Policy and Legal Advocacy Senior Manager

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) is seeking a full-time Senior Manager to be an integral part of a growing program team and provide support to our policy and legal advocacy program. The mission of BISC is to strengthen democracy by implementing a national progressive strategy for ballot measures rooted in building state-based power. BISC is the only nationwide organization focused on using ballot measures to build and support multi-racial, multi-issue people-powered movements.

Ballot measures are a vital tool of a thriving democracy and one of the few tools in many states, to pass progressive policies and address systemic inequities. A form of direct democracy, ballot measures have been increasingly used to transform communities and create tangible enhancements to the lives of everyone, especially those representing Black, Latinx, Native, Asian & Pacific Islander, and young people. After passing progressive, people-centered ballot measures, there has been a coordinated attack on ballot measures as legislatures have passed laws that create barriers to the ballot measure process. BISC supports partners as they navigate these challenges, and it has become clear that a coordinated nationwide effort to protect direct democracy is critical.

The Senior Manager for Policy & Legal Advocacy will work in partnership with BISC’s program team to build and sustain stronger infrastructural support for state-based partners leveraging the ballot measure process to transform their community. The Senior Manager will play an integral role in identifying existing gaps, supporting partners, and devising programming that meets the policy and legal advocacy needs of our partners. The Senior Manager will be expected to maintain an astute political awareness of nationwide efforts to dismantle and strengthen the ballot measure process. They will play a leadership role in collaborating with local and national stakeholders to connect the attacks on direct democracy with the attacks on the freedom to vote, right to protest, and other attempts to silence the voices of the People.

BISC is a mission and values-driven organization that recruits and seeks to retain a staff committed to excellence by fostering a work environment that is flexible, fairly compensated, respectful, and fun.

Location:

BISC is a fully remote organization and the location for this position is flexible in the United States. This position may require some extended travel. This position is part of the Program Team at BISC and reports to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Director.

Position Description:

BISC’s Policy and Legal Advocacy Program tracks efforts to undermine the ballot initiative process, provides strategic assistance, and develops strategies with as well as resources for our state and national partners to protect access to the initiative process. The Policy and Legal Advocacy program also convenes partners and stakeholders to support the development of policy and to address the growing number of legal and legislative challenges that threaten direct democracy and progressive wins in the ballot measure space. The Policy and Legal Advocacy Senior Manager will work with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Director and other internal stakeholders to monitor attempts and trends to undermine the initiative process, and support BISC’s partners in policy analysis, development, and defense of direct democracy.

The Senior Manager will support the Policy and Legal Advocacy Director in all aspects of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Program. Duties will include tracking, research, and analysis of bills moving through state legislatures, developing a process to track challenges that arise throughout the life cycle of a ballot measure campaign. This position will also communicate with and convene state & national partners on ways to identify, strategize, and mobilize against legislation, ballot measures, or policies that restrict the ballot measure process and make direct democracy less accessible. The Senior Manager will also support tracking, research, analysis, communication of judicial actions that impact ballot measures, and overseeing the planning and development of specific projects as needed

Job responsibilities may include:

Maintaining an up-to-date list of legal challenges related to ballot measures, analyzing the basis for litigation, and analyzing the state of play within the state while comparing legal challenges against other states;
Maintaining an up-to-date list of legislative challenges related to ballot measures throughout each phase of the life cycle;
Work with the communications teams to ensure accuracy of talking points, media memos, and other communications items;
Assisting with the tracking & analysis of the ballot measure landscape by updating and maintaining BISC’s relevant trackers on a weekly basis;
Assisting with updating BISC’s monthly ballot measure landscape memo;
Work with the research team on projects and requests related to BISC’s defending direct democracy work;
Providing direct technical assistance to BISC state partners to assess strategic opportunities and challenges for ballot measure reforms and legal challenges;
Preparing memos, research briefing papers, and development proposals on ballot integrity, legal and policy advocacy, including rapid response;
Supporting relationships with state partners, stakeholders, and policymakers;
Assisting in the creation and management of ongoing convenings, coalitions, and learning communities to support partners on defending direct democracy and other policy areas;
Reporting related key performance indicators and success metrics;
Working with the executive team and program directors to deepen BISC’s racial equity work, both internally and in the field;
Supporting other BISC and BISC Foundation projects and activities as needed;
Assisting with the planning and execution of BISC’s annual conference;
Representing BISC at convenings and events as needed and;
Other duties as assigned.

Additional responsibilities:

Aid the program team in implementation of BISC’s 5-year strategic plan focused on changing culture, centering directly impacted communities, capacity building, convening, and internal continuity and growth. Note: BISC is currently in the middle of strategic planning and the framework will be updated by the end of 2025.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience Requirements:

Position requires familiarity with advocating for an issues-based agenda, and three to five years of related professional experience. Top candidates will have experience with at least 2 cycles of state-based ballot measure campaign work in a state with citizen initiative process; familiarity with citizen initiative process (coordinated campaign or statewide preferred); experience with legal advocacy and state-level policy making.

The Senior Manager must be a team player who can work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Strong writing skills with an understanding of writing for an organizational voice is highly preferred. Grassroots advocacy experience, policy, legislative, and legal advocacy experience is a plus.

Ideal candidate will have the following:

Strong analytical skills, detail-oriented, and able to adapt quickly with an understanding of and experience with the ballot measure process preferred;
Familiarity with and understanding of initiative process;
Experience working with state legislative bodies;
Experience working with progressive policy issues, coalitions, organizations, tables or issue campaigns;
Strong critical thinking skills as demonstrated by an ability to identify emerging patterns, strategic opportunities, and innovative solutions to complex problems;
Excellent written and oral communication skills, with demonstrated ability to produce a variety of types of written communications including memos, briefings, presentations, and reports;
Approach challenges and barriers with a ‘can-do’ attitude and a solutions-based mindset;
Some experience leading and facilitating meetings and trainings/workshops and giving presentations;
Superior organizational skills and interest and ability to process and synthesize complicated information;
Ability to lead and manage major projects from beginning to end with limited day-to-day guidance. Further, understands when to adapt or shift strategies based on challenges that may arise.
Commitment to progressive change and movement building required;
An understanding of and/or proficiency in racial equity and inclusion work;
Willingness to travel, sometimes on short notice;
Good-humored, team player a must

We seek candidates who are:

Collaborative: You know that 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. 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:
You have a proven ability to communicate effectively with different personalities to move projects forward.
Strong time management skills:
You can balance many projects at once and prioritize accordingly.
Movement focused:
You have a demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.

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:

Salary range $82,000-$87,000 per year, commensurate with experience
100% Medical insurance for family paid for by employer
Dental and vision insurance paid for by employer
Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage
Generous Vacation leave
Sick leave
Generous 401(k) plan with employer contribution

To Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter through BambooHR. Your cover letter should speak to your experience working on ballot measures, research, data tracking, and working across teams. 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 Stance on Racial Equity

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.

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.