Sr. Advocacy Director
Company: Zero To Three
Location: Washington
Posted on: November 6, 2024
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Job Description:
ABOUT ZERO TO THREE
Founded in 1977, ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and
toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to
their well-being and development. Our mission is to ensure that all
babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE,
we envision a society with the knowledge and will to support all
infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential. Our Core
Values Statement: We believe that how we do our work is as
important as what we do. To learn more about ZERO TO THREE, please
visit our website at zerotothree.org.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
ZERO TO THREE is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer
committed to inclusive hiring, advancement, and professional
development. It is dedicated to diversity in its work, its staff,
and community partners. This is an exceptional opportunity for a
professional who shares our commitment to diversity, equity, and
inclusion and supports our mission to enhance outcomes for all
children.
SUMMARYThe at ZERO TO THREE, a nonpartisan, research-based resource
on infant and toddler development, is seeking a Sr. Advocacy
Director. The Sr. Director will lead the development and
implementation of a comprehensive strategy that coordinates and
integrates the efforts of the advocacy and government relations
teams, in collaboration with the communications team, to support
and advance ZERO TO THREE's mission of giving all babies and
toddlers a strong start in life. The work will advance ZERO TO
THREE's policy agenda through the creation and implementation of
national and state advocacy campaigns, including related materials
and events, state and federal government relations strategies, and
relationship- and coalition-building efforts with a variety of
stakeholders, grassroots organizations, and partners, including
Congress and the Administration. This role involves supervising
government relations analysts and policy analysts, collaborating
with internal leadership and external consultants, and advancing a
comprehensive, equity-centered policy agenda.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
The Sr. Director will lead the development of a multi-faceted
strategy that effectively coordinates and marries advocacy outreach
and government relations work with targeted and focused
communications to deliver a comprehensive federal and local
approach to the implementation of ZERO TO THREE's policy agenda.
They will collaborate with team members, internal colleagues,
external government relations consultants, and relevant
stakeholders to develop policy positions that reflect ZERO TO
THREE's values and commitment to racial equity and that are
grounded in early childhood development science.
The Sr. Director will work effectively with their team, colleagues
and external government relations consultants to develop federal
and state advocacy campaigns and government relations strategies in
coordinated and interconnected ways, including through mobilization
strategies and collaborative efforts with the communications team
to develop and execute media and other communications strategies
and materials. They will plan and ensure the successful
implementation of annual high-profile advocacy events at ZERO TO
THREE's Annual Conference and on Capitol Hill. They will ensure all
advocacy efforts comply with relevant laws and ethical standards
and reflect transparency and accountability. They will lead their
team in developing and fostering strategic partnerships and
coalitions at the state and federal levels to drive and maximize
impact and to seek input from families, early childhood
professionals, stakeholders, and community partners. As a leader
within the Policy Center, the Sr. Director will also contribute to
the development of effective ZERO TO THREE cross-programs and
project integration and alignment.
The Sr. Director will be closely attuned to possible and actual
shifts in alliances, the emergence of new opportunities and
challenges, and their impact on the operationalization of strategy
and campaigns. This requires the Sr. Director to possess nimble and
agile thinking and understand how to operate "in the gray," when
the landscape view changes, and the path forward is not clear. The
Sr. Director will constantly monitor and assess impact and make
needed adjustments to campaigns and strategies and to effectively
communicate changes needed in approach and prioritization. They
will work collaboratively to operationalize strategy and campaigns
in ways needed to achieve significant policy wins.
The Sr. Director must have the ability to influence and motivate
others; strong conceptual, writing, and communication skills with
the ability to translate complex policy issues into digestible and
accessible content; a high level of understanding and experience
with legislative, appropriations, and regulatory processes; the
ability to garner visibility for ZERO TO THREE's policy priorities
with key stakeholders, including Congressional offices,
Administration partner organizations, state and grassroots
partners, community leaders, and new allies; and the ability to
partner with these stakeholders to amplify advocacy efforts.
Team Leadership and Supervision
The Sr. Director will possess the experience and knowledge needed
to supervise a team of experienced policy analysts and government
relations professionals with strong experience and deep subject
matter expertise in their respective issue areas. The Sr. Director
will provide the level of mentorship, engagement, and support
needed to build and retain a proactive team and will leverage the
subject matter expertise of team members to develop and build
strategies, campaigns, and issue advancement. The Sr. Director will
ensure that work is planned in collaboration with the research
agenda being carried out by the Policy Research team and will work
with the Policy Research Director to develop and build the policy
research capacity of advocacy team members, ensure adherence with
policy research protocols and processes, and achieve consistency of
approach, content, and quality across the organization. The Sr.
Director will evaluate team member performance and partner with
members to establish annual goals and objectives and identify and
provide appropriate professional growth and development
opportunities.
Policy Analysis and Planning
The Sr. Director will possess a deep understanding of the policy
arena and how policy relevant to ZERO TO THREE's policy agenda is
informed, shaped, and crafted through the ongoing, dynamic
interplay of key national and local stakeholders, including
legislators, government agencies, community and grassroots leaders,
and partner organizations. The Sr. Director will use this well of
knowledge to provide needed nuance and details when advising
colleagues on crafting campaigns, implementing strategy, and on the
optimal ways of presenting and communicating issues to specific
audiences. The Sr. Director must possess a strong understanding of
Congressional and regulatory processes, its challenges, and
idiosyncrasies, particularly regarding the federal budget and
annual appropriations process. The Sr. Director must possess the
ability to understand and analyze complex legal, factual, and
legislative concepts related to ZERO TO THREE's federal policy
agenda. The Sr. Director will establish processes to develop goals
and priorities, and will work with team members to continuously
monitor, analyze, and assess proposed and existing relevant federal
and state legislation and activities of federal and local agencies.
They will maintain a clear-eyed focus on crafting and directing
appropriate campaigns and actions to ensure the needs of infants
and toddlers are reflected. The Sr. Director will work closely with
team members to collaborate with ZERO TO THREE's outside government
relations consultants and will lead efforts to integrate their work
into advocacy, policy, and legislative strategies.
Execution and Communication
The Sr. Director will continuously work to identify opportunities
to cultivate, build, and expand productive and strategic
relationships with new champions for ZERO TO THREE. They will be a
strong and active member of relevant coalitions and groups and will
identify ways to strengthen those relationships and partnerships to
further amplify and advance the profile and relevance of ZERO TO
THREE's agenda.
In collaboration with the communications team, the Sr. Director
will help garner visibility for the advocacy, policy and
legislative work through presentations at conferences, meetings,
and in other relevant forums, utilizing available and appropriate
communication mediums. The Sr. Director will lead team members in
representing ZERO TO THREE with various coalitions and will direct
team members to provide technical assistance to federal
policymakers and staff, including responding to inquiries for input
on legislative language, report language, and comments on
legislation and regulations. The Sr. Director will serve as an
engaged, dynamic, and thoughtful external voice and representative
for ZERO TO THREE, actively and capably leveraging their expertise,
knowledge, and experience to amplify the reach and impact of ZERO
TO THREE's work. The Sr. Director will maintain robust internal
communications to stay abreast of the work of colleagues across the
organization and to keep colleagues informed of the department's
work with policy leaders and networks at the federal and local
levels. They will work closely with the communications team to
draft materials including talking points, messaging, policy briefs,
Congressional testimony, regulatory comments, legislative
summaries, and other materials of various lengths and formats, and
have the ability to succinctly and effectively express complex
issues to federal policy makers, other key stakeholders, the media,
and the public. The Sr. Director will lead team members to
coordinate with ZERO TO THREE colleagues to organize congressional
briefings and other events designed to advance ZERO TO THREE's
federal priorities and will contribute to grant proposals and
reports to funders. The Sr. Director will keep the Chief Policy
Officer and other senior leadership informed about pertinent
legislative issues, external factors, and policy proposals and
actions that impact infants and toddlers and their families.
The Sr. Director also will perform other duties as assigned for the
purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the
advocacy and government relations strategy and advancement of ZERO
TO THREE's comprehensive policy agenda.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL QUALITIES
EDUCATION
Law degree or master's degree in public policy, social work,
political science, or a related field.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
This position's salary is estimated to be mid $130,000s to high
$160,000s depending on experience, geo-location, budget, and other
comparable and similarly scoped internal positions. In addition to
salary, ZERO TO THREE offers a comprehensive benefits package
including medical, dental, vision, HRA, retirement contributions,
generous leave benefits and more.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
While performing the responsibilities of the job, the employee is
frequently required to use finger dexterity and sufficient hand
dexterity to use a computer keyboard and be capable of reading a
computer screen. Also, they may need to remain seated for extended
periods, can perform repetitive motions, and reach for objects. An
employee is frequently required to hold a writing instrument,
communicate verbally, and hear well enough to detect nuances and
receive detailed information. They may be required to grasp
objects, push, and pull objects, bend, stand, walk, squat, or
kneel. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision
for data preparation or analysis, and expansive reading. May need
to lift up to 30 pounds.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The work conditions described here are representative of those an
employee encounters while performing this job. Depending on work
location, the incumbent will typically work indoors in a heated and
air-conditioned office, with a mixture of natural, incandescent,
and fluorescent light with low to moderate noise levels or be
subject to working conditions conducive to a home environment. When
travel is expected, the incumbent will be exposed to outside
environmental conditions during those times.
ZERO TO THREE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employerof
Minorities, Women, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with
Disabilities.All qualified applicants will receive consideration
for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identityor national origin.
Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to provide
individual feedback to candidates regarding the status of their
application.If selected to move forward in the process, someone
from the hiring team will contact you regarding next steps.
Keywords: Zero To Three, Silver Spring , Sr. Advocacy Director, Executive , Washington, Maryland
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