Advocacy Director

## Salary Range
$85,210.53 – $106,513.53 per year

## Level
Management

## Position Type
Full Time

## Description
**Purpose:** This position is responsible for providing strategic leadership, direction, and oversight of PCOA’s advocacy, civic engagement, and public policy initiatives to strengthen the voice of older adults and caregivers and advance systems change that supports aging with dignity and independence.

**Reports To:** President & Chief Executive Officer
**Category:** Full-time, Exempt
**Compensation:** Dependent upon relevant education, experience, and preferred qualifications.

### Schedule, Post of Duty, & Travel Requirements
– 37.5 hours weekly, primarily Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
– This position is located at the Katie Building (600 South Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85716).
– Some remote work may be available.
– Frequent travel is required.

## Major Duties & Responsibilities
– Develops and leads advocacy strategies that center the voices and lived experiences of older adults and caregivers, with an emphasis on individuals from historically underrepresented and disproportionately impacted communities.
– Builds and sustains a countywide network of engaged community members participating in advocacy and civic leadership.
– Designs and implements community engagement pathways that move individuals from outreach to leadership and advocacy roles.
– Recruits, trains, and supports older adult ambassadors, Local Action Councils, and community leaders, including opportunities to serve in advisory and decision‑making roles.
– Leads nonpartisan civic engagement efforts to increase participation in public decision‑making.
– Advances policy initiatives and systems improvements at local, county, state, and federal levels, particularly in areas impacting older adults such as housing stability, transportation access, economic security, healthy aging, caregiving, and social connection.
– Tracks legislation, coordinates advocacy efforts, and supports public testimony, storytelling, and engagement with media and policymakers.
– Plans and oversees community forums, trainings, and outreach events, and supports staff and partner capacity building in advocacy and engagement.
– Builds and maintains partnerships with community organizations, public agencies, and cross‑sector stakeholders, while collaborating across departments to integrate advocacy into organizational strategy, strengthen internal alignment, and advance community impact goals.
– Monitors and evaluates advocacy outcomes, including community engagement, leadership development, and policy impact.

## Essential Functions
– Assists in overseeing, planning, implementing, directing, and managing all functions and resources within one or more agency programs.
– Manages, guides, and provides leadership to a team of multidisciplinary staff regarding workload, assignments, resources, training, and performance.
– Oversees the hiring, terminating, training, developing, performance review, and corrective action plans for staff.
– Assists in the development and administration of budgets, policies, and projects within one or more agency programs.
– Analyzes program needs and trends, reviews statistics and opportunities, and communicates to both executive leadership and reporting staff as needed.
– Ensures that work adheres to local, state, and federal governmental regulations, and other applicable rules and requirements.
– Facilitates individual and team meetings and huddles, and ensures staff attend required trainings and agency‑related events.
– Uses virtual collaboration platforms to perform work as necessary (e.g., Zoom or Teams).

## Qualifications
**Qualifications:** (An equivalent combination of education and experience related to the position may be considered.)
– A Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Social Work, Public Health, Political Science, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
– At least five (5) years of experience in advocacy, community engagement, public policy, or coalition building.
– Experience developing community leaders and advancing initiatives that result in systems or policy change.
– Experience facilitating trainings, workshops, or community‑based engagement efforts.

### Additional Qualifications
– Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred.
– Must have reliable transportation.
– Must successfully obtain and maintain AZ Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance and Central Registry background clearance.

## Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
– Knowledge of advocacy strategies, civic engagement methods, and public policy processes.
– Knowledge of inclusive engagement approaches across diverse populations.
– Skill in building and sustaining relationships with diverse stakeholders.
– Skill in communicating effectively with a wide range of audiences, including older adults, community partners, and policymakers.
– Skill in strategic thinking, project management, and prioritizing multiple initiatives.
– Skill in analyzing data and evaluating program outcomes to inform decision‑making.
– Ability to actively contribute to and support a positive organizational culture grounded in dignity, respect, accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning.

## Physical & Environmental Factors
– While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, walk, stand, and occasionally climb or balance, squat, stoop, twist, turn, push, pull, kneel, crouch, crawl, and reach with hands and arms.
– Hearing requirements include the ability to listen and respond appropriately to conversations in person, virtually, and over the phone.
– Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
– This position occasionally works remotely and should be able to maintain a quiet, confidential space with appropriate internet connectivity.
– This position works in an office environment with low noise levels due mostly to office equipment.
– This position occasionally must lift and/or move up to ten (10) pounds and infrequently up to thirty‑five (35) pounds.

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PCOA reserves the right to modify and interpret this position description. This description in no way implies that these are the only duties and responsibilities to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This position description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise; the employment relationship remains “at will.” The position requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.

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