Texas State Director & Special Advisor

Reports to: Vice President of State Initiatives

Direct reports: Texas State Manager

Hours: Full-time, exempt

Location: Remote within the state of Texas

Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, GIFFORDS is a nonprofit organization whose team is on a mission to save lives from gun violence. GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

GIFFORDS is seeking a Texas State Director & Special Advisor to join our team. The Texas State Director & Special Advisor will be an integral part of GIFFORDS’ work in Texas, responsible for leading the development and growth of GIFFORDS’ state-based strategy across every facet of the organization’s work, including policy, engagement, community violence intervention, political, government affairs, research, implementation, and litigation programs. One of the major facets of work for the Texas State Director & Special Advisor is to collaborate with the development team to strategically engage with high-level donors and act as a principal in meetings with prospective funders in the state. Additionally, The Texas State Director & Special Advisor will collaborate with multiple teams at GIFFORDS to expand our influence across the state and help build sustainable organizational infrastructure for GIFFORDS in Texas, including networks of grasstops and grassroots supporters, greater engagement with allied candidates and elected officials, expansion of our Latino Voices work, and more. The Texas State Director & Special Advisor will also serve as a spokesperson for GIFFORDS in Texas.

The successful candidate for this role deeply understands Texas’ dynamics, local communities, and politics. We’re seeking a candidate who has experience in Texas politics, policy, or business communities, is flexible, and has an entrepreneurial orientation. Preference will be given to candidates who are based in either Houston or Dallas and/or have significant relevant experience in those regions of the state.

This is a full-time remote work position based in Texas. This position requires the ability and willingness to travel within Texas up to 60% of the time, as well as interest in staffing occasional weekend and evening events. GIFFORDS requires all staff members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with limited exemptions as required by federal and state law.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants, no phone calls or emails, please.

Duties + Responsibilities:

1. Work with the Vice President of State Initiatives to develop and inform ambitious immediate and long-term strategic plans for GIFFORDS work in Texas through expertise of the landscape across the state, including staying up to date on Texas events and news.
2. Execute the organizational mission to build out and maintain an on-the-ground presence in Texas to establish a powerful GIFFORDS influence, local sophistication, brand identity, fundraising base, and more.
3. Serve as GIFFORDS’ primary spokesperson in Texas, representing the organization with the press and media, at in-state events, and with donors.

Fundraising/Development

• Attend in-person and virtual fundraising meetings, donor interactives, and events in Texas, including serving as a principal.
• Provide strategic insight into GIFFORDS’ Texas fundraising strategy.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key organization donors in Texas, working closely with the development team.

Partnerships

• Identify opportunities and work closely with Engagement and other teams to strategize around efforts to engage core constituencies (communities most impacted by gun violence, Latino voters, gun owners) on the issue of gun safety.
• Create opportunities for GIFFORDS to engage and build a more robust presence throughout Texas.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with other organizations, leaders, and stakeholders to help elevate the issue of gun safety in Texas.

Media and Public Speaking

• Serve as spokesperson for GIFFORDS in Texas for external meetings, events, media, and other speaking engagements.
• Participate in media interviews and speaking engagements on behalf of GIFFORDS in Texas.
• Manage rapid response communications on behalf of GIFFORDS as relevant to our work in Texas.
• Create own content and talking points for public speaking engagements, in coordination with GIFFORDS’ communications team and VP of State Initiatives.

Political Engagement and Government Relations

• Attend and/or speak at meetings with political candidates, public officials in Texas, and members of Congress representing Texas.

Required knowledge, skills + experience

• Strong knowledge of Texas politics and ability to navigate and advise GIFFORDS on Texas-specific dynamics, communities, and regions.
• Minimum of 15 years of full or part-time work experience in related fields such as organizing, politics, government, or other areas of advocacy.
• Outstanding judgment and solutions-oriented approach with demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible.
• Strong existing professional network and relationships in the state of Texas
• Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to build and maintain relationships effectively with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including preparing internal and external reports, delivering presentations, and effectively communicating with diverse audiences.
• Experience in strategic planning.
• Experience responding to media requests and being interviewed for TV, radio, and/or print media.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• A strong commitment to and fluency with inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism.
• Interest in strategic mission-based advocacy.

Valued non-essential knowledge, skills, + experience

• Strong ties in major metro areas of Texas.
• Strong people management skills.

Salary + benefits

The salary range for this position begins at $146,000 annually, with the exact salary depending on experience. Competitive benefits include employer-funded health, dental, and vision insurance; health, transit, and parking flexible spending accounts; 401k plan with 4% employer match; 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually plus a paid week vacation at the end of the year; and ten paid federal holidays.

Applying + the interview process

Submit your resume and a brief cover letter (400 words maximum) outlining three specific ways you would be a good fit for this position. Our interview process for this position consists of a phone interview, a Zoom interview, a final interview, and reference checks.