Policy Advocate - Fresno

Job Title: Policy Advocate - Fresno 

Reports to: Regional Policy Manager or Co-Executive Director 

Classification: Full time, Exempt

Salary Range: $67,000- $80,000

 Position Summary

The Policy Advocate position is an exempt, professional position performing work that is predominately intellectual and varied in character related to high level policy work in furtherance of the organization’s mission and goals. The position regularly requires the use of professional, independent judgement to exercise discretion in matters related to the duties set forth below.

The Policy Advocate will be primarily responsible for developing and leading local policy advocacy campaigns in a defined geography. This position is also responsible for developing issue area expertise in at least two substantive areas and supporting regional and statewide advocacy efforts.

Duties & Responsibilities

The essential functions (i.e., the fundamental job duties of the position) are as follows: Develop and implement an advocacy agenda in the assigned geography.

• Identify policy and program priorities in partnership with community leaders and organizations
• Develop and implement campaign plans for each policy and program priority • Develop educational curriculum and outreach materials regarding program areas and campaigns
• Conduct policy analyses and draft written materials, including correspondence, to further campaign plans
• Support legal advocacy and analyses efforts
• Develop and present oral testimony at workshops, hearings, and meetings • Analyze and respond to agenda items and meeting notices pursuant to local agency activities and other relevant bodies
• Lead Organizing and Base-Building activities to support policy and program priorities (see below)
• Work with Communications Director to use media to advance community priorities

Lead Organizing and Base-Building: Engage, train, and support local community leaders and advocates from low-income communities and communities of color in assigned geographies as part of Leadership Counsel’s local-, regional- and state-level organizing and advocacy campaigns:

• Lead Leadership Counsel’s outreach and organizing efforts in at least three communities and neighborhoods
• Work with Outreach Specialist to conduct outreach and organizing including, as needed, making phone calls to community members, door to door outreach, sending out texts and emails, making event reminder calls, updating Leadership Counsel’s contacts database, assisting with meeting coordination and logistics, and assisting with translation/interpretation
• Identify outreach and organizing opportunities in new communities and neighborhoods
• Ensure consistent resident engagement in local, regional, and statewide efforts
• Coordinate local and regional community meetings and activities, including developing meeting agendas, facilitating meetings, outreach and follow-up work with community partners.
• Work with community members to identify and refine community, city, county, and regional priorities
• Support voter engagement activities
• Support resident engagement in legal advocacy and litigation effort

Support identification and implementation of regional and statewide policy campaigns

• Inform regional and statewide policy priorities
• Conduct outreach, education, and organizing to support regional and statewide advocacy efforts
• Support community leaders in engaging in regional and statewide policy advocacy efforts
• Develop and maintain content area expertise related to local government, environmental policy, and other substantive areas
• Develop content expertise on relevant local and regional laws and ordinances
• Develop content expertise on at least two substantive areas that fall within Leadership Counsel’s program area and are relevant to local policy advocacy
• Participate in at least two substantive Leadership Counsel teams (that may include the Housing and Land Use, Water, Climate, Energy and Transportation).

Lead and engage in coalitions and collaboratives to further short and long term program and policy priorities

• Participate in coalitions and both formal and informal collaborative efforts to further local priorities
• Build coalitions and both formal and informal collaborative efforts to further local priorities
• Lead coalitions and both formal and informal collaborative efforts to further local priorities

Develop and maintain relationships with governmental agencies, non-governmental agencies, community-based organizations, community members, academic institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.

Represent Leadership Counsel at community events, conferences, convenings, etc.

Administrative duties

• Maintain time records of all activities as directed by Regional Policy Manager or Co Executive Directors
• Maintain files in accordance with office policies

This job description is not intended to be all inclusive and the employee will also perform other reasonably related duties as assigned by the supervising manager or co-executive directors.

 Skills and Qualifications

The following qualifications are required for this position:

Education

o Bachelor’s Degree or comparable experience

Prior Experience:

o 1-2 years of demonstrated experience working with and on behalf of low income regions of the State

Technical Skills/Proficiencies

• Computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite and Google Office Suite
• Excellent verbal and writing skills
• Excellent project management skills
• Bilingual in English and Spanish or other relevant language

Other Traits:

• Ability to work long hours and weekends when necessary
• Ability to travel within the State of California including throughout California and up to 1-2 times per year out of state
• Access to personal vehicle and insurance coverage
• Access to a cell phone
• Reliable access to the internet
• Comfortable with working with residents and organizations from diverse backgrounds
• COVID-19 vaccinations required (including boosters when eligible). Leadership Counsel will abide by all exceptions to the vaccination requirement required by applicable law. Specifically, an employee may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation exempting them from the vaccine requirement if:
• The employee has a physical or mental disability that prevents the employee from taking the vaccine; or
• The employee has a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance that prevents the employee from taking the vaccine.

Currently offered benefits for full-time positions include: up to $70 monthly cell phone reimbursement; 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee; 50% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee's dependent(s); up to 6% 401(k) match for employee; annual professional development allotment; 16 accrued paid vacation days per year and additional paid vacation days after 4 years of employment; 15 accrued paid sick leave days per year; 12 paid holidays per year; and paid family leave. Benefits may change from time to time.

 Physical Requirements & Work Environment

The physical demands listed are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to drive frequently and for up to 8 hours in a day to community meetings, hearings, conferences and other related activities, ability to work long days occasionally up to 14 hours in a day, ability to conduct door-to-door outreach and conduct meetings, lifting materials and supplies such as chairs, easels, tables. Typically, these will weigh 30 pounds or less. Position involves remaining in stationary position for most of the workday. The employee is regularly required to move or remain in stationary position. This position requires the ability to perform clerical duties in the office and operate computer and related office machinery. The employee is occasionally required to move self. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to observe details at close range or from a distance. Other abilities required by this job include the ability to communicate information and ideas so that others understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

This position engages in functions both indoors and outdoors, in office environments with light to moderate noise, and in community gathering venues, private homes or government buildings with both small and large groups of people where noise levels may be higher than in a typical office setting.

Employees share office space with one or more other staff members. Out-of-office meetings both meetings will include meetings in other offices, in community centers, in homes, in government buildings, and outside.

Equal Employment Opportunity & Accommodations

Leadership Counsel is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and strictly

prohibits any unlawful harassment and/or discrimination against applicants for employment or anyone in its employ based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity (including transgender status), gender expression, religious belief or practice, race (including natural hairstyle or hair texture related thereto), color, national origin (including possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code Section 12801.9 which authorizes licenses to individuals who cannot provide satisfactory proof of their presence in the U.S. under federal law), ancestry, age (40 and over), physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer-related physical or mental health impairment or history of same), genetic information, military and veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. To comply with applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, Leadership Counsel will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with a disability who are applicants or employees unless undue hardship would result. Any applicant or employee who requires an accommodation in order complete the application process or to perform the essential functions of the job should contact their supervisor or one or both of the co-executive directors to request the accommodation.

Currently offered benefits for full-time positions include: up to $70 monthly cell phone reimbursement; 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee; 50% employer-paid health, vision, and dental insurance for employee's dependent(s); up to 6% 401(k) match for employee; annual professional development allotment; 16 accrued paid vacation days per year and additional paid vacation days after 4 years of employment; 15 accrued paid sick leave days per year; 12 paid holidays per year; and paid family leave. Benefits may change from time to time.