The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a high-caliber strategic policy institute that informs and shapes public policies to reduce poverty, promote equity, and build opportunity, while also supporting efforts to ensure progressive fiscal policies that can support these investments. It has a national reputation for conducting rigorous research and analysis, developing evidence-based policy ideas and strategies, shaping a broad array of policy debates at the federal and state level, influencing policy outcomes on a range of critical issues, and advancing strong implementation through a variety of strategies. CBPP focuses its efforts on improving the lives of people with low or moderate incomes and examines how policies affect particular groups, including people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. CBPP is known for its unique capacity to blend rigorous, timely analysis with effective communications that enable policymakers and the media to make use of its work.

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis it spawned has laid bare and exacerbated the structural inequities and policy inadequacies that have long held back low-income families and communities of color. Policymakers will face consequential decisions over how to fully harness major federal relief legislation and unleash state policymaking power to help all families thrive regardless of barriers created by racism and extreme concentrations of power and wealth.

In this high-stakes environment, CBPP is growing our state campaigns team by hiring two Senior State Campaigns Managers to drive strategic priority campaigns for state-level tax justice and economic security campaigns. Each manager will lead their own line of campaign strategies that will be responsive to opportunities and threats in the states and in Congress.

In the near term, state-level campaign priorities include supporting proactive, northstar state revenue-raising campaigns, holding the line against efforts to slash state revenues and impose arbitrary, racist tax and budget spending limits, expanding state-level tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit that get cash to people struggling to make ends meet, and making state tax codes more fair.

In the next two years, federal policy priorities include beating back efforts to extend and expand the misguided Trump-era tax cuts, strengthening and expanding food assistance, expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and building the will for a longer-term economic inclusion agenda.

The ideal candidates will have a track record of state-based advocacy and/or federal issue campaigns work, a passion for building power at the state level to advance bold policy change, strong knowledge of the issue campaign toolbox and experience working in coalition, and a coaching mindset.

Responsibilities:

• Coach priority state partners on soup-to-nuts campaign strategy, including facilitating campaign planning sessions, advising on rapid-response approaches and best civic engagement practices, and synthesizing learnings from winning strategies in states;
• Support and deploy a variety of campaign tactics including message guidance, voter contact, and field activities designed to advance priority legislative campaigns or ballot initiatives;
• Work closely with CBPP’s Government Affairs team to shape field strategy, provide regular updates on field impact, and support state partners with up-to-date information;
• Provide guidance and hands-on technical assistance to state partners and allies on engagement strategies to shape policy debates;
• Develop creative strategies to help state network organizations and coalitions deepen and expand their partnerships and coalitions, with a particular focus on allyship with Black and Latino-led grassroots organizations;
• Develop metrics and tools to track progress, including tracking state developments and impact to support internal and funder communications;
• Keep colleagues effectively up to date on key state developments and synthesize trends, opportunities, and challenges; and
• Contribute to network peer learning spaces and convenings, such as developing trainings and coordinating workshops at our annual state policy conference and other smaller convenings.

Qualifications:

• At least seven years of issue advocacy experience at the state or federal level and/or campaign management experience;

• A passion for state-based advocacy and a commitment to antiracist principles and policies that strengthen our team and organization and create broader community change by expanding opportunity and reducing economic inequality;

• Experience designing and executing campaign strategy and tactics;

• Familiarity building partnerships with diverse constituencies, working in coalition to advance a shared policy strategy, and a track record of coaching and training others;

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team;

• Excellent communications skills, including strong interpersonal skills and an ability to translate and synthesize complex issues into easy-to-understand written and verbal communications, and experience managing project deliverables to keep stakeholders regularly informed

• Experience executing voter engagement strategies, including phone banking and paid digital advertising;

• One or more of the following skillsets:Experience with grassroots organizing and strategies to bring people with lived experience into advocacy campaigns and coalitions; Experience with building and leading an issue advocacy coalition that seeks power-sharing strategies with grassroots constituencies; Fluency in one or multiple economic security issues (state budget advocacy, revenue, refundable tax credits, etc.); and Understanding of public opinion research, earned media, and message development strategies.

• Strong organizational skills and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle a variety of tasks and deadlines while remaining focused on the most important work to get done; and

• Willingness and ability to travel.

The Center is operating on a hybrid work schedule that includes at least two days per week in-person at our D.C. office. We are open to remote candidates for this position if they are open to periodic travel to our office in DC.

One Senior State Campaigns Manager will report to the Deputy Director of State Campaigns within the State Fiscal team. The other Senior State Campaigns Manager will report to the Director of State Campaigns.

Terms of Employment: Full-time; exempt.

Bargaining Unit Status: These are both bargaining unit positions.

Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience; excellent benefits (including health insurance, vision and dental coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, retirement, MERP, and DCAP), and generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday schedules.

Please upload a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please include a discussion of what draws you to the mission of the Center.

Please submit your application here.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply regardless of race, color, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, credit information, pregnancy or parental status, family responsibilities, personal appearance, creed, military or veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, union activities, disability, or other status protected by applicable law.