About Community Change and Community Change Action:
Community Change builds the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to lead powerful and dynamic movements for social change. With our community-based partner groups, we bridge the grassroots and the national, supporting outsider strategies to disrupt the status quo while also building pathways to influence the insider conversation.
Our vision of a better world centers the leadership of impacted people of color to move our work on immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial equity, including a focus on jobs and housing, early childhood care and education, income supports, and immigration reform.
This position also supports Community Change Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. While motivated by the same core values – equity, inclusion, and justice – Community Change and Community Change Action operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.
Position Description:
The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will play a critical role in the provision of policy support to our local partner organizations, as well as conducting research and contributing to the development of policy and legislative proposals relating to existing and future priority areas identified by Community Change and emanating from the field. The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will be part of the Policy & Advocacy Team, which is responsible for working with other Community Change teams and partner organizations to help develop and advance Community Change’s legislative agenda, particularly at the state and local level, as well as supporting Community Change and its partners’ efforts to advance policy initiatives at the state and local levels.
A portion of time may be spent doing work for Community Change's sister organization, Community Change Action.
Principal Responsibilities:
- Provide direct technical assistance to state and local field partners to advance integrated multi-issue policy campaigns at the state and local level to advance racial and economic justice, and work across Community Change issue areas and teams as part of this effort.
- Conduct research and strategic analysis in support of Community Change and partner initiatives to impact national, state and local policies, and ensure linkage between state and local policy campaigns and federal policy campaigns of the same issues.
- Train grassroots leaders on key policy issues and on working with policy makers.
- Track state and local policy activities relevant to Community Change priorities.
- Develop and disseminate relevant information to local partners, policy makers, the media and communities.
- Serve as a resource and/or expert for state and local partners as needed and useful to their state and local campaigns.
- Play a key role in translating national campaign efforts to state and local partners.
- Represent Community Change positions to partner organizations, key policy makers and their staff, among others as necessary. Develop and disseminate relevant information to national and local partners, policy makers, and the media and communities.
- Present Community Change policy positions at national conferences and conduct trainings on Community Change policy positions with grassroots partners on an as needed basis.
- Collaborate with other members of the Policy and Advocacy Team to develop and implement the long term vision and direction for the team, and short and long term goals to carry out that vision.
Qualifications:
- At least five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in strategic policy advocacy and policy analysis and development and legislative research at the state and local level. Relevant experience may include work at community based organizations, state legislatures and/or city governments, academic research and practice, or community or labor organizing around issues of importance to low-income communities, communities of color and immigrants.
- Experience working with community organizing groups, unions, or other base-building groups and their constituencies on policy campaigns, specifically related to communicating complex policies to grassroots constituencies and assisting grassroots organizations in developing effective issue campaigns and strategic policy advocacy.
- Willingness to accept guidance and direction from grassroots organizations and organizers on priority issues.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively to varied audiences and through a variety of media.
- A track record of developing policy proposals, including research, program design and legislative or regulatory drafting.
- A fundamental understanding of federal and state legislative processes, and the interplay of federal and state policy is essential.
- Significant experience in policy and legislative research, which may include experience as a policy analyst within state houses, city council or Mayoral offices, or on Capitol Hill, academic research or community organizing around issues of importance to low-income communities and immigrants.
- Strong relationship building skills with a range of stakeholders, that reflect high emotional intelligence, professional maturity and problem solving skills.
- A desire and capacity to produce consistent, quality work on multiple projects across multiple issue areas simultaneously in a fast-paced environment is essential.
- Deep commitment to Community Change’s mission of helping low-income people and immigrants and communities of color develop the power and capacity to improve their communities and bring about broader social change. Commitment to advancing economic, racial and gender justice essential.
- Experience and comfort working as part of multidisciplinary teams, able to contribute based on expert knowledge or otherwise, as needed. An eagerness to collaborate with both internal and external partners, and to accept and act upon constructive feedback is essential.
This position reports to: Director of State and Local Policy
Classification: Community Change recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with IFPTE Local 70, a union for non-profit workers. This position is included in Community Change’s bargaining unit and covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Travel Requirements: Moderate
Salary and benefits: $100,000 - $110,000 annual salary. Community Change also offers an excellent benefits package, which includes 4 weeks of annual paid vacation; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8% employer contribution to retirement account after six months of employment (and 3% employer contribution for the first 6 months); and a choice of generous health insurance plans.
Position Location: Community Change/Action is based in Washington, DC. Washington, DC is the preferred location for this position. Remote work is acceptable, however (occasional) visits to the DC office may be required upon the office reopening.
How to apply: Please submit a resume, a cover letter that includes salary expectations..
Click here to learn more about our employee benefits and Community Change’s values
