The Senior Policy Associate is responsible for advancing GRACE’s anti-poverty policy agenda toward its goals of improving equitable outcomes for all children, especially under-resourced and historically excluded communities, and abolishing child poverty in California. 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; researching, developing, and prioritizing public policies and strategies; legislative and budget advocacy; and coalition and partner mobilization, including public communications tactics and campaigns. This role will be essential to advancing GRACE’s early care and education and place-based poverty alleviation strategies agenda. In addition, the Sr. Policy Associate will serve as a member of GRACE’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 GRACE policy team and liaison with GRACE/ECPCA affiliated groups, including but not limited to the End Child Poverty California Coalition:

Support the development of policy and advocacy agendas and strategies

• Track, research, and analyze state, federal, and/or local legislation (as required); regulatory, budget, administrative, and policy issues and trends to inform and align coalition goals, positions, and methods

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
• Outreach and communications: aid in the creation, editing or review, and/or dissemination of the range of material needed to inform and engage diverse audiences on coalition issues and priorities, including but not limited to: policy briefs, reports, and proposals, fact sheets and talking points, support letters, legislative testimony, action alerts, presentations, social media content, press releases
• Maintain flexibility to changing demands, shifting political climate, and other challenges and opportunities that arise

Evaluate and assess process and results

• Assist GRACE team and coalition(s) in thinking creatively, strategically, and following best practices in policy advocacy
• Help create solutions to the barriers to engagement and mobilization within different communities

Coalition management, communications, and capacity building

• Guide coalition(s) on structure and membership, governance and procedures, and long-term goals and objectives
• Raise awareness of coalitions and their goals through a unified communications strategy, including branding, storytelling, earned media, and other methods/materials
• Facilitate information sharing across partnerships
• Advise and communicate with coalition stakeholders and partners on important issues
• Build and manage relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders to increase support for GRACE and/or coalition policy priorities and advocacy efforts; these include but are not limited to: policymakers and officials, partner coalitions and nonprofit organizations, service providers and agencies, impacted populations, academia, media
• Facilitate cooperative interactions among community members, coalition members, and policymakers/implementers

Organizational Duties

• Development: Assist in developing grant proposals, achieving grant deliverables, and writing grant reports
• Communications: support in content creation for the GRACE 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 with the policy team to set GRACE’s organizational policy agenda, ensure the organization is a leader and trusted partner, and assist with related policy and advocacy efforts, similar to above listed duties, as needed
• Additional duties as requested

Competencies

• Understand and support GRACE’s mission and vision
• Possess personal qualities of integrity, respect for others, good judgment, and good communication skills
• 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, fostering the leadership, capacity, and expertise of others
• A committed anti-racist: actively identifying, confronting, and opposing racism and inequality

Education and Experience

Essential: Bachelor’s degree; Master’s or related post-secondary degree preferred

Essential: Minimum of 4-6 years of relevant advocacy, public policy, community organizing, and/or legislative experience, preferably in California, in the areas of early care and early learning, including:

• Essential: Direct experience with policy and advocacy related to meeting the whole needs of children (particularly infants and young children) and families; given the cross-cutting nature of such work, this can include place-based, no wrong door, systems integration, and other intersectional approaches to alleviate poverty and inequity
• Essential: Demonstrated success in leading and executing projects, campaigns, and/or related policy research and analysis in government or nonprofit environments
• Desirable: Expertise on issues related to child and family poverty and/or early care and education
• Desirable: Experience in community organizing in Los Angeles or statewide

Essential: Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience managing or participating in large coalitions or similar cross-sector alliances and cultivating relationships and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders

Desirable: Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience supervising employees, managing volunteers or interns, or other similar roles

Desirable: Established relationships with the state Administration, Legislature, and key stakeholders

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

Direct and sophisticated understanding of California’s legislative and budget processes, statewide programs and government systems, community needs, and the political, social, and cultural landscape(s) across the state

An effective communicator, connecting with a wide variety of individuals and groups across media, which includes the ability to explain complex policy issues clearly and concisely and a level of comfort with public speaking and presenting

• Bilingual communication skills in Spanish or other language/s are a plus

High level interpersonal and group facilitation skills:

• A proven track record of establishing and maintaining collaborative, respectful, and effective working relationships with diverse people and communities
• Comfortable working in diverse coalitions and within teams in which participants have multiple and diverging interests
• Skilled in group facilitation, consensus building, and decision-making; able to manage situations that are often complex and politically sensitive
• Comfortable taking initiative in following through on work goals and objectives; proactive in identifying and addressing issues, making recommendations, and requesting support as needed

Strong organizational, project management, research, and multitasking skills

Experience working in a small but entrepreneurial team environment:

• Enthusiasm for working collaboratively on a variety of issues and tasks
• Capable of working independently, with minimal supervision
• Able to deliver accurate, detailed, 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

Exemplary ethical standards, willingness to make extra effort to do the right thing

Ability to travel, as needed

LOCATION: Remote or hybrid office within California; a plus if based in Los Angeles or Sacramento

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please head to https://bit.ly/gracespaece to read the full job description and submit your application. Only applications submitted via Idealist will be reviewed. Please don't apply via LinkedIn!

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