Policy Advocacy Manager

Location: Remote eligible with strategic travel, must live and work within commuting distance of New York City or Washington, D.C., with periodic onsite visits to the organization’s headquarters in New York City.

The Policy Advocacy Manager (PAM) will conduct policy advocacy, primarily at the federal level, to advance the Center for Constitutional Rights’ key priorities in challenging white supremacy, economic oppression, gender oppression, and abusive state practices. This new position will engage with elected officials and their staff, conduct policy research and analysis, draft policy documents, and utilize online advocacy engagement tools to support the Center for Constitutional Rights’ strategic advocacy interventions in policy and decision-making fora and mechanisms.

The PAM is part of a growing policy hub that designs and implements innovative, movement-based advocacy strategies together with other Advocacy and Legal team members, movement partners, clients, and impacted communities. The PAM will work closely with the programmatic teams at the Center for Constitutional Rights, movement partners, and clients to co-create policy advocacy outputs that advance the vision of impacted communities.

As a member of the Advocacy team, the PAM will be engaged in further developing our movement advocacy approach and growing the team’s capacity to effectively build and shift power and to alter the material conditions of movement partners, clients, and impacted communities.

The ideal candidate brings creative thinking, experience in state and/or federal policy advocacy, creating and managing online actions, and experience researching and drafting policy advocacy materials with a demonstrated commitment to achieving the vision of impacted communities and progressive social movements in the U.S. and internationally.

Responsibilities:

• Implement legislative and policy advocacy strategies that focus on proactive short- or long-term campaigns to move lawmakers toward supporting rights-respecting policies and initiatives consistent with the Center for Constitutional Rights’ programmatic goals
• Closely monitor and track key state and federal legislation, committee hearings, and other legislative and executive action to provide analysis for the organization and movement partners on priority issues
• Engage with lawmakers and policymakers to conduct issue advocacy on priority issues and advance the Center for Constitutional Rights’ policy agenda
• Organize advocacy delegations to Washington and other sites of political decision making
• Participate in relevant coalitions with movement partners to coordinate effective joint policy advocacy at the state and federal levels
• Conduct research and policy analysis on the Center for Constitutional Rights’ priority issues
• Draft relevant policy documents including white papers, legislation, policy backgrounders, advocacy letters, etc.
• Draft action alerts, blogs, and other web and social media-related advocacy and campaign materials to disseminate the Center for Constitutional Rights’ policy work and analysis
• Develop online policy advocacy engagement tools through EveryAction CRM, including coordinating policy advocacy action alert campaigns and related advocacy communications
• Work with programmatic teams (Legal, Advocacy, and Communications), to implement policy advocacy strategies that advance programmatic goals, identify opportunities for policy engagement, and provide thematic updates to teams on relevant policy developments

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 4 years of state and/or federal policy advocacy experience in any of our core priority areas: racial justice, gender justice, economic justice, and protecting human rights from abusive state practices
• Political alignment and belief in the mission of the Center for Constitutional Rights and approach in following the leadership of impacted people to advance their goals and vision, and working in partnership with social movements
• A demonstrated ability to think and plan strategically, including an ability to implement complex policy advocacy efforts involving multiple issues and parties
• Deep commitment to working with, and taking direction from, impacted communities, clients, and grassroots organizations to advance their goals
• Experience with executive and legislative procedures, vehicles, and mechanisms, with experience drafting and introducing legislation, organizing congressional and agency briefings, and providing research and analysis
• Familiarity with 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 rules and regulations including lobbying limits, application to ballot measures and elections
• A demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong relationships and partnerships with coalitions of grassroots and national organizations, community members/leaders, and public officials
• Experience working with grassroots and/or movement organizations to develop policy advocacy campaigns, and experience leveraging political interventions to build the power of grassroots movements
• Strong digital skills for purposes of policy advocacy, with proficiency in any government relations software, MS Office applications, Adobe and Google applications
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills, including proven ability to efficiently manage multiple tasks and priorities under tight deadlines and in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent problem-solving skills, including the ability to anticipate problems and use judgment appropriately to plan solutions
• Excellent written and interpersonal communications
• Superb attention to detail with a high level of accuracy
• Ability and willingness to travel as necessary
• Integrity, emotional intelligence, and willingness to practice vulnerability, self-reflection, and accountability

Preferred Skills or Qualifications:

• An advanced (graduate) degree in a related field strongly preferred, relevant graduate fields of study include but are not limited to public policy, public affairs, public administration, political science, government affairs, international affairs, law, and human rights
• A J.D. is a plus
• Constituent relationship management (CRM) experience strongly preferred

Benefits include employer contribution to 401K plan and flexible spending account, vacation, sick leave, and holidays, and 100 percent organization-paid health benefits including medical, dental, life, and short- and long-term disability insurance.