Policy Director; VPEF

Voices for Progress (V4P) galvanizes the advocacy of business leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and other prominent individuals who unite to protect our climate, strengthen our democracy, and ensure economic and social justice for all. The Policy Director leads the organization’s policy and legislative work federally and for California state across these three core issue areas. Advocacy priorities have included budget and tax policy, health care access, climate change, immigration reform, voting rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, campaign finance reform, judicial nominations, environmental justice, and more.

The Policy Director is an exempt position. Exempt employees are expected to work the appropriate and necessary time in order to complete key assignments and related tasks on schedule.

• External Collaboration and Government Relations: Ensure that Policy Department maintains and expands relationships with lawmakers, government staff, and allied policy advocacy organizations, ensuring key partnerships specifically with those with deep policy expertise and organizations representing historically marginalized communities.
• Policy Direction: Lead Policy Department in monitoring and analyzing federal and CA state policies to identify key policy debates V4P should prioritize for advocacy. Act as the organizational lead on specific areas of federal policy, preferably climate policy.
• Advocacy Strategy: Collaborate with membership and programming staff to design and implement effective member advocacy plans, efforts to build member relationships with lawmakers, candidate education, and other programming.
• Advocacy Implementation: Oversee staff creation of all policy materials for advocacy, updates, and other programming to members, including issue briefs, talking points, webinar presentations, email updates, etc. Lead V4P members and staff in policy advocacy activities, including conducting issue trainings, leading lobbying meetings, and managing policy portions of fly-ins several times a year.
• Organizational Management: Collaborate with President and senior staff of other departments as part of the V4P management team. Lead Policy Department, including directly supervising two managers.
• Travel: Travel to Sacramento, CA required approximately once or twice a year.

· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

• At least seven years’ relevant work experience.
• Minimum two years’ experience managing others.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing effective short and long-term policy advocacy agendas at the federal level. Experience working for a member of Congress strongly preferred. Understanding of California state policy process and grasstops advocacy are pluses.
• Prepared to serve in a decision-making role requiring careful consideration of the political, strategic, and policy implications of positions and strategies.
• Relationships with federal lawmakers, government staff, and national allied policy advocacy organizations, preferably including with organizations representing historically marginalized communities.
• Able to quickly learn and lead on relevant policy and programming issues across a broad spectrum of topics, understanding the intersections between them and the differential impacts on various communities. Background in climate change policy preferred.
• Excellent at writing for advocacy, policy research, and attention to detail.
• Can successfully supervise staff and collaborate with colleagues in other parts of the country.
• A team player who works well with others and can manage multiple large projects, including urgent situations.
• Strong computer skills, and willingness to learn new software and computer skills as needed. Competency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite required.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Based in a nine-person office in Washington, D.C. Other arrangements may be possible.
• Reports to the President based in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
• Supervises Policy staff in Sacramento, CA and Washington, D.C.
• Coordinates closely with other senior staff based in Washington, D.C. and locations around the country.
• Interacts with allied organizations, lawmakers, and government staff via phone, email, and in person.

While performing responsibilities of the job, the employee is required to follow instructions. The employee is required to sit and use their hands and fingers, to handle and to manipulate keys on a keyboard. The employee may be required to sit or stand for an extended period of time. While performing responsibilities of the job, the employee is required use a computer and basic office equipment.

The employee may be required to sit or stand for an extended period of time. Work is generally sedentary in the office. The employee is required to travel frequently by car, public transportation, or by foot, and very occasionally by air for meetings.