Nonprofit
Details
Description
ABOUT GRACE
GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) is a nonprofit that uses education, advocacy, and movement building to achieve its mission. Founded by the Daughters of Charity, GRACE’s vision is to build a joyful movement to abolish child poverty in California by centering communities, building authentic partnerships, and advancing public investments that create transformative intergenerational change.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Summary
The Senior Policy Associate is responsible for advancing GRACE’s anti-poverty policy agenda toward its goals of economic mobility and prosperity, especially for under-resourced and historically excluded communities, and abolishing child and family poverty in California. This position will be responsible for advancing GRACE’s cradle to career portfolio with an emphasis on early childhood development and education. 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, administrative, and budget advocacy; and coalition and partner mobilization, including public communications tactics and campaigns. 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 California Cradle to Career Coalition and End Child Poverty California Coalition:
- Support the development of policy and advocacy agendas: inform and align organization/coalition goals, positions, and methods (including budget, legislative, and regulatory as required)
- Track, research, and analyze state, federal, and local legislation; related issues to 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
- Maintain flexibility to changing demands, shifting political climate, and other challenges and opportunities as they arise
- Assessment of process and results: assist GRACE and coalition(s) in efforts to align with best practices, evaluate and increase effectiveness, and identify solutions to the barriers to engagement and mobilization within different communities
- Outreach and communications: create, edit, and/or disseminate the range of materials 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, web and social media content, press releases and statements, editorials and op-eds
Coalition Management and Capacity Building
- Leadership and support to coalition(s) on configuration and membership, governance and procedures, and long-term goals and objectives
- Raise awareness of coalition(s), issues, and goals through a unified communications strategy, including branding, storytelling, earned media, and other methods/materials
- Advise and communicate with stakeholders and partners on important issues; facilitate information sharing within the coalition and its community
- Build and manage relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders to 1) increase support for policy priorities and advocacy efforts and 2) promote cooperative interactions among stakeholders, which include but are not limited to policymakers and elected officials; allied coalitions; community-based and nonprofit organizations; service providers and agencies; impacted populations; academia; press/media
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, vision, and values
- 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 injustice
Education and Experience
- Essential: Bachelor’s degree; Master’s or related post-secondary degree a plus
- Essential: Minimum of 4-6 years of relevant experience, i.e. within an advocacy, public policy, community organizing, legislative, or other related setting
- Essential: 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
- Essential: Demonstrated success in leading and executing projects, campaigns, and/or related policy research, strategy, and/or analysis in government or nonprofit environments
- Essential: Significant experience related to meeting the whole needs of children (experience working with infants and young children a plus) 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
- Desirable: Expertise in one or more of the following:
- Child and family poverty; economic justice
- Early childhood learning and development
- Cradle to career systems; developing and implementing local, coordinated, wraparound programs and services with a focus on collective effort and impact
- Desirable: Interest and experience in federal policy and advocacy, working with national coalitions and coalition partners
- Desirable: Established relationships with state Administration, Legislature, and key stakeholders
- Desirable: Experience in community organizing or community engagement
- Essential: Minimum of 3 years’ experience managing and coordinating active, cross-sector coalitions (or similar 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 oversight roles
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- An effective communicator, connecting with a wide variety of individuals and groups across media and media channels, including 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 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 groups, including impacted communities
- Comfortable working in coalitions and larger groups where participants have multiple and diverging interests
- Skilled in group facilitation, consensus building, conflict resolution, and decision-making; able to manage situations that are often complex and politically sensitive
- Strong project management, research, and time management/organizational skills
- Comfortable taking initiative in following through on work goals and objectives; proactive in identifying and addressing issues, making recommendations, and requesting support as needed
- Exhibiting good judgement and willingness to make the extra effort to do the right thing
- 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 and high 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
- Ability to travel, especially within California, as needed
ABOUT GRACE
GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) is a nonprofit that uses education, advocacy, and movement building to achieve its mission. Founded by the Daughters of Charity, GRACE’s vision is to build a joyful movement to abolish child poverty in California by centering communities, building authentic partnerships, and advancing public investments that create transformative intergenerational change.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Summary
The Senior Policy Associate is responsible for advancing GRACE’s anti-poverty policy agenda toward its goals of economic mobility and prosperity, especially for under-resourced and historically excluded communities, and abolishing child and family poverty in California. This position will be responsible for advancing GRACE’s cradle to career portfolio with an emphasis on early childhood development and education. This role will require developing and maintaining relationships with diverse…
Benefits
GRACE provides the following benefits:
Paid time off for most federal holidays; vacation, sick leave, bereavement, and jury duty
Health benefits: medical (Kaiser or Blue Cross Blue Shield), dental (Delta), and vision (VSP) for individuals and families; health and child care FSAs
Retirement plan
GRACE provides the following benefits:
Paid time off for most federal holidays; vacation, sick leave, bereavement, and jury duty
Health benefits: medical (Kaiser or Blue Cross Blue Shield), dental (Delta), and vision (VSP) for individuals and families; health and child care FSAs
Retirement plan
Level of Language Proficiency
English language proficiency, written and verbal, required
Proficiency in additional language(s) is a plus but not required
English language proficiency, written and verbal, required
Proficiency in additional language(s) is a plus but not required
Location
Associated Location
Apply to This Job
Please review the following instructions for the requested application materials:
- PDF format is preferred for all uploaded documents
- Cover letter: We view a cover letter as a key opportunity for candidates to share more about themselves and how their specific background, interests, skills, and experience are a match for GRACE as well as how GRACE/this role fit into a candidate's desired personal and professional growth plans. We ask that cover letters are no longer than two pages but allow candidates to use this space as they see fit.
- Resume or CV: Preferred length is no longer than 5 pages, depending on experience
- Writing sample(s): We ask that candidates share samples of their writing with us, but are open to format, audience, and length. Most samples submitted are between 1-10 pages total; please do not exceed 10 pages. Examples of past submissions include: research reports, portions of theses or dissertations, policy briefs, presentations, blog posts, and emails. The only requirement is that the samples must be primarily written and edited by the candidate.
This job listing was intentionally written to provide applicants with a detailed understanding of the role and the type of experience, skills, and competencies we believe are fundamental to finding success in the nonprofit sector, policy and advocacy spaces, and within the GRACE team as we cultivate a small but mighty team.
We don’t expect candidates to meet all of the conditions and we strongly encourage all interested candidates to apply and use the opportunity to submit a personalized cover letter, resume, and writing sample that best showcase personal background and interests, applicable experience, and transferrable skills.
We also strongly encourage applicants from marginalized or minoritized groups that are often discriminated against in hiring and employment settings, including Black, Brown, Indigenous and other women and femme-identified people of color; trans, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, people whose first language isn’t English, and more.
GRACE is interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States; however, the organization is not able to sponsor visas.
GRACE is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace environment that is inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. GRACE welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply regardless of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, disability, and any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law.
