About People’s Action/Institute
People’s Action Institute (501c3) and its sister organization People’s Action (501c4) are national progressive organizations supporting the mobilization and leadership of the grassroots in support of an agenda that reflects people over profits. People’s Action/Institute builds the power of poor and working people in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections.
With offices in Washington, DC, and Chicago, IL, and remote staff across the country, we support and advance state-based and national fights for progressive policies on the environment, decarceration, health care, economic security, housing, education, and more. Our member organizations, nearly 40 organizations across 29 states, improve lives by running local- and state-level issue and electoral campaigns, leading statewide tables, and collectively coming together to change national policy and politics.
People’s Action/ Institute has a track record of leadership in coordinating field mobilization and advocacy in advancing an array of issues at the local, state, and federal levels. Our member organizations have won important victories at the national, state, and local levels, including health insurance for millions and the reversal of health care laws that discriminate based on citizenship, stopping Wall Street banks from selling predatory payday loans to their customers, and historic legislation like the Community Reinvestment Act to victory and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
For more information on PAI, please visit https://peoplesaction.org/.
The Opportunity
People’s Action’s Movement Governing program, at its core, is about changing the way we do politics and decision-making in this country. We engage voters as people and center the issues affecting us. We build long-lasting permanent infrastructure and keep our doors open after election day. We organize everyday people to make decisions alongside the people we elect. We engage in elections to win governing power so that we can advance our Long Term Agenda. Since the founding of our program in 2013, we’ve elected over 600 of our own members to elected office and have won issues with an inside-outside strategy on things like ending Cash Bail, Green New Deal-like policies, and Medicare Expansion.
So - Are you an experienced electoral organizer who believes in using elections to build durable long-term power? Do you dream of being a part of a team of people building multiracial organizations (using new and old school organizing practices) to win governing power at local, state, and federal levels of government? Do you see elections as a means to elevate core issues and get closer to winning them? Do you care about electing working-class people, including some of our own, to everything? If so, this is the dream job for you!
Overview of the Position
People’s Action/Institute is looking for a Senior Strategist/Field Director to join our Movement Politics team to lead our year-round voter engagement program that grounds the PAI network in the core fundamentals of organizing while integrating electoral tactics, deep canvassing, and leadership development that develops tens of thousands of new leaders ready to take action in their communities. The Senior Strategist/Field Director should be an experienced electoral operative with extensive base-building experience who has won elections in a way that increased the base and invested in leaders of a grassroots power-building organization.
As Movement Politics Senior Strategist, your typical day will include (but isn’t limited to):
Vision & Strategy
Create an accountable and powerful collective of organizers who are deeply committed to honing their craft around political organizing and power-building.
Manage a team of field managers who support member organization's ability to build strong, member-led political and deep canvass programs.
Drive our network toward a shared vision and practice of building permanent infrastructure through elections and developing leaders who will take our network to a higher level.
Field Planning & Member Group Support
Develop and support innovative civic engagement practices that match the needs of particular geographies, constituencies, and/or campaigns.
Develop a deep understanding of the strategic value of the Deep Canvass Institute and oversee a civic engagement program that incorporates it in a strategic way.
Dig deep and run with PAI member organizations to build, test, and implement innovative programs that can be replicated across the network, while building relationships of accountability that foster a culture of rigor.
Training & Development
Train organizers and leaders in the core fundamentals of movement politics through facilitated peer-to-peer learning sessions, training, coaching sessions, etc
Lead a robust year-round civic engagement program across multiple organizations and geographies.
Work in partnership with PAI’s Director of Training to develop and execute strong local and regional programs and work with the Powerbuilding Regional Team to execute a sharp vision with clear responsibilities to realize ambitious power-building goals in a coordinated way
Fundraising
Tell the story of our work by tracking the metrics of the program and regularly updating the PAI network, funders, and allies about the lessons, wins, and challenges of the program.
Fundraise for the Movement Governing programmatic budget as well as PA’s coordinated and IE program
Other Duties as Assigned
The ideal Movement Politics Senior Strategist should have the following experience and qualifications:
Strong commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and their intersections, both inside and outside the organization.
Ability to work with diverse people and organizations
A minimum of five years experience working in community, labor, or electoral organizations in base-building roles, working with poor and working-class people.
Experience recruiting and developing leaders and leading powerful electoral campaigns.
Experience working with candidates and elected officials.
Experience writing and executing field and campaign plans and a strong working knowledge of voter outreach tools.
Experience leading or managing large projects with multiple stakeholders.
Strong interpersonal, communication, and management skills.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly.
Compensation and Benefits:
Status: Full-time, Regular, Exempt, benefits-eligible
Union Position (Yes/No): No
Salary Range: Level E - $88,749 - $122,412, salary commensurate with experience.
**Location: **Can be based in our Chicago, IL or Washington, D.C. office, but remote locations may be considered anywhere within the continental United States.
**Reports to: **Movement Governing Director
Supervises: Deep Canvass Manager and Field Manager
**Travel Requirements (Yes/No): **Yes, 6-8 member visits in turf per year, Full Staff Retreat, Movement Politics Training for Trainers (June)
**Benefits include: **Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Medical, on the first day of employment, and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401(k) plan after 30 days, Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, 4 floating holidays (Presidents Day, May Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Veterans Day, 10 paid holidays plus the last two weeks of the year that include Christmas Eve/Christmas Day as well as, New Year’s Eve, and you accrue two weeks of vacation your first year of employment.
Our Commitment to Equitable Compensation:
We believe in fair compensation for your work - no matter where you live. Our salary scale is comparable to salaries you would find in Chicago, IL, where our headquarters is based. It is based on your months/years of work experience. While we do not determine education as a factor in whether we hire someone to work for People’s Action Institute, we do factor in any relevant higher education experience that you have. To further counter pay inequities and inequality on the team, we have a non-negotiable compensation practice and provide opportunities for advancement for full-time employees based on performance evaluation. Your starting pay reflects where you sit within our salary scale and is based on the information that you provide us on your resume. PAI continues to monitor wages through triennial compensation analysis to ensure that we continue to offer our prospective and current employees fair wages.
Commitment to Disability, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
People’s Action/Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer; womxn, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply.
Union
People’s Action Institute recognizes our staff bargaining unit affiliated with Chicago Midwest Regional Join Board, Workers United (CMRJB). Any position that is indicated as included in People’s Action Institute’s bargaining unit will be covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Close date: March 24, 2024
No phone calls, please.