The Director of Advocacy Engagement and Capacity will be responsible for providing technical assistance and training to strengthen local United Ways in developing and implementing policy and advocacy strategies. The successful candidate will serve as the key point of coordination for the network’s policy-advocacy capacity building efforts, including national trainings, Capitol Hill Days, virtual conferences and fly-ins for local and state United Way staff and board members.
The Director of Advocacy Engagement and Capacity will also be responsible for managing or supporting 2-3 substantive public policy issues, leading cohorts of state and local United Ways to engage in issue advocacy, managing partnerships with coalitions and advocacy organizations, and direct lobbying. The public policy issues might include education, housing, income-supports and nonprofit sector issues.
Candidates will be expected to have significant experience leading and executing trainings and policy events, including developing agendas, coordinating speaker outreach, creating materials, and managing logistics. You will also be expected to have working knowledge of education and income-supports, strong communications and public speaking skills, and exceptional organizational skills. Duties also include producing webinars and developing how-to guides and resources.
You will report to the Senior Director for Public Policy and Advocacy and will work collaboratively on a daily basis with other members of the Public Policy Team, which is a part of United Way Worldwide’s U.S. division.
In your role as Director of Advocacy Engagement and Capacity, you will work collaboratively to advise and support execution of departmental goals and strategy. You will communicate policy and advocacy priorities with internal and external stakeholders and work with a range of other staff within United Way Worldwide.
An individual must be able to perform each essential duty listed below at a satisfactory level:
- Organize, participate in, and conduct trainings, webinars, and conferences to build the capacity of the United Way U.S. network, including:
- New President’s Forum Capitol Hill Day
- United Way Advocacy Forum and Capitol Hill Day
- Additional national network-wide events
- Strengthen and enhance the United Way Policy Team’s field engagement strategy, including consultation model, communications and outreach, advocacy resources and training.
- Manage or support 2-3 substantive public policy issues through public awareness campaigns, grassroots and grasstops mobilization, digital advocacy and direct lobbying.
- Coordinate and support in-district meetings and facilitate opportunities for local United Ways to build relationships with their federal elected officials.
- Build and manage relationships cohorts of state and local United Ways to provide targeted supports, technical assistance and consultation in an effort to increase their capacity to engage in advocacy on these issues. Support the broader United Way network to also engage.
- Cultivate relationships with national advocacy partners and find synergy with UWW policy and advocacy priorities.
- Collaborate with the Network Engagement Team to help build the capacity and knowledge of United Ways to engage in public policy and advocacy.
- Lead web and virtual meetings.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Familiarity with the United Way network and federal policy landscape is strongly preferred.
- The role also requires: advanced public policy knowledge, skills and abilities; excellent verbal and written communication skills; an ability to multi-task in a fast paced environment, build relationships, and work collaboratively; and excellent project management and Microsoft Office Suite skills.