Director of Civic Engagement

Summary

Join the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) as their new Director of Civic Engagement! This leadership role involves developing and implementing a comprehensive civic engagement strategy, supervising staff, and collaborating with internal and external partners. You will build relationships, lead community initiatives, and advocate for policy changes at the federal level. The ideal candidate is a strong people leader with experience in grassroots advocacy, coalition building, and community engagement. POGO prioritizes equity and justice in its work and seeks a candidate who shares these values. This full-time position offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and the possibility of remote work.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years experience playing a lead role in planning and executing federal grassroots and/or grasstops issue-based advocacy campaigns (preferably both)
• Solid working knowledge of the federal legislative policymaking process, lobbying/hill facing advocacy, and how it can intersect with community-level civic engagement
• Track record of success in advocacy campaigns, political education curriculum design, coalition building, community engagement
• Demonstrated experience integrating justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into campaigns and into their leadership style
• Minimum 3 years directly supervising and leading full-time, permanent staff (especially early career staff) in a way that is inspirational, accountable, and supportive
• Empathetic and self-aware leader who is effective at building trust, connecting across difference, and inspiring people to take action
• Courageous leader who is unafraid to hold space for conversations around the connections between civic engagement and race, gender, ability, immigration status, class, etc
• Clear, kind, and direct communication and conflict-resolution skills
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead with vision in a new and evolving role
• Deals with confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgment
• Effective at independently building and maintaining relationships and partnerships from the ground up (think cold calling)

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and implementation of a comprehensive annual and 5-year civic engagement strategy
• Serve as an in-house civic engagement subject matter expert, advising policy teams on effective ways to better engage local communities
• Identify civic engagement-related opportunities within the division and/or organization’s overall strategy
• Build and maintain strong relationships with individuals, organizations, and coalitions to strengthen the policy campaigns that POGO leads
• Establish new partnerships on behalf of POGO
• Represent POGO in external meetings and events
• Collaborate with other Directors, general staff, and the Executive Team to develop a civic engagement strategy aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and values
• Contribute as a member of the Leadership Team (directors + executive staff) to build cohesion, trust, and connectedness across the organization
• Ensure that the Civic Engagement Team is informed, connected, and aligned with organizational shifts and changes
• Integrate principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into POGO’s civic engagement strategy
• Develop and maintain systems to monitor and evaluate civic engagement progress and outcomes
• Supervise, inspire, and develop early career full-time staff on the Civic Engagement team
• Develop work plans for the civic engagement team that contribute to the organization’s civic engagement strategy
• Contribute to grant proposals and communicate with foundations and funders
• Prepare language for reports to the public (our annual impact report) or funders that communicates civic engagement’s impact and outcomes
• Other duties as needed or required to advance POGO’s mission

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of POGO’s work areas (including but not limited to Pentagon accountability, Customs and Border Protection, government surveillance, federal spending tracking, etc.)
• Experience with civic engagement software (e.g. Quorum Stakeholder) or other methods of tracking engagement

Benefits

• Competitive nonprofit salary in the range of $92,000 - $112,000
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) employee investment plan available, with employer retirement contribution once eligible
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave
• Remote work option from anywhere within the United States, provided availability during POGO’s work hours of 9AM-6PM ET