Citizens First Congress Outreach Coordinator

About the Organization

The Arkansas Public Policy Panel is a statewide organization dedicated to achieving social and economic justice by organizing citizen groups around the state, educating and supporting them to be more effective and powerful, and linking them with one another in coalitions and networks. The Panel seeks to bring balance to the public policy process in Arkansas.

Since 1998, the Panel has coordinated the Arkansas Citizens First Congress (CFC), a multi-issue advocacy coalition that campaigns for good policies on education, economic justice, environment, civil rights, and government and election reform. The CFC is a non-partisan coalition of over 30 community organizations that work together to win progressive changes in state policy.

About the Role

The Citizens First Congress (CFC) Outreach Coordinator will strengthen and expand a statewide coalition of organizations, grassroots leaders, and advocates working to advance shared policy priorities in Arkansas. The Coordinator will build CFC membership, deepen member participation, support issue-based advocacy campaigns, and develop the systems and relationships necessary for a sustainable and effective coalition.

This position reports to the Policy Director and works closely with the Organizing, Policy, and Communication teams. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.

Coalition Infrastructure and Member Engagement

• Strengthen the CFC Steering Committee, issue caucuses, committees, and other leadership structures through consistent planning, coordination, and follow-up.
• Coordinate regular CFC caucus, committee, and coalition meetings, including developing agendas, supporting facilitation, documenting decisions, and tracking next steps.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with CFC member organizations, coalition leaders, grassroots members, institutional partners, and allied groups.
• Increase participation across the coalition and ensure members have the information, resources, and support they need to engage effectively.
• Build connections among issue caucuses and strengthen relationships between grassroots organizations, community leaders, advocates, and policy-focused institutions.
• Connect member organizations with relevant expertise, research, training, and other resources that strengthen their work.

Outreach, Recruitment, and Mobilization

• Identify prospective CFC members and develop recruitment and outreach strategies in collaboration with the Organizing and Policy teams.
• Conduct targeted outreach across Arkansas to build relationships with organizations, community leaders, and individual advocates.
• Develop and support local activist teams and sustainable structures that keep members engaged beyond individual campaigns or events.
• Implement strategies for developing individual members into active participants and coalition leaders.
• Develop and implement mobilization plans that move CFC members and supporters to take coordinated action on coalition priorities.
• Support the CFC and Panel’s nonpartisan electoral engagement strategies, including voter education, get-out-the-vote activities, candidate forums, and other civic engagement efforts in targeted communities.

Leadership and Capacity Building

• Identify the leadership development needs of CFC members and coordinate training opportunities that strengthen their organizing, advocacy, communications, and civic engagement skills.
• Work with the Organizing Team to ensure grassroots members have the knowledge, tools, and support needed to participate fully in the CFC process.
• Create meaningful opportunities for members to take on leadership roles within caucuses, committees, campaigns, and coalition activities.

Advocacy and Campaign Support

• Support issue caucuses and priority committees in developing campaign goals, strategies, timelines, and action plans.
• Coordinate member participation in legislative advocacy, public education, direct action, community events, and other campaign activities.
• Assist the Organizing and Policy teams with outreach and mobilization for policy campaigns and public events.
• Help members understand legislative and policy developments and translate them into accessible opportunities for action.

Communications

• Strengthen communication and information-sharing among coalition members through email, meetings, conference calls, the CFC website, social media, and other appropriate tools.
• Develop clear and accessible member updates, action alerts, meeting materials, and campaign communications.
• Support issue caucuses in developing public education and communications strategies for their campaigns.
• Assist with implementation of the Panel’s broader communications plan.

Data, Evaluation, and Organizational Learning

• Strengthen the CFC’s membership database and systems for tracking outreach, participation, leadership development, and campaign engagement.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of member relationships, coalition activities, meetings, and follow-up commitments.
• Support evaluation of the CFC’s reach, effectiveness, and impact.
• Document lessons, challenges, and successful practices to improve future coalition strategies and activities.

Required Qualifications

• At least 2–3 years of experience in community organizing, coalition building, advocacy, civic engagement, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience recruiting and engaging members, developing grassroots leaders, and mobilizing people around shared goals.
• Experience facilitating meetings, navigating group dynamics, and supporting groups through collaborative decision-making.
• Experience coordinating events, trainings, campaigns, or multi-step projects, including outreach, logistics, timelines, and follow-up.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and public communication skills.
• Ability to build respectful and effective relationships across differences in race, class, geography, age, disability, gender, sexuality, religion, political experience, and issue area.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities, relationships, and deadlines.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, exercise sound judgment, and remain accountable to a team.
• Proficiency with common workplace technology, including email, shared calendars, Zoom, spreadsheets, online forms, and databases.
• Ability to work effectively with grassroots organizations, nonprofit partners, community leaders, civic groups, public officials, and institutional partners.

Organizational and Values Alignment

The successful candidate will share the Arkansas Public Policy Panel’s commitment to social and economic justice and believe that public policy should be shaped through an inclusive, fair, and transparent democratic process.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• A strong commitment to human dignity, diversity, inclusion, community empowerment, and confronting systems of oppression.
• A belief that people directly affected by public policy should have meaningful leadership and decision-making power.
• A collaborative and team-oriented approach grounded in mutual respect, shared responsibility, accountability, and open communication.
• Willingness to give and receive constructive feedback, address conflict directly, and contribute to a healthy and supportive organizational culture.
• Reliability, flexibility, and the ability to remain grounded during periods of change, conflict, or intense campaign activity.

Schedule and Travel Requirements

• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including regular evenings and weekends.
• Ability to work extended hours during legislative sessions, elections, conventions, major campaigns, and other high-activity periods.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly throughout Arkansas, including rural communities and occasional overnight travel.
• Reliable access to transportation and a valid driver’s license, with reasonable accommodations considered.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range of $35,000-$38,000; 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision; 401K retirement plan with employer contribution; paid time off; organization-wide closure for major national holidays. The Panel operates on a hybrid schedule, with Tuesday and Friday in-office work, with flexibility for a total of 40 hours per workweek.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis through August 1, 2026. Early applications are encouraged. To apply, email the following materials to congress@citizensfirst.org with the subject line “CFC Outreach Coordinator”:

• A current résumé
• A cover letter

The cover letter should describe the applicant’s relevant experience and provide examples of their ability to organize communities, build coalitions, develop leaders, coordinate campaigns or projects, facilitate groups, and manage relationships across diverse organizations and constituencies.

Selection Process

The selection process is expected to include three stages:

Round 1: Initial Interview

Selected candidates will be invited to a virtual interview with members of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel team.

Round 2: Second Interview

Selected candidates will be invited to a virtual interview with key stakeholders of the Citizens First Congress and Panel team.

Round 3: Final Interview and References

Finalists will be invited to a final interview with Panel staff. At this stage, candidates will be asked to provide professional references and information needed to verify their employment history.

The Arkansas Public Policy Panel believes strongly that all applicants should be considered fairly for employment opportunities, regardless of identity. We are interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and we recognize that the best candidate may have different qualifications from those listed above. If you believe you are poised to excel at this important work, we encourage you to apply! We aim to create an accessible application process. Please let us know if you require any accommodations to fully participate in the application process. Accommodation requests can be made to congress@citizensfirst.org.

100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision; 401K retirement plan with employer contribution; paid time off, and organization-wide closure for major national holidays.