In this new position, the Political Director will develop and drive Vote Mama’s political strategy and support candidates, from the comprehensive endorsement process to candidate support throughout their campaigns.
As a strategic lead, they play a key role in advancing Vote Mama PAC, in line with the strategic goals of the entire Vote Mama organization. The Director is the architect of the candidate endorsement strategy that reflects core values around racial equity, diversity, belonging and fostering meaningful relationships in and outside of the organization.
Strategy Development
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Develop Vote Mama’s political strategy, expanding Vote Mama’s impact year over year
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Develop compelling narratives and opportunities to engage and build the Vote Mama candidate and partner networks
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Develop benchmarks and metrics to measure the success of the political strategy, iterating as needed for maximum effectiveness
Candidate Engagement
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Define the strategy, approach, and execution of the candidate endorsement process
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Identify and develop strategic relationships with partners and candidates through endorsements
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Provide a high level of candidate support through resourcing, sound boarding, and connections
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Engage candidates and their staff via the Vote Mama app and online community
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Develop and execute a strategy to build out the Vote Mama candidate network
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Coordination with the Vote Mama team to determine levels of financial support and engagement for political candidates
Organizational Leadership
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Collaborates with leadership to expand tactics and capitalize on opportunities in line with Vote Mama’s overarching strategy
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Fosters cross-team collaboration and learning, leveraging Vote Mama’s research and expertise in campaign work
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Raises the profile of Vote Mama through strong ambassadorship and belief in mission.
A typical day
You’ll be in a combination of internal and external strategy planning sessions, and supporting candidates in a variety of ways – connecting them with partners, sharing resources and advice, and sound boarding various approaches and strategies.
You’ll also be building and or executing on Vote Mama’s endorsement strategy over the course of the year, with bigger lifts throughout the year.
The ideal candidate for this position will have deep understanding of the current and evolving political landscape, knowledge and resources around campaign strategy, and a broad network of strategic relationships and resources at the national and state level to support a range of candidates up and down ballot. The Political Director will report to Sarah Hague, Chief Program Officer.
Required Skills for this Role
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7+ years experience in managing major campaigns
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Strong understanding of the political landscape, up and down ballot
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Strong understanding of political fundraising and compliance
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Relationships with electeds and key political stakeholders
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Experience utilizing your networks and connections to support candidates running for office
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Ability to engage diverse individuals around a common goal
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Commitment to Vote Mama’s goals and theory of change, and passion for grassroots organizing and commitment to progressive policy change as well as deep dedication to the mission
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Must be creative, strategic, collaborative, and organized, with keen attention to detail
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Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
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Ability to work independently and to exercise sound judgment and discretion.
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Based either in DC or NY.
We Hope You Bring One or More of These Bonus Skills
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Experience running a candidate endorsement program
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Experience working in coalition with national partners
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Political fundraising experience
Working at Vote Mama
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This position is a remote in the DC/NY area and requires travel for in-person events as needed.
Benefits and Compensation
Salary: $105,000-$130,000
Benefits:
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Health Insurance: group medical insurance, group dental insurance, group vision insurance
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Health FSA and Dependent Care FSA
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Paid Time Off: paid federal holidays, unlimited vacation and sick days, six months of paid family leave
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401(k): upon three months of employment, access to a 401(k) retirement plan with matching up to 3%.
APPLY HERE: https://www.votemamapac.org/jobs/political-director
If you don’t meet all of the requirements and believe you’re a good fit, we absolutely encourage you to apply and tell us why!
Timeline and process: We are accepting applications on a rolling basis and will
continue to interview until filled. We are planning for 2-3 rounds of interviews, all between 30 and 60 minutes via Zoom, in addition to a hiring exercise. While we are looking for the right match, the ideal start date is October 23, 2023.
As an equal opportunity employer, Vote Mama encourages applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, physical ability or any other legally protected basis.
Vote Mama prides itself on practicing the values we advocate. We are a family-friendly workplace committed to a culture prioritizing both the importance of the work we do and balance with life outside of work. Because we recognize the necessity of an intersectional approach to advocacy, we actively seek to broaden the scope of our collective lived experiences in our hiring practices.