Vice President, Policy

Vice President, Policy – Common Cause

We are looking for a Vice President, Policy to lead Common Cause’s policy team and drive our policy strategy across the organization’s four core democracy reform areas:

• Voting & Fair Representation
• Anti-Corruption & Accountability
• Media & Democracy
• Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

This role will oversee the development, research, and implementation of policy solutions that advance Common Cause’s mission at the state and federal levels. The Vice President, Policy will manage a team of policy directors and researchers/analysts, ensuring alignment across issue areas and supporting policy development that strengthens democracy.

Working closely with the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation Strategy, this role will bridge state and federal policy efforts, ensuring consistency in our advocacy and research. The Vice President, Policy will also collaborate with internal teams and coalition partners to drive impactful policy change.

This is a full-time role reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation Strategy. This role is remote anywhere within the lower 48 United States, with an expectation to travel up to 1-2 weeks per month. We hope our new Vice President, Policy will start in June.

Responsibilities

Set and Drive the Strategy to Reach Our Organizational Policy Goals

• Develop and implement an integrated policy strategy that aligns with Common Cause’s mission and four core issue areas.
• Ensure that state and federal policy work is aligned and mutually reinforcing.
• Provide expertise and strategic counsel to Common Cause leadership, state directors, and campaign teams on democracy reform policies.
• Oversee research and analysis that informs Common Cause’s policy positions, ensuring a strong factual and legal foundation for advocacy efforts.
• Support the SVP, Policy & Litigation Strategy in identifying opportunities to advance federal policy through state-driven initiatives.

Manage the Policy Team

• Lead and support a team of policy directors and researchers/analysts, fostering a collaborative and high-impact work environment.
• Set clear priorities, goals, and accountability measures for the Policy Team.
• Mentor and develop staff, ensuring they have the resources and guidance needed to succeed.
• Facilitate collaboration between policy staff and other Common Cause teams, including States, Organizing, and External Affairs.

Strengthen Policy Development and Research

• Oversee the development of policy reports, white papers, and research products to support advocacy campaigns.
• Ensure policy analysis is rigorous, data-driven, and responsive to emerging democracy reform challenges.
• Support Common Cause’s litigation efforts to integrate legal strategies into broader policy initiatives.
• Track national and state policy trends, identifying opportunities for Common Cause to take leadership on key democracy reform issues.

Drive External Engagement and Coalition Work

• Represent Common Cause in policy discussions, coalitions, and public forums.
• Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, government officials, and democracy reform advocates.
• Strengthen coalition efforts by coordinating policy alignment with partner organizations and allies.
• Engage with media and public audiences to communicate Common Cause’s policy priorities effectively.

Support Fundraising and Resource Development

• Work with the Development team to secure funding for policy initiatives through grants and donor engagement.
• Contribute to grant proposals and reports, ensuring funders understand the impact of Common Cause’s policy work.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify resource needs and growth opportunities for the Policy Team.

You Will Thrive in This Role If You Have:

• A strong commitment to Common Cause’s nonpartisan mission and to advancing civil rights through our pro-democracy agenda.
• A commitment to equity in the goals of your work and in how you work with others.
• A track record of working collaboratively, with an ability to quickly build rapport, trust, and credibility with multiple stakeholders with diverse interests.
• An ability to navigate organizational and power dynamics to meet common goals, and respectfully navigate conflict while maintaining your values.
• Innovative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and a resourceful approach to problem-solving.
• Ability to manage and meet deadlines for multiple priorities at once, including setting direction for direct reports to manage priorities; high attention to detail; strong organization skills, and the ability to manage your time independently.
• Ability to compel action through both written and verbal communication, including distilling complex concepts for a broad audience.
• Openness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth.
• Familiarity with office productivity tools, including Microsoft Office, Slack, and Zoom.

The Following is Required:

• Juris Doctor degree and bar admission in one or more states.
• Demonstrated experience working on civil rights issues at the state level; ideally, you’ve also done this work at the federal level.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the unique aspects of the political culture and climate of a specific state, and existing relationships with decision-makers in that state.
• Demonstrated experience with the legislative process in at least one state, including policy research and analysis, policy development, legislative drafting, legislative advocacy and lobbying, and policy implementation.
• Experience managing and developing a team; setting strategic direction for a team, and building a unified approach to achieving goals.
• Experience managing coalitions or groups that represent stakeholders with diverse interests to achieve a goal.
• Track record of leading organization-wide change initiatives.
• Ability to travel up to 1-2 weeks per month for meetings and team and/or all-staff retreats.
• Per our nonpartisan policy, Common Cause staff members may not currently be in elected office (or running for office); on the Steering Committee or Finance Committee for any political candidate; or affiliated with the leadership of a political party.

Additional Information About This Role:

• This position is classified as supervisory and therefore not included in the union-represented collective bargaining unit.
• Common Cause is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time. If hired, you will be asked to produce documentation for authorization to work in the U.S.
• Salary: $145,000 – $175,000 per year.
• Geography-specific percentage increases apply depending on location. Details here.

Compensation and Benefits:

Common Cause sets salary ranges consistently based on job responsibilities, and we determine salary for each staff member based on relevant years of experience. We do not negotiate salary ranges or specific salary offers.

We offer a generous benefits package, including:

• A robust healthcare plan covering 97% of employee medical care, 100% of vision and dental benefits, and 75% of family medical care.
• Long-term disability and life insurance.
• Generous Paid Time Off, including 20 vacation days, 10 observed holidays, plus additional days for Thanksgiving and Winter break.
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• A 401(k) retirement savings plan with immediate employer match.
• Dependent care and pet care support when traveling for work.
• Funds for professional development.
• And more! See full benefits details here.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

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.

Learn more here