Policy and Legal Advocacy Director

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.

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The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) seeks an experienced policy and advocacy expert, with ballot measure campaign experience to join our Program team. The Policy and Legal Advocacy Director will have 7+ years of policy, ballot measure campaign, and supervisory experience and a sophisticated racial equity lens. The Policy and Legal Advocacy Director will lead BISC’s ballot measure legislative and legal advocacy program efforts including policy development, analysis, and legislative and ballot measure tracking efforts. In addition, this person will supervise BISC’s Defend Direct Democracy campaign, which seeks to protect and strengthen the ballot measure process through legislative and legal advocacy and Legislatively Referred Constitutional Amendments (LCRAs). The person in the position will work in close collaboration, not only with their team, but also with the Director of Programs and Strategy, Strategic Partnerships Director, and Capacity Building Director.

As a leader in the Program team, the Policy and Legal Advocacy Director will co-strategize with other program directors to ensure a full integration of skill-building, policy development, legal advocacy and implementation work into the lifecycle of ballot measure campaigns when advising state-based partners that result in long-term sustainable wins that build independent power in states.

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

Primary Job Responsibilities:

  • Manage the Policy and Legal Advocacy program area, including direct supervision of any subsequent staff needed on the P&LA team;
  • Vision, lead and grow BISC’s work with advocates, state-based partners and national policy partners to provide strategic analysis of ballot measures from incubation and planning of a prospective measure all the way through implementation while centering historically underrepresented communities.
  • Manage BISC’s ballot measure tracking program including monitoring statewide ballot measures, their status, as well as, opposition tracking, and attacks on the ballot measure process in collaboration with the program and communications teams for external audiences;
  • Lead BISC’s legal advocacy program by assisting state and national partners on legal analysis, addressing legal challenges, and developing legal solutions with regard to ballot measure policy and process, including managing BISC outside counsel on amicus briefs and other legal documents requested;
  • Reimagine and revamp BISC’s Defend Direct Democracy campaign–our efforts to defend and strengthen direct democracy in the states, which includes monitoring and analyzing opposition players, trends, tactics and practical policy impacts on the ballot measure field;
  • Provide policy analysis to BISC as well as external partners and stakeholders;
  • Work collaboratively with the Capacity Building Director to ensure policy, legal advocacy, and implementation include evaluation tools, techniques, and practices for the ballot measure field and measure BISC’s impact and any subsequent training for staff and partners;
  • Work with the Capacity Building Team on BISC’s training program and assist in the updating, development, and delivery of customized training programs and resources as needed;
  • Work collaboratively with the Strategic Partnerships Director on research relating to protecting and improving the ballot measure process and other policy issues as needed;
  • Work with the Communications team to share policy-related talking points, engage in responding to reporter queries and interview requests, and attend press briefings, as needed;
  • Assist the Communications team in developing policy-related content for BISC’s Ballot Measure Hub, external memos, op-eds, and press releases; and
  • Work with the Development team to make sure products for funder briefings and meetings reflect the tracking and analysis of the ballot measure landscape including joining funder calls and briefings as needed to provide analysis and expertise.

Additional job responsibilities:

  • Serve in a leadership role with other program directors to implement BISC’s 5-year strategic framework focused on changing culture, centering directly impacted communities, capacity building, convening, and internal continuity and growth;
  • Provide direct strategic and technical assistance to individuals and organizations on ballot measures;
  • Advise on, help design and/or facilitate coalition meetings;
  • Represent BISC in national strategy conversations with funders, political partners, and other stakeholders;
  • Work with BISC’s executive team and management cohort to deepen our racial equity work, both internally and in the field;
  • Work with the program team to develop the Road Ahead agenda and other duties related to BISC’s annual conference
  • Develop and support state-based partners with written materials or strategic assistance to support power building, public education or lobbying efforts;
  • Maintain a working knowledge of the political landscape in BISC’s priority states and campaigns;
  • Provide auxiliary support, as needed, to support the broader Program team; and
  • Support other BISC and BISC Foundation projects and activities as needed

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

  • Extensive experience (7+ years) in analyzing policy, legal decisions and rulings, and executing legislative strategy and campaigns.
  • Solid experience in the ballot measure process: You have a belief in the power of direct democracy and have experience with ballot measure policy and campaigns;
  • Proven track record: You have solid experience developing and analyzing policy as well as the strategies, tactics and people necessary to implement policy towards equitable outcomes.
  • Knowledge of and experience in building relationships with national partners, stakeholders and funders, as well as grassroot advocates.
  • 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. And 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.

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.

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

  • Salary: $115,000-$120,000
  • 100% Medical insurance including 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

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.