Director of Public Policy

Reports To: Chief of Staff and Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy and Research

Location: Washington, D.C. (some travel as needed)

Salary: $125-140k

About GLSEN

GLSEN is a multi-racial intergenerational LGBTQ+ organization working nationally and locally to transform K-12 educational systems and democracy in the United States. Our vision is for students to be able to learn and for teachers to be able to teach, schools must be at a minimum safe from harm. Schools must be places of liberation where young people thrive and reach their full potential and every student completes their education ready to build a multi-racial democracy.

Research is the language of education systems. We conduct research and analyze data and advocate nationally and locally for systems to apply our research on the experience of LGBTQ+ young people in schools and educational practices. Public policies are the upstream supports and ground rules that must empower local communities to implement the four core supports: GSAs and youth leadership, supportive educators and adult allies, inclusive curriculum, and comprehensive policies that prohibit victimization. We educate and influence decision-makers to adopt our policy recommendations that research shows make schools safer and more inclusive. We build power with advocates, educators and students to advance our mission through local and national mobilization.

Through trust and relationships we increase the capacity of our constituents to be catalysts for change by providing the training, resources, and strategic support they need to achieve our vision of positive school transformation in communities across the country.

Opportunity:

GLSEN’s Director of Public Policy leads a team of four national staff members and numerous state-based advocates from across the country to develop and execute the organization’s public policy agenda. They are responsible for directly advocating for GLSEN’s priorities to decision-makers at the federal, state, and local levels of government. In coalition with national and state partners, the Director has a leadership role in amplifying GLSEN’s policy recommendations, research and best practices, and programmatic capacities across our national networks to make progress on transforming schools where young people should at minimum be safe and ultimately experience liberation and thrive and reach their full potential. This includes facilitation of youth leadership in public policy advocacy from our National Student Council members and beyond. GLSEN’s strategic priorities center on advancing Racial, Gender, and Disability Justice outcomes in K-12 education systems, which is a framework that can broadly be characterized as Education Justice. Our focus is intentionally intersectional through efforts led by the public policy team and throughout the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Advance GLSEN’s public policy agenda by directly conducting advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels of government and support the advocacy efforts led by national staff and state-based advocates across the country;
• Strengthen GLSEN’s public policy coalitions and engage in external coalitions that amplify GLSEN’s public policy priorities and broader programmatic resources;
• Build greater subject matter expertise on LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 education and serve as a lead spokesperson for the organization;
• Provide leadership on content creation, including sample legislation, regulations, guidance, and other policies that can be adopted at the federal, state, and local levels of government;
• Serve as a trusted partner for the Executive Team on strategic thinking and engagement of leaders across GLSEN’s ecosystem.

The Director is also responsible for:

• Supervising 3FTE and execute the Department work-plan
• Author Department work-plan and budget proposal on an annual basis
• Serve as an integral member of the management team, charged with collaboration and coordination of strategic organizational efforts to achieve GLSEN’s mission.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree or commensurate training in Policy, Advocacy, Law, or related fields;
• Strong understanding of politics and government affairs;
• A minimum of five years of experience in government, policy advocacy, or lobbying;
• Proven success working with government officials and providing strategic direction to public policy advocacy initiatives;
• Knowledge of and direct experience working on LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 education and intersectional frameworks;
• Strong management skills and the ability to mentor and lead a team of professionals;
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills;
• Exceptional organizational skills;
• Ability to create internally managed national networks and represent the organization at national coalition tables to amplify and advance GLSEN’s public policy priorities;
• Strong knowledge of the national landscape and the role of national organizations;
• Commitment to and experience with advancing racial, gender, and disability justice and dismantling all forms of oppression;
• Proven ability to work with youth, educators, families, and state-based advocates to achieve public policy victories;
• Alignment with GLSEN’s mission, strategic priorities, and values.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Positions supervised include the Federal Policy Manager, State and Local Policy Manager, and Senior Policy Associate.

Benefits

GLSEN offers a generous benefits package, including paid time off in addition to 10 paid holidays per year – two weeks off provided in addition to paid time off (July and December); 100% employer-paid medical and dental insurance for staff and optional benefits for family members (including domestic partners); life insurance; and a 401k plan with increasing employer contributions based on staff tenure.

GLSEN is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage people of color, people of diverse gender identities, people with disabilities, and women to apply.