Senior Campaign Strategist

Organizational Overview

The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice. The Sentencing Project engages in research and advocacy on sentencing and related issues, advocates for criminal justice policy and practice reform, and conducts broad-scale public education through media, online and other communications. Information about The Sentencing Project is available at www.sentencingproject.org.

Job Description and Responsibilities

The Senior Campaign Strategist will help lead advocacy efforts to end felony disenfranchisement and guarantee ballot access for all persons regardless of criminal legal system involvement. This role will develop and lead the implementation of an integrated advocacy and engagement strategy that includes research, public education and communications, coalition participation, and state and national advocacy across the voting rights movement to advance The Sentencing Project’s policy priorities. Reporting to the Senior Director of Advocacy, the Senior Campaign Strategist collaborates with external partners, including people directly impacted by felony disenfranchisement, local activists, lawmakers, and elections officials, as well as internal colleagues across organizational teams and campaigns.

Essential Job Functions

• Issue Advocacy
  • Initiate and lead national and state-level advocacy campaigns;
  • Prepare reports, testimony, memos, letters, op-eds and other briefing materials for state-specific campaigns based on analysis and synthesis of research, data and other information;
  • Serve as a spokesperson for reform efforts in state and national campaigns;
  • Develop policy messaging, in partnership with the communications team to accompany communications strategies for state and national campaigns; and
  • Identify and cultivate stakeholder partnerships to support state and national campaigns.
  • Provide local partners in multiple states with advice and support.
• Coalition Building and Support
  • Build allies at the state level in service of The Sentencing Project’s voting rights advocacy agenda and other program priorities to challenge mass incarceration;
  • Support organizational participation in specified coalitions; and
  • Cultivate champions for reform among influential lawmakers, community-based leaders, pro democracy organizations, law enforcement stakeholders, and other criminal legal reform stakeholders in state and local government.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience;
• Seven to 10 years of experience building and leading successful advocacy coalitions & demonstrated success building issue advocacy campaigns, including identifying champions for reform, navigating the state legislative process (e.g. identifying issue policy targets) to build necessary support for successful passage of advocacy goals at the national, state, or local level;
• Ability to travel;
• Experience providing oral and written testimony before legislative bodies;
• Experience with synthesizing policy information from multiple sources, analyzing and communicating complex legal issues, and articulating a stance in a cogent manner; and
• Experience working with diverse criminal legal stakeholders preferred.

Compensation

Salary range for this position is $82,000 – $97,000. The Sentencing Project’s generous benefits package includes four weeks paid vacation; accrued sick leave; parental leave; 100% employer paid health, dental, life and disability insurance for employees (dependents covered at 70%); a flexible spending account; both a discretionary and a matching contribution to a 403(b) retirement plan; annual professional development stipend, and transportation benefits.

Application Procedure

Submit a cover letter, resume or CV, and writing sample to: employment@sentencingproject.org. Please use the email subject line: Senior Strategist. In the cover letter, please include a discussion of your strategic issue advocacy experience and approach and writing qualifications. Applications must be received by Oct. 25, 2024.

The Sentencing Project is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to cultural diversity and ensures that Applicants have equal opportunity for recruitment and selection without regard to their race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, prior convictions, or status as a protected veteran.