Senior Policy Associate

About End Child Poverty California Powered By Grace

GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) is a nonprofit that uses education, advocacy, and movement building to achieve its mission. Founded by the Daughters of Charity, GRACE’s vision is to build a joyful movement to abolish child poverty in California by centering communities, building authentic partnerships, and advancing public investments that create transformative intergenerational change. End Child Poverty California (ECPCA) is the campaign through which GRACE engages in outreach, education, and advocacy.

Summary

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Senior Policy Associate is responsible for advancing ECPCA’s anti-poverty policy agenda toward its goals of economic mobility and prosperity, especially for under-resourced and historically excluded communities, and abolishing child and family poverty in California. This position will be responsible for managing ECPCA’s early childhood equity work, with an emphasis on the intersections of ECE and poverty and cradle to career pipeline. This role will require developing and maintaining relationships with diverse advocates, community members, and policymakers in Sacramento and across the state; supporting and facilitating robust coalition partnerships and mobilization; researching, developing, and prioritizing public policies and strategies; and legislative, administrative, and budget advocacy, including public communications tactics and campaigns. In addition, the Sr. Policy Associate will serve as a member of ECPCA’s policy team, supervise a policy associate and/or interns or fellows, and is expected to play an active role in crafting and supporting GRACE’s internal operations.

Essential Duties

Policy, Advocacy, & Mobilization

As a Key Member Of The ECPCA Policy Team And Liaison With Affiliated Groups, Including But Not Limited To The California Cradle To Career Coalition And Whole Child Equity Partnership

• Support the development of policy and advocacy agendas: inform and align organization/coalition goals, positions, and methods (including budget, legislative, and regulatory as required)
• Track, research, and analyze state, federal, and local legislation; related issues to lead implementation of policy and advocacy efforts
• Identify needs, effective strategies, and necessary resources; plan and coordinate campaigns and associated activities to achieve policy goals
• Maintain flexibility to changing demands, shifting political climate, and other challenges and opportunities as they arise
• Assessment of process and results: assist ECPCA and coalition(s) in efforts to align with best practices, evaluate and increase effectiveness, and identify solutions to the barriers to engagement and mobilization within different communities
• Outreach and communications: create, edit, and/or disseminate the range of materials needed to inform and engage diverse audiences on coalition issues and priorities (e.g. policy briefs, reports, and proposals, fact sheets and talking points, support letters, legislative testimony, action alerts, presentations, web and social media content, press releases and statements, editorials and op-eds)
  

Coalition Management and Relationship Building

• Leadership and support to coalition(s) on configuration and membership, governance and procedures, and long-term goals and objectives
• Raise awareness of coalition(s), issues, and goals through a unified communications strategy, including branding, storytelling, earned media, and other methods/materials
• Advise and communicate with stakeholders and partners on important issues; facilitate information sharing within the coalition and its community
• Build and manage relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders to 1) increase support for policy priorities and advocacy efforts and 2) promote cooperative interactions among stakeholders (e.g. elected officials and staff; government agencies; allied coalitions; community-based and nonprofit organizations; service providers and agencies; impacted populations; academia; press/media)
  
  

Organizational Duties

• Development: Assist in developing grant proposals, achieving grant deliverables, and writing grant reports
• Communications: support in content creation for the ECPCA newsletter, social media accounts, website, press/media, as requested
• Operations: participate in efforts to support organizational growth and effectiveness, including contributing to a healthy, cooperative, and inclusive work culture and environment
• Policy: work collaboratively to set ECPCA’s internal policy priorities, ensure the organization is a trusted leader and partner, and assist with related policy and advocacy efforts
• Additional duties as requested
  
  

Core Competencies

• Understand and support GRACE’s mission, vision, and values
• Deep commitment to advancing justice through an intersectional lens and advocating for equity and access for low-income communities, with a focus on communities of color
• A team player: generous and collaborative internally and externally
• A lifelong learner: curious, reflective, and open to new ideas
• A strategic thinker: driven to solve problems and identify solutions
• A servant leader: belief in leading by example and working unselfishly, uplifting the leadership, capacity, and expertise of others
• A committed anti-racist: actively identifying, confronting, and opposing racism and injustice
  
  

Education And Experience

Scale: 1) Essential (required for role); 2) Desirable (preferred); 3) Valuable (nice to have)

• Essential: Bachelor’s degree
• Desirable: Master’s or related post-secondary degree (considered alongside but not as a substitute for work experience)
• Essential: Minimum of 4-6 years’ work history within an advocacy, public policy, community organizing, legislative, or other related setting showing professional growth and leadership roles in policy and advocacy strategy and campaign implementation
• Desirable: Additional experience and/or interest in policy research and analysis, community outreach and mobilization, or similar related programs
• Essential: Sophisticated knowledge of California’s legislative and budget processes, statewide programs and government systems, community needs, and the statewide political, social, and cultural landscape(s)
• Desirable: Expertise working on federal policy and advocacy campaigns; resumes with strong backgrounds in federal policy and advocacy are also encouraged
• Significant direct experience working in other state legislative environments will also be taken into consideration
• Essential: Demonstrated track record working to meet the holistic needs of children and families; given the cross-cutting nature of such work, this can include place-based, no wrong door, systems integration, whole child, and other intersectional approaches to alleviate poverty and inequity
• Valuable: Experience working with infants, young children, and parents of young children
• Essential: Minimum of 3 years’ experience managing and coordinating active, cross-sector coalitions (or similar alliances) and cultivating relationships and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Essential/Desirable: Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience supervising employees, managing volunteers or interns, or other similar oversight roles
• Desirable: Expertise in one or more of the following issue areas:
• Child and family poverty; economic justice
• Early childhood education, learning, development
• Cradle to career systems; developing and implementing local, coordinated, wraparound programs and services with a focus on collective effort and impact
• Social determinants of health
• Desirable/Valuable: Established relationships with key stakeholders in the California Legislature, Governor’s office, state agencies and departments, and/or the California congressional delegation
• Valuable: Experience in community organizing and/or movement work
  

Skills, Knowledge, And Abilities

• An effective communicator, connecting with a wide variety of individuals and groups
• Able to explain complex policy issues clearly and concisely
• Comfortable with public speaking and presentations
• High-level interpersonal and group facilitation skills
• A proven track record of establishing and maintaining collaborative, respectful, and effective working relationships with diverse groups, including impacted communities
• Comfortable working in coalitions and larger groups where participants have multiple and diverging interests
• Skilled in group facilitation, consensus building, conflict resolution, and decision making; able to manage situations that are often complex and politically sensitive
• Strong project management, research, and time management/organizational skills
• Takes initiative in following through on work goals and objectives: proactive in identifying and addressing issues, making recommendations, and requesting support as needed
• Exhibits good judgement and willingness to make the extra effort to do the right thing
• Experience working in a small and resourceful team environment:
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively, depending on the project or situation
• Able to deliver accurate and high-quality work consistently and within given deadlines
• Adaptable to fluctuations in pace and priorities; adept at handling changing demands and priorities, ambiguity and uncertainty, and pressure
• Ability to travel, especially within California, as needed

Salary: Starting salary within range determined by education, experience, and applicable skills and considering organizational equity