Co-State Director

Summary

Join the U.S. Energy Foundation as a Co-State Director for Campaigns in Illinois! This contract position offers a leadership role within the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), focusing on campaign development, management, and overseeing a team of professional consultants. You will be a political expert with experience in issue-advocacy campaigns, leading and inspiring partners. Responsibilities include developing and executing campaign plans, identifying and addressing campaign gaps, and managing complex systems to track progress. The role requires close collaboration with the other Co-State Director and ICJC partners. This is a 12-month contract with a potential for renewal, offering a total annual retainer of $140,000.

Requirements

• Proficiency in developing, executing, and monitoring multi-stream campaign plans and adapting them as needed
• Strong interpersonal skills for developing, maintaining, and growing relationships with grantees, consultants, and stakeholders
• Expertise in overseeing and managing consultant teams and working groups
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for reporting, strategy summaries, and timely updates
• Quick, same-day communication of relevant policy and regulatory outcomes to EF staff
• Weekly updates on the status of campaigns to EF staff
• Standardized debriefs and/or recaps at the end of each regulatory process, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin proceedings, and issue campaigns to evaluate key results and describe lessons learned
• Ability to monitor political and policy environments and provide actionable insights
• Issue advocacy experience and an understanding of Illinois’ state legislative process
• Reside in Illinois and have familiarity with the Illinois political and policy landscape

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and lead issue advocacy campaigns
• Inspire leadership and mutual accountability from campaign partners
• Develop, execute, and monitor multiple campaign plans and adapt them based on changing conditions
• Support and build up the expertise of coalition partners by managing a team of professional consultants
• Identify campaign gaps and work to close them
• Challenge strategic assumptions (political theory, tactics, etc)
• Manage complex systems to ensure campaign benchmarks are tracked, evaluated, and opportunities seized
• Work closely with campaign partners of the ICJC and attend working group meetings
• Manage a professional consultant team
• Conduct weekly consultant team meetings and one-on-one meetings with Illinois consultants and the Co-State Director
• Ensure aligned work plans and support of the consultants' day-to-day work
• Manage EF’s annual strategic planning process
• Coordinate input and provide support to grantees and consultants in executing and adjusting jointly held goals and strategies
• Standardize check-ins with the Steering Committee to measure progress to goals
• Re-engage planning process to re-evaluate goals, strategies, and/or budget adjustments
• Incubate, convene, and facilitate the ICJC, including campaign development and management
• Support coalition working groups
• Assist organizations in developing trusted relationships with coalition partners
• Engage directly with members of the ICJC via regular coalition meetings
• Jointly facilitate the ICJC Steering Committee
• Ensure mutual accountability in coalition governance, implementation of norms, and strategic decision making
• Develop, maintain, and grow relationships with grantees, consultants, and partners