Senior Manager of Partnerships (Flexible US Work Location)

Senior Manager of Partnerships

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understand the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) is seeking a full time experienced organizer and strategist with ballot measure campaign experience to join our program team. The Senior Manager of Partnerships needs 5+ years of organizing and ballot measure campaign experience. 

The Senior Manager of Partnerships will work in collaboration with BISC’s Strategic Partnerships Director and program team to develop, support, and execute programmatic and organizational goals that deepen partnerships and alignment in the ballot measure and progressive ecosystems to strengthen the skills and capacities of leaders, partner organizations, and campaigns working on ballot measures. 

The Senior Manager of Partnerships will work with the program team to provide equity-based strategic advice and support to ballot measure campaigns, coalitions, and leaders throughout the entire 360 Lifecycle of ballot measure campaigns and will work to leverage BISC’s convening spaces, expertise, relationships and resources to align partners around multi-cycle strategies that incubate equitable and winning ballot measure campaigns.. The Senior Manager of Partnerships will develop and nurture state and national partnerships in collaboration with the program directors and other team members with an eye toward increasing and deepening BISC’s reach and relationships in the progressive, grassroots, and social justice ecosystems. This position requires someone who is proactive, responsive, and as skilled with logistics and details as they are with relationships. 

Location: BISC HQ is located in Washington, DC, but the location for this position is flexible. This position may require some frequent and/or extended travel. This position reports to BISC’s Strategic Partnerships Director.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of BISC’s program work with a commitment to excellence and appetite to learn new skills; 
• Work to create transformational systems change and continued operationalization of greater alignment amongst and across various ballot measure sectors and issue areas by working with the Strategic Partnerships Director to support the day-to-day work of BISC’s 360 Alignment Coalition work;
• Manage a portfolio of strategic assistance, including doing regular partner follow up and providing BISC resources, tools, and training;
• Provide expert strategic assistance to BISC internal staff as well as external partners and stakeholders;
• Advance and grow BISC’s work to support advocates in their leadership and skills development throughout the 360 lifecycle of ballot measure campaigns;
• Manage a portfolio of state and national partnerships, and collaborate with the Program Directors and Program Team on the identification, development, and sustaining of BISC partnerships;
• Work with BISC’s Capacity Building Team to ensure campaign,partner lessons, and resources are incorporated into evaluation tools, techniques, and practices for the ballot measure field and to measure BISC’s impact;
• Work with the Senior Manager Defend Direct Democracy and the Policy and Legal Advocacy Director to ensure sound policy development, policy analysis, and strategies to Defend Direct Democracy are incorporated into strategic assistance;
• Work with the program team to deepen relationships and respond to the needs of ballot measure practitioners through one-on-one strategic assistance conversations, convenings and meetings, and supporting peer learning cohorts; 
• Work with the Strategic Partnerships Director and the Program Team to support an impactful and equitable research and data program that centers directly impacted communities, and play an active support role in sharing research results with external partners through BISC communications, strategic assistance, and research briefings; 
• Support and provide logistics for BISC events such as trainings, briefings, conferences, and other convenings. Execute and provide administrative support to other members of the program team when needed;
• Other duties as assigned

Additional job responsibilities:

• Aid the program team in the implementation of BISC’s 5-year strategic plan focused on changing culture, centering directly impacted communities, capacity building, convening, and internal continuity and growth;
• Represent BISC by attending meetings and convenings of stakeholders and partners;
• Work with the BISC team to deepen BISC’s racial equity work, both internally and in the field;
• Support other BISC, BISC Foundation, fundraising, and communications projects and activities as needed;
• Assist with the planning and execution of BISC’s annual conference.

Requirements:

Job requirements include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• 5+ years of organizing and ballot measure campaign experience. 
• Proven track record: You have solid experience in organizing and ballot measure campaigns, as well as equity-based strategies that will allow you to provide a high level of strategic support to BISC partners.
• Knowledge of and experience in building relationships with national partners and stakeholders, as well as grassroot advocates.
• Solid experience in the ballot measure process: You have a belief in the power of direct democracy and have experience with ballot measure campaigns.
• Collaborative: You know that building a coalition and building true partnerships takes time, trust, and transparency. You understand the complexities of coalition work, including the inherent race, power and privilege dynamics often present, and are able to address them in a sophisticated way that invites people into the work. You also are collaborative with your co-workers: willingly sharing information and tasks to get a job done.
• Results and evaluation driven: You show relentless commitment to meeting a high bar and a history of getting things done even in the face of obstacles. You are receptive to feedback and know that evaluating and re-adjusting is critical to long term learning. 
• Organized and flexible: You have a plan, but you can quickly adapt when needed. You understand the plan is better when you collaborate with those around you. 
• Effective interpersonal skills: Proven ability to communicate effectively with different personalities to move projects forward. 
• Strong time management skills: Proven ability to balance many projects at once and prioritize accordingly.
• Movement Focused: Demonstrated commitment to the progressive social and racial justice movement with an eye toward long-term power building and change-making. 

Salary & Benefits:* (see BISC’s Compensation Philosophy below)

• Salary: 75,000 - 85,000
• 100% Medical insurance for family paid for by employer
• Dental insurance
• Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage
• Paid vacation
• Sick leave
• Generous 401(k) plan with employer contribution

To Apply:

To apply: Submit cover letter, resume, and three references by clicking here.

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

About BISC

BISC’s mission is to strengthen democracy by implementing a national progressive strategy for ballot measures rooted in building state-based power.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC), a 501(c)(4) organization, is the only progressive organization that works across many policy, organizing, and political organizations, with local, state, and national leaders to analyze and support the ballot measure landscape.

We believe direct democracy can be a tool for liberation. We leverage ballot measures across the United States as part of a larger movement to strengthen democracy, center people of color, queer, low-income, immigrant, indigenous and other marginalized communities, move towards racial equity, build and transform power, and galvanize a new progressive base. In February 2020, we launched our strategic framework to help move towards our vision of building a world where all people are fully liberated, live with dignity and thrive so that equity and justice prevail.

We lead by supporting the use of ballot measures as a tool for transformational impact, not just in a measure’s outcomes, but at every stage of the ballot measure process—from policy development, signature gathering, civic engagement, the campaign itself, implementation and beyond. We believe in movement building and empowerment, bringing communities into the work and leaving lasting infrastructure for continued social change.

We know that success isn’t just defined by getting 50% + 1 of the vote. If we’re serious about building a more equitable world, we also must consider who’s driving the change and whether it will have a transformational impact on the people and communities who have been pushed to the margins for too long.

We achieve impact through training the field and developing leaders, convening state and national leaders and funders in a co-created strategy that results in transformative wins, leading innovative research and providing assistance to support ballot measures as a tool to build long term power.

BISC’s Racial Equity Stance

At the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, we work to transform our country into one that is equitable and just. In our work, we strive to challenge structural racism, and center the people most impacted. BISC works with commitment to racial equity inside our organization in our operations and management processes, and externally through our research, training and organizing work with ballot-measure campaigns, partners and funders.

BISC’s Compensation Philosophy

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center seeks to recruit, retain, and develop high-talent individuals in order to achieve our mission. In 2022, BISC created a compensation philosophy that provides a framework for compensation decisions and shows how those decisions are a reflection of our organizational values.

 Salaries are benchmarked to the most expensive geographic markets in the U.S. Incoming staff have the opportunity to negotiate within the published salary range but final offers will preserve relative salary parity with similarly experienced staff who have similar roles at BISC. Annual raises (budget permitting and after one year of tenure) are flat rate rather than percentages of salary and are not connected to annual performance reviews. We have chosen to structure salary bands so salaries can continue to grow even without a promotion (BISC is a small organization and upward mobility may be more limited than in larger entities). We offer above-market benefits to support employee medical, retirement, and other needs and strive to create opportunities for continued learning and investment in staff professional development.  

EEO Policy

BISC follows an Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and employs personnel without regard to race, ethnic or religious background, descent or nationality, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy), gender identification, disability, marital status, age, height, weight, or military service. This policy applies to employment, internships, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, relationships with vendors, use of contractors and consultants and in dealing with the general public.

Notice of Exempt Position

This is a full-time position and in accordance with the provisions of Federal and DC wage and hour laws, this position is classified as Exempt, which means that you will not be eligible for overtime for hours worked in excess of forty (40) during a work week.