Summary
Empower Missouri’s Policy Director provides broad oversight and leadership of the organization’s policy agenda and our pursuit to address poverty through policy across Missouri. This position directly supervises a team of 4-6 policy team members, along with our contract lobbyists. Working with this team, the Policy Director sets ambitious policy goals with our Affordable Housing, Food Security, and Community Justice Coalitions and oversees our work on those goals in Jefferson City. This position requires solid management skills, strong critical thinking capabilities, and a strong desire to foster bipartisan relationships with legislators and partners committed to ending poverty in Missouri.
Reports To: Executive Director
Salary Range and Benefits: $55,000-$70,000 starting salary with annual opportunities for merit-based and cost-of-living raises; health, life, dental and vision insurance; generous PTO policy, paid holidays, and retirement plan.
Location: This position can be based anywhere in Missouri, with anticipated 25% travel in-state.
Responsibilities
Policy Team Leadership (in partnership with the Advocacy Director)
- Hold a strong working knowledge of all of Empower Missouri’s priority issues
- Partner with policy managers for each coalition to set legislative priorities for each coalition
- Research evidence-based best practices on our priority issues
- Develop supplemental anti-poverty policy goals as needed (outside of coalitions)
- Partner with the Communications Director to set a calendar for thought leadership pieces (blog posts, reports, social media, etc.) to release throughout the year
Policy, Advocacy and Organizing
- Provide broad oversight of Empower Missouri’s legislative advocacy work
- Set metrics and benchmarks for policy goals & oversee progress to goals, providing reporting on these goals for grants as needed
- Supervise all policy managers
- Lead creation of annual legislative priority list. Oversee staff members in tracking legislation, preparing testimony, and educating legislators on key bills
- Oversee all contract lobbyists working for Empower Missouri in the capitol.
- Amplify Empower Missouri’s power in the Missouri Capitol Building through cultivation of relationships with key legislative and executive branch elected officials and their staffs
- Lead planning and execution of Empower’s Annual Week of Action
- Support Advocacy Director on Anti-Poverty Advocate Summit through overseeing planning for coalition spaces and policy knowledge-building sessions
- Define and oversee an annual cycle of candidate/legislator education
- Run December training academy for new legislators
- Partner with Communications Director to issue Calls to Action during legislative session
- Manage relationships with key advocacy partners and other stakeholders statewide
Growing Coalitions
- Oversee policy managers in setting annual plans for new coalition member recruitment
- Oversee policy managers’ travel to build coalitions throughout the summer and fall; assist in recruitment trips as needed
- Partner with Communications Director to create recruitment materials and marketing and outreach strategy for new coalition members
- Oversees bi-annual coalition survey process
Requirements
Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Baseline knowledge of all of Empower Missouri’s priority issue areas
- Very strong planning and organizational skills
- Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and shift priorities as needed
- Clear verbal and written communication skills
- Strong ability and desire to work across party lines and build strong bipartisan relationships
- Demonstrated ability to successfully create and execute on short- and long-term project plans
Desired Education and Experience:
- Minimum of five years of experience in policy or advocacy work, preferably in Missouri
- Minimum of three years of management experience
- Empower Missouri is open to a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds. Competency, passion, and experience are more important than formal education, although we certainly welcome those with formal education credentials to apply
We encourage candidates who might not have all the above experience, but who have other significant assets and experiences, to apply. When looking for successful candidates, we value attitude, willingness to learn, flexibility, and commitment to Empower Missouri’s mission.
Apply
Submit cover letter, resume, and list of three references to jobs@empowermissouri.org. Priority application deadline is June 9, 2023. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.