POLICY ASSISTANT / POLICY ASSOCIATE

(posted Jan 18, 2018, review on Feb 5, 2018)

Want to fix Congress? Do you think members and staff are captive to a broken process and lack the resources to do their jobs? Do you want your government to be transparent, accountable, and effective? If so, this job is for you.

Demand Progress is looking for a smart, self-starting, intensely curious person fascinated by the policymaking process who is willing to roll up her or his sleeves to make things better.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

You will be a policy assistant or policy associate, depending on your experience, working for and directly reporting to Daniel Schuman, Demand Progress policy director, and co-founder of the Congressional Data Coalition.

You will spent 100% of your time working to improve Congress, using whatever techniques we can figure out to help us get there. This includes:

  • Research and Writing: Performing research and writing blogs, articles, and reports.
  • Connecting with People: Hosting events, convening people, working with the media, representing the organization at coalition meetings, and using electronic media (twitter, listservs, etc.).
  • Lobbying: Drafting legislation and supporting legislative staff who have good id> eas.
  • And more>: Figuring out new ways to solve problems, as well as a fair amount of the usual humdrum paper-pushing.

As you become more experienced and our work expands, your role will change. We strongly believe in helping staff grow and achieve their potential. The stuff we said about being a self-starter and curious isn’t just talk—you will get a lot of runway (and a lot of help), and we want you to make the most of it.

We will be a small but mighty team and we will change the world.

OUR PHILOSOPHY AND BACKGROUND

Demand Progress has a progressive philosophy; however, making Congress better is not a liberal or conservative issue. You are expected to be able to work with everyone from across the political spectrum. At the same time, the institutions inside Congress that support legislative expertise come out of the progressive era, so it’s important to stay grounded in the idea that Congress must work for all Americans.

We have had some success changing the world. We’ve gotten laws enacted, policies changes, technology improved, data liberated, and beat back many an effort to make things worse. In some small but significant way, we’ve changed the culture of Congress.

COMPENSATION

The salary for the first year is $43-55k, depending on your experience. In addition, Demand Progress offers excellent benefits such as employer-paid health insurance, a 3% retirement match, 3 weeks vacation (plus the week between Christmas and New Years), parental leave, travel expenses, and short and long term disability insurance. This position is considered exempt for overtime purposes.

You can work from wherever you want— we don’t have a central office, but you should live in the Washington, D.C. area. You also can keep flexible hours, subject to the approval of your supervisor and the needs of the job.

QUALITIES YOU SHOULD POSSESS:

  • Openness to implementing unconventional and innovative ideas.
  • Be self-starting, resourceful, and organized.
  • Have the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
  • Be a proactive problem solver.
  • Have strong attention to detail.
  • Have excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • A willingness to learn.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree with 1-2 years of related work experience, whether in government (staff or intern), a non-profit, think tank, journalism, or something similar.
  • Comfortable with Google applications (Gmail, Google docs, calendar, etc).
  • Basic computer/technology skills or understanding (perhaps you’ve edited a wiki, or written on a blog, or set up a basic webpage, or made a video, or anything along these lines).

ABOUT DEMAND PROGRESS
Demand Progress is a national grassroots organization with 2.5 million members that promotes the democratic character of the internet and uses it to break concentrated power and make government accountable. Our work focuses on the final part, with building up the legislative branch as an institution capable of overseeing the executive branch and making smart legislative decisions.

We are both a 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, and are fiscally sponsored by New Venture Fund and the Sixteen Thirty Fund. In other words, we’re a traditional non-profit and we can lobby and engage in political activity.

HOW TO APPLY

We will begin reviewing applications no later than Monday, February 5th, and continue on a rolling basis.

  • Please send to [email protected]:
  • Your name and the phrase “Policy Associate” in the subject line.
  • Your resume.
  • A cover letter that explains why you are interested in the job and your background.
  • Three references (with name, affiliation, email, and phone number).
  • A (short!) writing sample that demonstrates your ability to explain or summarize a topic. Send two if you think it would help, or a link to relevant work you’ve done.

MORE ABOUT DEMAND PROGRESS

Demand Progress is committed to the principles of social and economic justice, and we try to build a workplace where all employees are treated fairly, feel respected as individuals and enjoy working together. Additionally, we recognize that the issues we work on play out differently in different kinds of communities, and value the perspective of people from communities that have traditionally experienced discrimination.

People of color, women, people with disabilities, and LGBT people are especially encouraged to apply.

NEW VENTURE FUND CAREERS

Demand Progress is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

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CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR

(opens December 2017, closes January 22, 2018)

ABOUT DEMAND PROGRESS

Demand Progress is an online activist group of 2 million members dedicated to protecting a free and open internet, breaking the power of big Wall Street banks, stopping the out-of- control national surveillance state, and ending the corrosive influence of money in politics.

Demand Progress was cofounded by current executive director David Segal (former state legislator and netroots-backed candidate for Congress) and the late technologist and activist Aaron Swartz.  Ever since, we have used digital technology to organize ordinary people to fight back against powerful interests – and win.

We have mobilized millions of people and co-led efforts to block internet censorship (SOPA/PIPA), enact net neutrality rules, and halt the expansion of mass surveillance.  Our anti-corporatism work has helped reject policies and personnel that would favor big banks and monopolies above the interests of ordinary people.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Demand Progress is looking for a strategic and nimble Campaign Director with significant experience developing and leading digital campaigns.

Do you have a proven knack for online and offline campaigning: the ability to spot a moment and develop a theory of change, the willingness to go after any target, and the determination to keep pushing, even in the face of long odds? Do you have the vision to see how technology and new tools can be leveraged to mobilize people to take action (online and off) in ways that will alter the political landscape? Are you ready to lead a small team to make big changes? If so, please read on!

What you’ll do in this role:

  • Help develop organizational goals and priorities, and act as a senior-level representative of the organization.
  • Lead the Campaigns team (you plus 2-3 campaigners) and supervise, mentor and develop its members.
  • Track the emerging developments, campaign timelines, anticipated mobilization points and key campaign milestones across all our major issue areas, and regularly re-assess departmental, individual and campaign priorities in light of shifting events.
  • Oversee the netroots/grassroots mobilization elements of all advocacy campaigns.
  • Identify, develop and execute high-value campaigns of your own.
  • Set the email calendar and approve all email and landing page copy.
  • Manage the departmental budget, and manage the relationship with vendors and consultants doing work for the Campaigns team.
  • Make sure that the Campaigns team is working in synch with the rest of the organization.
  • Maintain open lines of communication with key allies and partners.
  • Build, lead and participate in coalitions (both ad hoc and formal), including some that transcend normal political lines.
  • Work with the Executive Director and Development Director on major gifts and institutional giving.
  • Run point on working with the press for a subset of campaigns.
  • Oversee our digital infrastructure and list health.
  • Establish online fundraising and growth goals, and manage the team and our fundraising consultants to make sure we hit them.
  • Make sure we’re innovating.
  • Other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

You could be great for this role if:

  • You share our deep commitment to economic and social justice, and your political analysis dovetails with our own.
  • You have at least four (and ideally more) years of relevant campaigning or organizing experience in an electoral or advocacy setting, including at least three years in a digital role.
  • You have at least two years of supervisory experience, you’re a team player, and you can both give and receive feedback well.
  • You have a strong understanding of the Demand Progress/MoveOn/CREDO model of digital campaigning.
  • You can point to some campaigns you’ve run where you won or clearly tilted the playing field in a better direction, and describe the impact you had.
  • You’re an excellent all-around communicator, and can write sharp, persuasive and well-messaged copy for action alerts, press releases, organizational sign-on letters, etc.
  • You are conversant about at least some wonky policy issues, and are familiar with legislative and regulatory processes.
  • You care about excellence, and have good judgement about when to shoot for excellence and when to triage and shoot for sufficiency.
  • You have (or can quickly develop) a bird’s-eye view of the different coalitions and ideological blocs that make up today’s political landscape (both electoral and in terms of issue advocacy).
  • You function well in a fast-paced environment, and can nimbly respond to shifting priorities and timelines.
  • You’re comfortable working in ActionKit or an advocacy CRM very similar to it.
  • You have some experience project-managing a web development or graphic design project.
  • You’re very comfortable with metrics and analytics.
  • You’re creative and thoughtful about how new digital tools and tactics can strengthen campaigns and improve campaign outcomes.

Experience in one or more of the following isn’t required, but is a big plus:

  • Managing a team.
  • Working remotely and/or working as part of a team with remote members.
  • Leading, or helping to lead, issue campaigns for an organization working on a national and/or global scale.
  • Building effective partnerships or coalitions with advocacy and/or activist groups.
  • Knowledge of and relationships with policy experts, lawmakers and/or their staff, campaigning groups, and/or activists groups in our issue areas.
  • Nuts-and-bolts offline (or predominantly offline) organizing in an community organizing, electoral, legislative, labor, or corporate campaigning setting.
  • SQL or other database experience.
  • Graphic design or videography, particularly anything demonstrating an aptitude for creating creative and compelling social media content.
  • Packaging and pitching stories to the press, and/or on-the-record spokesperson experience.
  • Navigating complex coalitions settings.
  • Project-managing the development of websites or web-tools for activism.
  • Managing and growing a large email list (250,000+ subscribers).

LOCATION

There is a strong preference for the Campaign Director to be located in or near Washington, DC or New York City, but working remotely from elsewhere in the Contiguous United States is possible for the right candidate. Some travel will be required for work wherever the candidate is based, and additional travel (roughly once every month or two) will be necessary for a Campaign Director working outside of the D.C. Metro area to travel to D.C.

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this position is $80,000-$100,000 per year. In addition to the salary, Demand Progress offers additional benefits such as employer-paid health insurance, a 3% retirement match, 3 weeks vacation time (plus the week between Christmas and New Years off). This position is considered exempt for overtime purposes.

The Campaign Director will report to the Executive Director.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are due at 11:59pm PT on January 22, 2018.

Please send your resume and a thoughtful cover letter that answers the following questions as PDF attachments to [email protected] with “Campaign Director” as the subject line.

Questions:

  1. Why are you applying for this job? (Suggested word limit: 200)
  2. Describe a campaign that you led or helped to lead where your actions resulted in a victory or clearly altered the political landscape in a way that would not have happened without your actions. Please describe the context of the campaign, your role in it, what happened (including how your actions were decisive) and what you learned from the campaign. (Suggested word limit: 300 words.)
  3. List which of the bullet points under “Experience in one or more of the following isn’t required, but is a big plus” (above) you believe you bring to the table, with a few words of explanation if that’s useful.
  4. Our four main issue areas are: Open Internet, Surveillance, Wall Street Accountability, and Money in Politics. What’s your experience working on these issues? (Suggested word limit: 200 words).
  5. What is an advocacy campaign run by a prominent progressive group in the U.S. in the last two years that either lost or failed to win big because of a strategic mistake? Please describe the campaign, your interpretation of what the strategy was and how it played out, what you think the single biggest strategic change is that would have made the biggest difference, and why you think that. (Suggested word count: 300 words)

Demand Progress is committed to the principles of social and economic justice, and we try to build a workplace where all employees are treated fairly, feel respected as individuals and enjoy working together. Additionally, we recognize that the issues we work on play out differently in different kinds of communities, and value the perspective of people from communities that have traditionally experienced discrimination.

People of color,  women, people with disabilities, and LGBT people are especially encouraged to apply.

New Venture Fund Careers

Demand Progress is a project of the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. The New Venture Fund is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. The New Venture Fund’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.