Policy Engagement Strategist - REMOTE

POSITION IS REMOTE. Atlanta location is for Idealist requirements.

Reports to Director of Advocacy & Civic Engagement

About Equality Federation and Equality Federation Institute:

Equality Federation is the movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people. From Equality Florida to Freedom Oklahoma to Basic Rights Oregon, we amplify the power of the state-based LGBTQ movement.  

We work collaboratively on critical issues—from advancing workplace fairness and family recognition to defeating anti-transgender bathroom bans and HIV criminalization laws—that affect how LGBTQ people experience the world from cradle to grave. 

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Policy Engagement Strategist to join our Advocacy team. This position is fundamentally about making critical government programs work for LGBTQ people, particularly people living with HIV, older adults, transgender people, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

You are an organizer and coalition builder with an understanding of policy and its implications on communities. You will focus primarily on the implementation of federal guidelines at the state level and will organize Equality Federation members to engage in this work. Utilizing the Equality Federation model of cohorting, coaching, and training, you will work initially with two cohorts of member organizations to create advocacy plans centered around two issues: HIV advocacy and LGBTQ older adults. Over time, we may take on additional issues. In addition, you will provide some legislative & regulatory tracking and analysis for our member organizations.

You care deeply about building power with state-based LGBTQ communities. You believe in ensuring administrative rules and regulations center the most vulnerable people, and want to organize others to make that a reality. You understand how to coach and support others without being prescriptive while ensuring everyone is working towards a shared goal. You understand state legislative and administrative processes and are excited about learning about different issue areas. You are able to manage multiple projects at once and are communicative about your needs. You have an understanding of how LGBTQ issues intersect with racial justice, disability justice, and economic justice priorities. You understand how to work collaboratively with team members, national partners, member organizations, and others to develop realistic and achievable goal-oriented plans. You have a broad vision for the work done by the LGBTQ movement. This position will be part of the Advocacy team and will work directly with the Director of Advocacy & Civic Engagement to further the work of Equality Federation.

Key Objectives and Responsibilities

• Mobilize Equality Federation member organizations to leverage their advocacy capacity to influence state and federal policy and ensure effective implementation of those policies. Initial focus areas are the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic plan, HIV criminalization, and LGBTQ provisions of the Older Americans Act.
• Train member organizations on specific provisions of state and local implementation of federal policy as relevant to LGBTQ communities
• Foster relationships between our members and key policy matter experts
• Facilitate and support the formation of in-state coalitions with relevant partners
• Manage relationships with national policy partners and strengthen relationships to create greater capacity at the state and local level to serve vulnerable populations
• Organize Equality Federation members to engage in key periods around federal and state government regulation, such as public comment periods and community engagement in the implementation
• Facilitate and support peer cohorts of state organization staff working on these policies, to foster relationships among members and share best practices
• Build state advocacy capacity on key issue areas through 1:1 coaching support, and planning how to achieve advocacy goals
• Monitor, track, and provide analysis on LGBTQ state legislation and educate our membership on trends & implications.
• Using Bill Track 50 or a similar database and intelligence gathered from other sources, track all LGBTQ-related legislation in the states
• Stay abreast of federal policy changes as they pertain to LGBTQ issues and/or state level policy through issue-based coalitions 
• Analyze & evaluate policy implications of legislation as needed
• Report legislative trends to Equality Federation staff and collaborate on opportunities for education of the membership
• Along with the Director of Communications, identify & support opportunities for media attention on targeted states
• Partner with and share information with national partners working on state legislation
• Connect state leaders to critical messaging, communications, advocacy, and voter engagement resources to support their legislative strategies
• Develop knowledge in areas such as; religious exemptions, health care access, criminal punishment systems, preemption, facility access, family statutes, older adults, and HIV, among others

Desired Competencies/Experience

• A strong understanding of LGBTQ policy issues—knowledge of HIV and/or LGBTQ older adults issues a plus
• Knowledge of how federal, state, & local policy impacts communities
• Minimum 2 years experience in state-level policy advocacy
• Knowledge of legislative and administrative process and procedures
• Strong group trainer and facilitator
• Ability to write clearly and accessibly about policy
• Advocacy & legislative campaign planning
• Experience working in queer & racially diverse communities
• Experience with 1:1 coaching/mentoring/consulting
• Ability to work well with a distributed team
• Strong racial equity analysis
• Fluent in Google Suite
• Ability and desire to travel up to 30% (when safe)
• Ability to take ownership of projects and design new projects, with input from the team and guidance from your supervisor 

To Apply

We will accept applications until February 28th, 2021. The position will be filled as soon as the appropriate candidate is found. It is therefore recommended that you submit your materials as promptly as possible.

Using this application form, respond to a few short questions and upload your resume (no cover letter required).

Equality Federation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, military status, religion, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. We welcome and encourage applications from people of color, indigenous people, and transgender people.

For more information about the Equality Federation, please visit our website at equalityfederation.org.