Advocacy and Outreach Director

Advocacy & Outreach Director

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters — one of Michigan’s largest, most impactful political advocacy organizations working to clean up our water and air, address climate change, and protect access to voting —  is seeking a dynamic, full-time Advocacy & Outreach Director to lead our team doing regional organizing work through issue-based engagement and electoral campaigns.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in candidate campaigns or 501(c)(4) issue-based community organizing. They will have a proven ability to develop a team and execute successful, metric-driven programs that build our organization’s growing membership and volunteer base. They will be committed to getting results in a fast-paced environment and able to handle a heavy workload. This position is an opportunity to develop and run large-scale programming that becomes a model for others in the state, the Great Lakes region and within national political networks. 

About the Michigan League of Conservation Voters

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters is a statewide political organization whose mission is to elect pro-conservation candidates to office and to hold all decision makers accountable for protecting Michigan’s  drinking water, attacking climate change, and expanding access to the ballot. We work closely with elected officials, business leaders, partner organizations and advocates from across the state, and we have built a reputation as the leading, non-partisan political voice for Michigan’s land, air and water.

Michigan LCV is an equal opportunity employer. We assure equal treatment in hiring selection, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and other personnel practices and terms or conditions of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, height, weight, marital status, genetic testing status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender status, or any other protected class established by all applicable federal, state and local laws and ordinances.

Job Responsibilities

The Advocacy & Outreach Director is ideally based in Southeast Michigan or the Grand Rapids area, reports to the Campaigns Director, and is responsible for the following:

• Design and drive the daily work of the Advocacy & Outreach team, and working together with our leadership team to devise strategies around broader engagement of voters in our anchor regions of the state 
• Recruit, manage, and help develop staff within the Advocacy & Outreach team by fostering collaboration, holding them accountable for goals, providing regular feedback, and supporting their professional development
• Track Advocacy & Outreach metrics and draft quantitative and qualitative reports to staff, board, partners, and funders, including a monthly newsletter about the department’s work
• Be creative by implementing and testing new, effective organizing tactics and strategies to grow our organizing reach
• Work in partnership with other internal teams to strategically engage Michigan LCV’s membership base — building in a series of meaningful volunteer opportunities for them to participate fully in our programs
• Oversee work with local elected officials, advising on how to move Michigan LCV’s agenda in each region (most notably, in the following counties: Oakland, Kent, Wayne, Washtenaw, Kalamazoo and Grand Traverse)
• Be a pivotal point person in the organization for important coalitions — attending, organizing and/or leading meetings with key partners across Michigan in order to build relationships, identify opportunities for engagement, and advance the Michigan LCV’s goals
• Collaborate with both our Communications and Government Affairs teams to execute hard-hitting accountability programs on state and local lawmakers, major energy utilities, the Michigan Public Service Commission, and other targets within our issue space
• Michigan LCV elects people by doing the hard work of campaigning, which means our staff are expected to participate in field canvassing, text and phone banking, and campaign events.

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who excel in field strategy, are results-oriented, and have strong management skills. You should have:

• At least 4 years worth of either candidate campaign or 501(c)(4) issue-based advocacy experience, with at least a portion of that time in a leadership position
• A passion for electoral campaigns and a strong belief that who we elect matters
• Ability to articulate how to plan out and execute goal-oriented campaigns, and a track record of work experience to back that up
• Experience developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a wide range of stakeholders, especially those in communities of color
• A proven track record of managing high-performing teams of staff, consultants, and volunteers who represent a rich mix of people across race, gender, sexual orientation, and other group identities
• The ability to manage multiple projects at once while maintaining an understanding of the overall vision; does not get rattled by needed pivots in a fast-pace work environment
• Experience analyzing and manipulating electoral data, including comprehensive understanding of the NPG/Voter Action Network (VAN)
• Experience creating and managing program budgets 
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent time and project management skills, including the ability to prioritize tasks and understand how to most efficiently and effectively reach goals
• Ability to come up with innovative organizing strategies in a changing landscape
• A positive, problem-solving mentality and ability to deploy creative solutions to challenges
• Understanding of the importance of storytelling and personal connection to inspire volunteer action
• A valid driver’s license, car insurance, reliable access to a car, the internet, and a phone to use for work purposes as well as the ability to canvass, walking at least a mile and navigating physical obstacles such as stairs
• Cultural Competencies:
  • Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity and the ability to learn and build on varying community norms
  • Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture 
  • Understanding of how environmental and voting rights issues intersect with racism, economic and social inequality in the U.S. and has a passion for working to dismantle these systems

Benefits and Compensation

The starting salary range for this position is $75,000 - $91,000. The benefits package includes health and dental coverage, long-term and short-term disability coverage, life insurance coverage, a retirement savings program, reimbursements for business-related travel, a generous paid time off policy, and a team of smart, funny, and kind colleagues working together to deliver on a mission that really matters.