About Community Change and Community Change Action:

Community Change builds the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to lead powerful and dynamic movements for social change. With our community-based partner groups, we bridge the grassroots and the national, supporting outsider strategies to disrupt the status quo while also building pathways to influence the insider conversation. 

Our vision of a better world centers the leadership of impacted people of color to move our work on immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial equity, including a focus on jobs and housing, early childhood care and education, income support, and immigration.

This position also supports Community Change Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. While motivated by the same core values – equity, inclusion, and justice – Community Change and Community Change Action operate independently of one another and each organization has its own board of directors.

Position Description:

The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will play a key role in representing Community Change in DC coalitions and on Capitol Hill and driving overall advocacy efforts surrounding Community Change’s mission to build power and capacity in low-income communities and strengthen the progressive movement through effective policy advocacy. This position also works on policy development and legislative advocacy in priority areas identified by Community Change and our local partner organizations.  

The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor is part of the Policy and Advocacy Team, which is responsible for working with other Community Change staff and partner organizations to help develop and advance Community Change’s legislative agenda in Congress and works with the Administration to advance our priorities as well as supporting Community Change and its partners’ efforts to advance policy initiatives at the national,  state and local levels.  

A portion of time may be spent doing work for Community Change’s sister organization, Community Change Action.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Play a key role in developing and driving Community Change’s strategies to advance our national policy agenda and serve as one of the key contacts at Community Change with influential policy makers on key campaigns. 
• Represent Community Change positions to key policy makers and their staff, among others as necessary. 
• Represent Community Change policy positions to grassroots partners, and in national coalitions on an as needed basis. 
• Develop and disseminate policy and advocacy resources to grassroots partners, policy makers and national coalitions.

• Provide strategic advice and guidance on the development of Community Change national policy priorities in collaboration with other Community Change staff.
• Work closely with organizers and community-based partner groups to formulate strategy around policy campaigns that connect to national policy priorities.
• Play a key role in translating national campaign efforts to state and local partners. 
• Present relevant policy/legislative developments to Community Change field staff and  partners. 
• Work together with organizing and campaign staff to support training and other resources as necessary to equip grassroots leaders on key policy issues and working with policy makers.

Qualifications:

• At least seven-ten years of experience in strategic policy advocacy and policy analysis and development, which may include experience on Capitol Hill, in national coalitions or community organizing around issues of importance to low-income communities, communities of color and immigrants.
• Background in policy advocacy and campaigns focused on social justice issues that impact women and families, especially immigrant justice, economic justice, and racial and gender equity.
• Experience working with community organizing groups, unions, or other base-building groups and their constituencies on policy campaigns, specifically related to communicating complex policies to grassroots constituencies and assisting grassroots organizations in developing effective issue campaigns and strategic policy advocacy. 
• Experience with federal advocacy, which may include experience working on Capitol Hill at a senior level, and expertise on the federal legislative process. 
• Willingness to accept guidance and direction from grassroots organizations and organizers on priority issues. 
• Willingness to travel to meet one-on-one with organizers at partner organizations. 
• Deep commitment to Community Change’s mission of supporting low-income people, immigrants and communities of color develop the power and capacity to improve their communities and bring about broader social change. 
• Experience and comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team, able to contribute based on expert knowledge or otherwise, as needed. 
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills are a must. 
• The ability to produce consistent, quality work in a fast-paced environment is essential.
• Commitment to advancing economic, racial and gender justice is essential. 
• Knowledge of remote-first organizational culture and systems.
• Comfortable using our remote work tools including Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, and Slack.

This position reports to: Legislative and Advocacy Director

Classification: Community Change recognizes a staff bargaining unit affiliated with IFPTE Local 70, a union for non-profit workers. This position is included in Community Change’s bargaining unit and covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

COVID-19 Requirements: Community Change requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (within six weeks after the start of employment) unless a medical or religious exemption is requested and approved. An employee will be considered fully vaccinated once (i) two weeks have elapsed since after the employee has received the final dose of a primary COVID vaccine series (e.g., two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, two doses of the Moderna vaccine, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine) and (ii) the employee has received any booster vaccine dose currently recommended by the CDC for those in the employee’s age group. Should the CDC subsequently recommend additional boosters or should an employee otherwise become newly subject to a CDC booster recommendation, an employee shall continue to be considered fully vaccinated if the employee gets the additional booster within one month of the change.

Travel Requirements: Moderate 

Salary and benefits: $100,000-$110,000 annual salary. Community Change also offers an excellent benefits package, which includes 4 weeks of annual paid vacation; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8% employer contribution to retirement account after six months of employment (and 3% employer contribution for the first 6 months); and a choice of generous health insurance plans.

This position is located in Washington, DC.

How to apply: Please click here to submit a cover letter telling us why you are the perfect person for this position as well as salary expectations, a resume, and two writing samples.

Click here to learn more about our employee benefits and Community Change’s values

Community Change is an Equal Opportunity Employer