Senior Director Of Policy And Advocacy

REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer

WORK LOCATION: Michigan, with WFH remote work flexible

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

Position Summary:

The Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy is responsible for working in close collaboration with coalition partners to advance policy change at the state and federal levels, including advocacy with policymakers and strategic engagement with partner organizations and coalitions. This role develops and manages strategies for strengthening relationships with policymakers to increase their understanding of early childhood issues, gain support for policy change to support Michigan’s youngest children and their families, and expand recognition of ECIC as a resource in early childhood. The Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy impacts policy change to address Michigan’s most challenging early childhood issues.

ECIC’s vision and values are:

• Race, culture and community are celebrated assets in a young child’s life
• All young children and their families in Michigan thrive. In order to make this vision a reality, we work to ensure:
• Our work is informed by research and driven by the voices of diverse populations to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
• Collaboration is central to our work, and we strive to co-create knowledge and innovation for the field

Duties and Responsibilities:

This list is intended to represent job related duties and should not be viewed as exhaustive.

• Develop and manage strategy for strengthening relationships with elected officials and government agencies and increasing their understanding of and support for policy change.
• Manage all components of a large grant, including tracking activities, managing the project budget, and writing reports and proposals.
• Develop work plans and coordinate the development of a wide range of materials to advance the coalition’s policy agenda, such as talking points, legislative summaries, factsheets, testimony, reports, and letters. Work with partner organizations’ research, advocacy, and communication staff and contracted consultants to develop and disseminate relevant educational materials across multiple channels and media.
• Collaborate with national, state, regional, and local partners, identify new partners, and develop joint strategies to advance policies that support coalition policy priorities, ECIC policy agenda, and early childhood.
• Plan and implement events and other activities to support policy goals, such as town halls, news conferences, site visits, and meetings.
• Facilitate a coalition of early childhood advocates, child care providers and health practitioners, parent leaders, state government representatives and community leaders, including meeting design, facilitation, and related action steps.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent advocacy, consensus-building, coalition-building, and leadership skills; demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with other staff and other organizations; demonstrated ability to work with groups and individuals across the political spectrum.
• Demonstrated skill and comfort in proactively building relationships with diverse audiences, including public officials, coalition partners, community leaders, and members of the media.
• Understanding of and commitment to social change through building the capacity and power of low-income people and people of color to change their communities and to participate directly in changing public policies.
• Ability to partner with racially and ethnically diverse colleagues and community members on joint initiatives.
• Effective group consultation and meeting facilitation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe and web-based applications.
• Ability to analyze and articulate legal concepts and other complex issues and to communicate them to a variety of audiences.
• Knowledge of federal early childhood funding streams and legislation, the state legislative process, grassroots, and grass tops advocacy and strategies.
• Ability to use data and analytical skills to proactively identify opportunities, set priorities and solve problems.
• Ability to serve as public spokesperson and advocate for the organization.
• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, public administration, political science or related field with seven (7) years of related experience.
• Ability to work in partnership with and alongside parent leaders, especially parents and families whose households are low-wealth or low-income.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail while managing multiple tasks, projects, and timelines.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and vehicle or other ability of travel throughout Michigan and nationally, including periodic overnight travel.

Physical Requirements:

Talking - Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word to impart oral information to others accurately. (5-6 hours daily)

Hearing - Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound. (4-5 hours daily)

Standing – In one position, particularly for sustained periods of time. (1 hour daily)

Visual Acuity – Viewing objects with close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. (4-5 hours daily)

Office Setting - Sedentary work in which exerting up to 10 pounds of force is occasional and a negligible amount of force is frequently or constantly used to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.

Early Childhood Investment Corporation provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment.