Jobs

Director of Policy Campaigns & Government Affairs

Worth Rises seeks a dynamic Director of Policy Campaigns & Government Affairs (exempt) based in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, or Midwest region to lead the national policy campaign work of the organization. This individual should have experience with grassroots and grasstops organizing. They should be a high-level thinker, strategist, and doer able to navigate a variety of environments skillfully and with integrity. The Director of Policy Campaigns & Government Affairs will report to the Executive Director and work with her to develop and implement policy campaign strategy. The Director of Policy Campaigns & Government Affairs will manage the policy campaigns team and work with campaign staff to build a broad base of directly impacted people and allies, convene and coordinate coalitions, and advocate to stakeholders and decisionmakers.

Worth Rises is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches. Partnering with directly impacted people, we work to expose the commercialization of the criminal legal system and advocate and organize to protect the economic resources extracted from affected communities and strip the industry of its power. Through our work, we strive to pave a road toward a safe and just world free of police and prisons. 

Key Results (Year One)

• Scale the number of prison phone justice campaigns from 10 to 15 with at least three legislative wins.
• Reintroduce the Abolition Amendment, increase Republican co-sponsorship to at least 50, and secure a bill hearing in at least one chamber.
• Create a long-term strategic plan to build on the successes of phone justice campaigns to expand into other prison industry sectors. 

Major Responsibilities

• Co-develop and execute the organization’s campaign strategy with the Executive Director, Chief of Staff, Director of Popular Education, and Director of Communications.
• Manage the policy campaigns team, providing oversight and thought partnership to campaigns staff to keep work on track and meet campaign goals.
• Deepen and expand relationships with partner organizations working at the intersection of criminal and economic injustice on a national, state, local level.
• Advocate to key decisionmakers, including legislators, agencies, and others, to persuade them to take recommended actions. 
• Develop and execute base building strategies with communities directly impacted by incarceration that elevate their voices and center their leadership, analysis, and stories.
• Be an organizational spokesperson to communities, coalitions, partners, decisionmakers, and media through interviews, hearings, rallies, conferences, and op-eds, persuasively communicating the organization’s mission and goals.
• Work closely with the popular education and communications teams in service of campaigns.
• Track and assess campaign progress and needs and manage internal and external resources.

Critical Factors for Success

A strong candidate would be a strategic-minded and motivated self-starter who consistently delivers high-quality work, is an excellent project manager, is a proactive and innovative problem-solver, appreciates direct feedback, and has the following:

• At least five years of experience developing, running, and winning legislative campaigns that includes leading strategic planning, large coalitions, legislative drafting, direct actions, and digital advocacy.
• At least two years of management experience, preferably the management and development of staff directly impacted by incarceration.
• Very strong oral and written communication skills with professional experience drafting materials for different audiences, including fact sheets, demand letters, petitions, and op-eds.
• Strong relationships across the prison abolition and criminal justice movement and the demonstrated ability to build trusted working relationships with staff, partners, and community members.
• Ability to productively engage in and defuse conflicts, as necessary.
• Working understanding of the prison industry and corporate finance and a strong, demonstrated interest in learning more.
• Willingness to travel as required.
• Genuine commitment to our organizational values: act with integrity, focus on impact, deliver excellence, get it done, and operate with intellectual curiosity (visit worthrises.org/jointhefight).

Compensation and Benefits

Worth Rises offers a generous compensation package, including full medical, vision, and dental coverage, 20 days vacation time, ten days personal/sick leave, and three days bereavement leave. Employees also receive a generous 401k contribution match, $75 monthly cellphone stipend, and dedicated budget line for professional development. We operate in a remote-first environment. The annual salary for Director of Policy Campaigns & Government Affairs is $130,000.

Worth Rises is an equal opportunity employer, and strongly encourages formerly incarcerated individuals, directly impacted individuals, people of color, members of the disabled community, gender-variant and non-binary individuals, and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community to apply.

Learn more here

Job posted: 2023-05-24