Policy Manager

Job Type: Full-time

Reports To: Policy and Political Director

Location: Remote, with the option for DC-based candidates to work hybrid

Compensation: $80,000-$85,000, depending on experience, with excellent benefits including fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance and retirement plan with 3% match - more below

To Apply: Start by filling out our application form.

Expected Timeline: We will be reviewing applications through January 1 and anticipate holding first-round interviews starting January

Who You Are:

You believe the most urgent work of our time is going on offense against Christian Nationalism.

You share our clarity of purpose: secularism is a cornerstone of our fight for a more just, equitable–and humanist–world. Without it, we won’t be able to break through the injustices that plague our communities. But the news of the day doesn’t scare you away from fighting for what’s right; it’s your fuel. Your tools? Empathy and evidence.

You are driven by a desire to preserve the long-standing–but endangered–version of U.S. religious freedom that protects the rights of all of us to be free from religious interference in our schools, healthcare, and government.

You’re a creative problem-solver who doesn’t shy away from complicated issues like the First Amendment, and you don’t want to do this work alone; you know that the only way we are going to defend our democracy is by working hand-in-hand with citizen advocates, lawmakers, and coalitions.

You are skilled at operating on two levels: you are a policy wonk and you’re a relationship builder. You don’t mind spending all day pouring over research and bill text to make sure you 100% understand the impacts of a bill, and you aren’t afraid to take a red pen to current laws to make them more evidence-based, progressive, and responsive to our community. Then, you are equally ready to do the tactical relationship-driven work of building support, reconciling coalition differences, and navigating the legislative process to change laws.

Our team leads with collaborative kindness and individual precision, each of us owning different pieces that help our team do their best work so that we’re a valuable resource to the partners that rely on us.

Does that sound like you? Good. We’ve been waiting.

Who We Are:

Hi! Nice to meet you. We’re the Center for Freethought Equality, the advocacy and political arm of the American Humanist Association.

Humanists believe in people. We believe that people have inherent worth and dignity, without needing to be saved or redeemed. We believe that people can do anything as long as we live in a society where people are free to think freely and pursue rational truth. And we believe the highest good is to help other people live lives of freedom and flourishing.

Humanists have always moved America. Gloria Steinem, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, Steve Wozniak, Joyce Carol Oates, A. Philip Randolph, John Dewey, Margaret Atwood, Abraham Maslow, Jamie Raskin - these are some of the American visionaries whose humanism led them to envision new frontiers for advancing human worth and dignity.

The Center for Freethought Equality is the humanist community’s 501(c)(4) that fights the radical religious right in Congress and legislatures across the country, and makes the moral case for progressive public policy. We get atheists, agnostics, “nothing in particular”, and humanists elected to office, and then we work with them once they get there. We also organize our thousands of members nationwide to fight for the separation of church and state. We care about public schools, sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQ rights, civil liberties, and more.

And we’ve got hella work to do.

The Role:

You are the technical state policy nerd on the team. As we gear up to build out our state policy program into its third year, you will provide critical legal and policy support to protect our secular democracy. You’ll identify gaps in law and opportunities to improve policy, write bills, testimony, and more to advance positive legislation and slow down the opposition, and you’ll lobby and organize partners. You’ll mostly be working at the state level, but there will be opportunities to work on the federal level too.

You will:

Change law in the United States

• Research and draft legislation and high quality advocacy materials on a wide range of religious freedom policy issues
• Work with lawmakers, local advocates, consultants, and partners to pass positive laws and defend against negative policies
• Lobby, primarily at the state level
• Manage the organization’s lobbying disclosure compliance, including preparing and filing.

Grow the Association of Secular Elected Officials (ASEO)

• Manage day-to-day operations of the ASEO by writing newsletters, managing membership list and elected official listserv, and supporting the work of the advisory council
• Serve as point of contact for members seeking technical assistance

Grow our network

• Build durable relationships and represent the organization with lawmakers, their staff, coalition partners, and advocates
• Support the development of our constituent advocacy network through speaking engagements, skills building, and more.

Keep the team efficient and growing. It’s the job of the entire policy team to:

• Track legislative and regulatory developments
• Assist with managing and mentoring policy interns
• Assist in strategy development for the department
• And yeah, other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Non-negotiable:

• JD and 2 years experience writing bills and policy analysis or 5 years experience with legislative writing and policy analysis, with a proven ability to draft effective legislation within a political setting
• Knowledge of religious freedom, separation of church and state, and civil liberties issues
• Ability to synthesize complex statutes and case law and to present the information to a lay audience
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to foster deep relationships 1:1 and juggle complex coalition networks to advance organizational objectives
• A bias towards follow-through and accuracy
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Understanding of and commitment to the CFE’s mission and values.

Nice To Have, But Not Necessary:

• Experience working in state or federal legislative branch
• Experience lobbying
• Experience with lobbying compliance and working with 501(c)(4), 501(c)(3), or PACs
• Expertise leading coalitions
• Existing relationships with progressive advocacy nonprofits

Hiring Process:

You can start by applying here.

We like to share our full hiring process for transparency. However, please note that all parts of this process, including timelines, may change. Our office is closed from December 24-January 1.

Stage 1: Application + Resume (Applications accepted through January 1)

• All applicants will fill out the hiring application, responding to several short-answer questions and submitting a resume and short (1-2 page) writing sample.
• Responses to short-answer questions will be anonymized and rated.
• All candidates will receive a response regardless of whether or not they are invited to an interview.

Stage 2: First-Round Interviews - 6-8 candidates (January 6-9)

• Candidates invited to a first-round interview will meet with the hiring manager for a 45-minute video call. This is a mutual interview - we’ll start with any questions you have for us, and then ask questions about your skills, experiences, and interest in the role, so we can both determine if this is a potential fit.
• We will let all candidates know about their status after second-round interview offers have been made and accepted.

Stage 3: Second Round Interview - 4-6 candidates (January 12-15)

• Candidates will meet with a panel of AHA staff for an hour-long interview. Applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the group, and will be asked in-depth, situational questions relevant to the role.

Stage 4: Paid Work Sample - 3-4 candidates (January 16-21)

• Candidates will be asked to complete a paid work sample (3-4 hours, at the timing of your choosing). This exercise will help us evaluate your ability to produce relevant work on a time crunch.
• We will pay applicants an hourly rate of $40, pegged to the advertised salary range for this position

Stage 5: Final interviews (January 23-28)

• Finalists will meet with CFE’s Executive Director for a final interview and opportunity to ask any questions you may still have about us and the role.
• We will make an offer to our top candidate, and let other candidates know their status when the offer has been accepted.

Target Start Date: Mid February

We offer generous benefits, including:

• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, and the option to enroll dependents with the CFE covering 50% of the premium
• 403b plan - and we’ll match your contributions up to 3% of your salary
• Fully employer-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance, and life insurance
• Partial cell phone reimbursement ($45/month) and, for fully remote employees, partial home internet reimbursement ($65/month)
• Flexible Spending Account and pre-tax commuter benefits available
• Professional development budget available

PTO:

We want you to work hard on the clock and have plenty of flexibility to live a full life off of it. In general, we tend to be flexible around working arrangements and hours to meet staff needs, but here are our formal policies.

• Earned PTO: 18 days PTO in your first year, increasing by one day a year until you reach 25 days.
• Holidays: 12 paid holidays, plus the days between December 24th and January 1st.
• Flex time: 3 hours of additional “flex time” off each week to schedule as you please, to account for doctor’s appointments, errands, or just starting your weekend a bit early.
• Flexible Scheduling: Employees have the freedom to set their own schedule, as long as they’re available/online 40h a week (not counting flex time) and between the hours of 11a-3p EST.
• Parental leave: 8 weeks of leave at full pay and an additional 4 weeks of leave at 75% pay for new parents.
• Comp time: Time off is earned on a 1:1 basis for evening and weekend events worked and work travel outside of regular hours. (We anticipate this position will travel 3-4 times a year)