Policy Director

Position Overview

Democracy North Carolina seeks an experienced advocate, leader, and coalition-builder for the position of Policy Director. This role develops the strategy for the organization’s voter protection program, which assists voters through a hotline and network of volunteers placed at voting locations. This Director is responsible for determining research priorities and developing advocacy strategies for election-related legislative and administrative agencies. This Director will work closely with our Organizing Director and staff responsible for the design of organizing and mobilization campaigns in coordination with those advocacy strategies. The Policy Director is closely involved in joint efforts with coalition partners, including organizing, racial justice, and legal advocacy organizations, and direct advocacy to public officials. The Policy Director supervises the Senior Policy Analyst, Advocacy Program Manager, and Election Protection Research Manager.

This position reports to Democracy North Carolina’s Deputy Director, serves on the organization’s leadership team, and is based in our main office in Morrisville. We are currently operating in a hybrid mode, working in the office at least 2 days per week.

Responsibilities

Election Protection Program (EP)

• Poll Monitoring/Vote Protector and Elections Advocacy Programs:
  • Supervise the Election Protection Research Manager (EPRM) to work with staff and partners in identifying poll monitor sites based on historic need and emergent issues.
  • Work with EPRM to coordinate with the Organizing department for EP training, site selection and coverage of priority voting sites.
  • Collaborate with Organizing and Communications departments to implement programs, including materials and assignment processes.
  • Manage communication and relationships with partner organizations, County Boards of Elections, and the State Board of Elections.
  • Work closely with the EPRM to evaluate program data for reporting and policy recommendations (EP Reports).
  • Monitor advocacy outcomes related to State Board of Elections, county-level Early Voting plans, and county Boards of Elections.
• Voter Hotline
  • Work closely with the Advocacy Programs Manager and/or Hotline Contractor to coordinate a statewide voter hotline alongside coalition partners and the Lawyers Committee.
  • Co-develop hotline volunteer training materials and implement training to ensure effective responses to voter questions.
  • Work with partner organizations to plan and execute hotline data analysis and results for use in legislative and administrative advocacy.

Policy, Advocacy, and Strategy

• Identify policy department goals and strategies; set priorities, and timely research topics in collaboration with Directors, partners and other staff, under the supervision of the Deputy Director.
• Oversee legislative and administrative advocacy efforts on issues that impact the electoral process and democratic practice. Among other duties, provide written and oral testimony to policymakers, monitor and lobby relevant stakeholders, and coordinate closely with the Communications Director on digital advocacy strategies.
• Maintain internal legislative bill digest, tracking progression of relevant bills through the legislature to inform our strategic response and potential advocacy campaigns.
• Coordinate with partner organizations on shared advocacy goals and strategies.
• Serve as in-house expert on North Carolina election law, administrative policy, and practice; and increase staff-wide and coalition-wide expertise on these topics.
• File lobby and principal reports as required by the NC Secretary of State.
• Speak to reporters and media regarding inquiries about elections law, voting rights and structural democracy when needed.
• In close coordination with the Communications team, contribute to the development of campaigns, public-facting reports, fact sheets and other materials, that apply subject matter knowledge to the advancement of advocacy and organizing goals.
• When needed, provide legal expertise and guidance in instances where the organization is a plaintiff in election-related litigation.
• Working with the Deputy Director, assess the need to continue, modify or remove advocacy initiatives.

Research Supervision

• Supervise community-informed research to support legislative and administrative advocacy efforts on issues that impact participation in the electoral process and democratic practice.
• Edit and/or author public-facing, written research pieces ranging in length from brief analyses to longer reports.
• Provide research support and policy guidance to the Organizing Director, organizing staff, and other involved staff to help inform campaigns, projects and organizing efforts, as needed.
• Respond to and screen requests from allied individuals, community groups and state organizations for research and policy information that is consistent with the mission, priorities, and capacity of Democracy NC as a statewide resource on democracy issues.
• Conduct speaking engagements and participate in training in line with our priorities and strategies to help educate the staff, organizational allies, and the public on research and policies related to money in politics, voting rights, election law, and other structural democracy issues.
• Assist with message development related to research findings and policy goals.

Team Management and Organizational Leadership

• Direct supervision, evaluation and professional development of Advocacy Programs Manager, Senior Policy Analyst, and Election Protection Research Manager.
• Serve on the organization’s Director’s team with other department leads and executive leadership.
• With support from policy staff, develop and manage a departmental budget.
• Working closely with the Advocacy Programs Manager, provide oversight for Policy components of the Democracy Summer internship program, including legislative advocacy training and facilitating Lobby Day logistics. Support work plans and direct supervision of Policy Team interns.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of senior-level work experience in a related field, OR 3-5 years of senior-level work experience in a related field and a relevant graduate degree (JD, MSW, MPA, MPP, Journalism.)
• Basic knowledge of North Carolina election law, with ability to and interest in building deep expertise on the details of policy and practice (both at statewide and local levels).
• Versatile and creative researcher, with both qualitative and quantitative research experience.
• Experience managing programs.
• Excellent supervisory skills and ability to manage and mentor staff working on multiple projects.
• Commitment to North Carolina and the South.
• Commitment to Democracy NC’s mission and values, including racial equity; ability and willingness to work with diverse groups, including low-income North Carolinians, Black and brown people, and residents of varying political ideologies; and in diverse settings, including both rural and urban environments.

Skills and Attributes

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Sharp, strategic thinker.
• Experienced and confident policy advocate with coalitional experience.
• Capacity to lead policy advocacy efforts and understand their connection to long-term organizing directed toward power-building.
• Close attention to and experience managing details.
• Comfortable in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to calmly navigate amid a fluid and sometimes unpredictable legislative environment.

Democracy North Carolina is a unionized workplace represented by the Communication Workers of America. As a management position, the role of Policy Director is not union-eligible and therefore not subject to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with 100% employee premium coverage and 50% premium coverage for domestic partner/spouse and/or children
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement for out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision expenses up to $2,200 per household per year
• Employer-provided life insurance and ADD
• 30 days PTO, 9 paid holidays + 1-week office closure at the end of the year
• 403(b) retirement option with employer contribution
• Individual and team professional development opportunities
• Casual, flexible work environment with a commitment to employee wellbeing and work/life balance, currently operating as hybrid in-person/remote