Legislative Director

Responsibilities

Set the strategic direction for and advance the policy agenda for California Common Cause

• Set the long-term strategy for state-wide policy development and democracy reform in California
• Manage all aspects of the legislative process for California Common Cause, including: developing ideas for and drafting legislation, determining strategies to advocate for legislation, finding bill authors, lobbying, testifying at legislative hearings, negotiating amendments
• Act as California Common Cause’s sole representative in meetings with the California Secretary of State, legislative leadership, the Fair Political Practices Commission, and other critical stakeholders
• Act as the primary communicator with our state board to get approval on legislative priorities
• Manage lobbying filings on behalf of the organization

Advance our legislative agenda through work with staff and partners

• Collaborate with and project manage California Common Cause program staff to leverage their subject matter expertise to support our advocacy efforts
• Build and lead coalitions of civil rights, civic engagement, and community-based organizations from across the state, and act as a representative at the capitol for our work with these organizations
• Engage partners and key stakeholders, including powerful stakeholders who aren’t always aligned with our policy goals (for example, on increased transparency, stricter campaign finance rules, independent redistricting, etc.)
• Build relationships with key legislative staff at the state capitol to help advance our policy agenda

Communicate about our work

• Write op-eds, legislative factsheets, policy briefs, and memos
• Make on-the-record statements to the press, and speak at press conferences or rallies

You will thrive in this role if you have:

• A strong commitment to Common Cause’s non-partisan mission and to advancing racial equity through our democracy agenda
• Familiarity with California’s political context and legislative process; ideally you have existing relationships with political actors in the California Capitol
• Ability to build rapport, trust, and credibility quickly with diverse communities, coalitions, and stakeholders
• A track record of working collaboratively with others, of respectfully navigating conflict while maintaining your values and influencing stakeholders to take action
• Creative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to navigate through ambiguity
• Ability to manage multiple short- and long-term projects simultaneously, with shifting priorities
• An ability to compel action through both written and verbal communication, including the ability to distill complex concepts for a broad audience; ideally you have experience writing op-eds and press releases and making public statements on behalf of an organization
• Openness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth
• Familiarity with office productivity tools (Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Slack, Zoom)

The following is required:

• Knowledge of, and strong interest in, current statewide democracy issues, including voting rights, redistricting, campaign finance reform, and disinformation
• Demonstrated experience with the California legislative process, including policy research and analysis, policy development, legislative drafting, legislative advocacy and lobbying, and policy implementation
• Ability to work in-person in Sacramento at the State Capitol 2-3 days per week
• Ability to travel in-state 3-4 times per year for team and board meetings, and domestically 1-2 times per year for all staff meetings and events
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed, especially during legislative sessions

Additional information about this role:

• This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiations.
• Common Cause is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time; please note that if hired, you will be asked to produce documentation for authorization to work in the US.
• $90,000 – $105,000 a year
• In addition to salary, we also offer a generous benefits package; details: https://www.commoncause.org/our-benefits/
• Common Cause is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated.

Apply to this role via Lever: https://jobs.lever.co/commoncause/1585c9bb-e890-4070-8516-ac8107d25d5f