in leading and managing multi-stakeholder coalitions.
• Previous experience working with elected officials.

We operate on a four day workweek with a default schedule of Monday through Thursday. We have a generous benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, five weeks of vacation per year, 20 sick days per year, paid holidays, and contributions to individuals’ 403(b) plans. The Local Progress office is closed between December 24 and January 1 annually.

This is a management position and will not be part of the Local Progress bargaining unit.