Senior Program Assistant

About the State Innovation Exchange

The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) is a 501(c)(3) policy, strategy, and resource center for progressive state legislators. We empower, embolden, and equip state legislators to build and wield progressive governing power by/with/for the people they represent. We do this by providing legislators with the tools needed to shape impactful public policy and building their capacity to lead with their constituents. We foster long-term collaboration between legislators- across chambers, across regions, and across state lines - and with grassroots movements. Our vision is an equitable, resilient, healthy, and prosperous future for every person in the United States, which is secured and safeguarded by progressive state legislators. SiX’s sister organization, SiX Action is a 501(c)(4) that works alongside SiX to build the capacity of state legislators by providing policy development, communications tools, and technical assistance.

About this Position 

The Senior Program Assistant is an integral part of SiX’s national program teams.  This position will report to the Senior Director of Agriculture & Food Systems yet, will be available to work across other program teams on an as-needed basis.  This position will primarily support SiX’s national program teams with administrative support, data management, and internal and external communications. 

At SiX, we commit to equal pay for equal work. To counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity,  we use a non-negotiable starting salary system, while benchmarking our pay to highly competitive markets in the nonprofit sector. The salary for this position is $55,000 In addition, SiX offers competitive benefits including generous healthcare coverage options for you and your family, life insurance, a retirement match, a flexible schedule, and generous leave including August and December breaks and holiday schedules. This is a full-time, non-exempt position. The position is remote and open to anyone living in the continental United States, within one hour of a major airport. The position will require travel when needed in support of the program work, possibly 4-5 times per year. As teams expand to support an evolving and dynamic organization going through strategic planning, comfort with change management and a high degree of flexibility will be required in this position.  

Role Responsibilities 

All staff at SiX have personalized role responsibilities – the outcomes and impacts you are expected to deliver as part of your unique role within the organization. As the Senior Assistant of Programs, you report to the Senior Director of Agriculture & Food Systems and are responsible for delivering on the following expectations in your day-to-day work:

1. Supporting teams with schedule coordination, calendaring, note-taking during meetings and follow up as needed. Coordinating knowledge management and information sharing with colleagues in similar roles across programs and other teams. The ideal candidate will be extremely well organized, pay careful attention to detail and be comfortable with Google Business suite tools;
2. Helping to organize both in-person and virtual events. Tasks could include legislator and partner  recruitment, travel arrangements, logistics coordination. Contributing and being supportive of organization-wide initiatives such as SiX’s bi-annual National Conference.  The ideal candidate will be comfortable making cold calls and talking on the phone and following up with text messaging  in a professional setting;
3. Supporting webinar programming, which could include coordination of speakers and guests, managing slides and supporting webinar backend tech including supporting the SiX program teams in implementing accessibility features. The ideal candidate will be comfortable with Zoom suite webinar technology or be open to learning;
4. Tracking and managing various data sets including team databases, communications tracking, event registration etc. Tracking and uploading expenses for the Senior Director of Agriculture in a timely and compliant manner and in line with organizational policies. The ideal candidate will pay close attention to detail to ensure accuracy across tracking systems including Airtable, CRMs, and Google spreadsheets; 
5. Drafting emails and newsletter content related to programs and supporting SiX program teams in ensuring accessibility and disability justice in their content development The ideal candidate will be comfortable producing content and receiving feedback and edits on that content;
6. Supporting teams with research needs and when needed - including bill tracking. The ideal candidate will come with some policy background or demonstrate an aptitude for learning policy as well as utilizing the bill tracking tool Quorum;
7. Providing in-person event support including helping with set-up, clean up, tech, and all activities associated with pulling off a successful event. The ideal candidate will be extremely personable and will have a customer service orientation.
8. Being solutions oriented, ability to be flexible during change, and having a can-do good attitude. The ideal candidate will fit in well with a group of passionate people who are committed to making the world a better place for everyone and having fun while doing it. 

Core Competencies

All staff roles at SiX are grounded in a set of core competencies that are standardized across the organization based on the type of role you hold. As the Senior Assistant of Programs you will be responsible for delivering on the following core competency expectations in your day-to-day work: 

1. Equity and Inclusion. You have a demonstrated understanding of the role that racial, gender, economic, and other inequities play in our society and in movement-building and demonstrate an ability to effectively collaborate across lines of difference.
2. Program Implementation. You are able to support the successful implementation of your program/issue area(s) and contribute to the success of your team and the organization overall.
3. External Communication and Brand Management. You are able to uphold the organization’s reputation, profile and brand with key stakeholders. You possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
4. Partner Engagement.  You are able to maintain successful and professional partnerships with external stakeholders in the implementation of your work.
5. Knowledge Management. You are detail oriented and able to assist in the collection, synthesis and dissemination of information to support your team’s work.
6. Financial Administration. You are able to provide timely, accurate financial information as needed to comply with all internal financial protocols. 
7. Compliance. You are able to comply with relevant nonprofit laws and adhere to internal policies, practices, and protocols. 
8. Organizational Culture and Values. You are able to practice and uphold organizational values in your day-to-day and long-term work. You participate in creating a team culture that is productive, collaborative, and equitable.

Organizational Values

All staff at SiX are responsible for upholding our organizational values, which were developed collaboratively by all staff. These describe the way we strive to do our work together and the kind of organizational culture we want to build. As the Senior Program Assistant you will be responsible for demonstrating the following behaviors in carrying out your day-to-day work:

1. Equity and Inclusion. Actively practice our commitment to racial, gender, economic, and social justice. Demonstrate an openness to cultivating progressive, inclusive leadership and welcoming different learning and leadership styles. Seek and accept feedback about ways to strengthen your awareness and understanding of how to create more inclusiveness in your speech and behavior. Practice humility and continuous learning. Committing to repairing relationships with your speech or behavior has promoted inequity or exclusion.
2. Collaboration. Proactively build relationships with your colleagues and partners. Demonstrate respectful speech and behavior. Be honest, kind, and direct in instances of conflict. Adopt a stance of “having each other’s back.” Resist habits of individualism and competition in favor of turning toward and building with one another.
3. Accountability. Demonstrate the ability to own and achieve your responsibilities at work. Attend to both the results and the process by which you achieve your results. Pay attention to details, anticipate roadblocks, offer solutions, drive work forward, include relevant stakeholders when making decisions, follow through with delivering high-quality work on time.
4. Integrity and Trust. Do not withhold information but democratize knowledge. Acknowledge both your successes and your mistakes. Practice forthrightness, “saying the thing,” graciously giving and receiving feedback, and building your own skills and capacity as well as that of your colleagues.
5. Initiative and Tenacity. Take responsibility for your success and the success of your teammates. Demonstrate the ability to manage and successfully execute on the work in the context of a remote organization. Offer and seek answers and options proactively, in consultation with your supervisor, colleagues, and partners. Challenge implicit assumptions and create explicit agreements.
6. Flexibility. Embody a “getting to yes” attitude and a propensity for working through roadblocks, building consensus, and course correcting when necessary. Engage in continuous learning and reflection. Seek feedback. Apply your learnings to subsequent projects and responsibilities. Welcome change and seek ways to adapt to new information, people, and circumstances.
7. Innovation. Commit to learning and growing the organization’s work. Stay open to possibility. Greet new opportunities with curiosity and a sense of possibility and openness. Contribute to a culture that lets us grow, try new things, succeed (or fail), and learn from our efforts.

How to Apply 

Interested applicants should submit a compelling cover letter and resume to jobs@stateinnovation.org. Please indicate you are applying for “Senior Assistant, Programs” in the subject line of the email. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by May 29, 2024.

State Innovation Exchange is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ folks, and immigrants to apply for open positions. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, age, marital, and/or veteran status or any other characteristic or activity protected by federal, state, or local law.