State Impact Specialist (Wisconsin)

• Implement multi-pronged strategic campaigns aimed at influencing key political and civic leaders in Wisconsin to rebuild our democratic norms and institutions that are under threat;

• Help maintain and strengthen cross-partisan coalitions of leaders, organizations, and activists in support of strategic campaigns to protect, rebuild, and perfect our democracy;

• Strengthen and expand core strategic partnerships with other organizations, including grassroots groups and advocacy organizations from across the political spectrum;

• Help develop concrete legislative or regulatory advocacy plans, including the preparation of model policy documents and proposed bill language for state-level adoption;

• Work with state agency leaders, lawmakers, experts, and coalitions to advance policy reforms into law;

• Represent the organization on state-based issues as needed, either briefing reporters and providing expert commentary on complex policy issues and solutions or preparing others to do so;

• Proactively monitor, track, and analyze relevant legal or policy updates and trends;

• Support the entire team working on our state-based integrated advocacy approach across the country. 

• At least 3-5 years of relevant professional experience, including:

  • Capacity to meet new constituencies, identify emerging partners, and build durable relationships with partners across the political spectrum and advocacy ecosystem;

  • Capacity to design and lead policy development, campaigns, or advocacy initiatives at the federal or state level at a high level of excellence;

• Experience executing complex projects and teams from start to finish, including excellent collaborative organizational skills and results-oriented approach;

• Flexibility and resilience in a fast paced and dynamic environment;

• Ability to support the drafting of concrete legislative or regulatory proposals,

• Excellent judgment about political activism, including what levers can make change happen with limited resources;

• A growth mindset, comfort for giving feedback in all directions, and enthusiasm to work across lines of difference;

• Strong working knowledge with Wisconsin’s political environment and/or the pro-democracy organizational ecosystem in Wisconsin;

• A commitment to the nonpartisan mission of Protect Democracy and to building a more resilient, inclusive democracy.
  
  

Preferred, but not required:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree is preferred but not required — the ideal candidate will have a strong, demonstrable legal background, including legislative drafting and statutory/regulatory analysis;

• Familiarity with Wisconsin election law and administration;

• Experience working with the Wisconsin legislature, state and local election officials, and/or other executive branch officials.
  
  

• Contact hiring@protectdemocracy.org if you require specific accommodations at any point in the hiring process.

• Keep an eye on your promotions/spam folders to avoid missed communication.

• We are unable to provide status updates for each application we receive. If you reach out and do not hear back, please know it is not for lack of appreciation or interest, but simply for lack of staff capacity to respond to individual inquiries.

• The application will include a voluntary EEO survey so that we can monitor the applicant pool as a whole for representation and equal employment opportunities, and to evaluate our progress as an organization toward a diverse and inclusive workforce, which we believe is a pillar of a thriving democracy. The categories used by the EEO survey are limited and may not reflect your lived experience; please feel free to opt out of any of the questions. Your responses to this survey are entirely separate from your application materials, are not accessible to those responsible for hiring decisions, and will not affect your candidacy in any way.