Director Of State Advocacy And Civic Engagement

Position Summary
The Director of State Advocacy & Civic Engagement will oversee and coordinate YWCA's national and state-level advocacy and civic engagement initiatives. They will report directly to the Vice President of Public Policy & Advocacy and work closely with staff from different departments to provide advocacy training and technical assistance to local associations. The Director's key responsibilities include leading advocacy training, developing and implementing state-level advocacy plans, supporting various campaigns/activities, and supervising staff, consultants, and interns assigned to the policy team.
Accountabilities
Election Engagement and Voting Rights Advocacy

• Lead the development and implementation of YWCA's annual YWomenVote GOTV initiative, including the creation and updating of project implementation plans, resources, and training materials for local associations.
• Represent YWCA in GOTV and voting rights coalitions at the national and state levels.
• Provide training and technical assistance to local associations on GOTV and voting rights advocacy, including support for public opinion polling, surveys, and reports.

Advocacy Training and Support

• Facilitate communication and problem-solving with local associations to respond to requests for advocacy support and technical assistance at the state and local levels.
• Support local associations in developing and implementing state-level advocacy plans aligned with YWCA's national policy agenda and local association sustainability needs.
• Develop and deliver advocacy skills training and webinars to support local associations.

Campaign and Communications Support

• Lead the PPA team's support for Week Without Violence, Stand Against Racism, network conferences/summits, and other campaigns/activities.
• Manage and moderate GOTV and advocacy communities on YWCA's intranet to engage members and facilitate communication.

Team Management and Operations

• Support departmental operations, including weekly team meetings, planning meetings and retreats, PPA webinars, metrics and reporting, and other departmental processes.
• Supervise staff, consultants, and interns assigned to the policy team, including recruitment, coordination with Human Resources, and scheduling.
• Collaborate with the Government Relations Director to provide support for YWCA's federal advocacy activities and ensure alignment with the organization's mission and policy goals.

Requirements
You will be successful in this role if you possess the following experience and core competencies

• Experience
• Experience working with coalitions and membership organizations.
• Minimum of 7 years of advocacy, government relations, and grassroots engagement experience required.
• Experience working on YWCA policy priority issues strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated skill implementing state and local advocacy campaigns, grassroots advocacy principles, and advocacy training programs.

• Values and Proficiencies
• Ability to identify and set priorities while building and managing a wide variety of relationships and stakeholders.
• Ability to multi-task and work independently and as a member of a team, keeping both details and the big picture in mind, and comfortable with the fast pace and ambiguity that often comes with leadership in the policy and advocacy space.
• Strong leader with a track record of success and capacity to coordinate and provide thought leadership to varied efforts across a broad array of organizational departments and initiatives.
• Passionate about advocating for social justice, equity, and human rights.
• Intelligent, persuasive, hardworking advocate and ambassador for the YWCA.

Nice to have

• Education
• Bachelor's degree in a related field such as public policy, political science, law, or communications is also an advantage.

Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Ability to communicate effectively in person and via phone.
• This role is required to provide proof of COVID vaccination.
• Occasional travel for meetings, events, or site visits may be required (dependent on the nature of the position and organization).
• The role may require long periods of sitting and using a computer and may also involve some light physical tasks, such as printing, filing, etc.
• Availability to work Monday through Friday during core hours and occasionally on nights and weekends as needed.
• YWCA USA is a remote first office environment; you will collaborate with colleagues who are based across the United States. You should be prepared to either work from home or a location of your choosing.
• Ability to attend events.

Benefits
Compensation and Benefits
In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees. YWCA USA salary bands for a given staff level are benchmarked to the 75th percentile for our sector, and all new employees are paid at the entry point of those bands. Employees then have the opportunity to progress through current salary bands through annual cost of living increases and performance-based pay increases, and into new salary bands through promotions.
Benefits

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Worldwide Travel Assistance (WTA)
• Long-term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Sick Leave Benefits
• Generous Leave Benefits
• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Health Insurance
• 10 Paid Holidays
• Group Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Flexible Spending Account

Note
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) of this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at will relationship.
The company is an equal opportunity employer, drug-free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.