State Policy Counsel/Analyst

The National LGBTQ Task Force is the country's premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBTQ people, and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. We build power, take action and create change to achieve freedom and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and their families. As a progressive racial, economic, and social justice organization, the Task Force is building a society that values and respects the diversity of human expression and identity. The Task Force has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, and Miami. More information at htp://www.thetaskforce.org

Position Location: Washington, DC

Position Reports to: Policy Director

Position Travel Estimate: Up to 50%

Position Summary

The State Policy Counsel/Analyst leads our policy efforts at the state level in partnership with state LGBTQ+ organizations, state reproductive rights groups, state democracy groups, and other national and state coalitions and organizations in Queering Democracy, Queering Equity and Queering Faith. With state partners, we work with governors' offices, state legislators or regulators across these three pillars of work and may become involved in ballot measure issues or democracy issues.

Some key policy issues include non-discrimination, racial justice, voting rights, reproductive health and justice, disability justice and access, ending hate violence and extremism, family issues including child welfare system abolition, economic issues, religious exemptions, health equity, immigration and more.

This position reports to the Policy Director and assists in managing our Holley Law Fellow program (Counsel only). The Task Force uses an annual goal-setting process that drives clarity, alignment, accountability and impact.

Qualifications:

• In this role, interpersonal, strategic thinking, strong research, writing, and organizational skills are critical. A commitment to racial, economic, gender, and disability justice and a belief in our collective ability to create change in systems of power is mandatory.
• Liaise with statewide LGBTQ+ and progressive organizations to develop and maintain strong, productive relationships that facilitate state advocacy on substantive policy proposals.
• Liaise, build and maintain relationships with state legislators and governor's offices to further policy proposals.
• Travel to selected states often to assist with in-state strategy, relationship building or maintenance, coalition/statewide organization or local efforts, or for ballot measures or other purposes.
• Participate as a leader in the state policy groups and related groups and meetings to maximize knowledge and involvement in state policy work.
• Lead efforts, centering the voices and experiences of impacted community members, many of whom may be people of color, trans/GNC, immigrants, people living with disabilities, and people living in poverty.
• Track legislation of interest and produce legislative analysis with tailored advocacy approaches for internal and external distribution.
• Representing The Task Force in key state and local coalitions as needed.
• Regularly update the Advocacy/Action Department and other staff and lead efforts to ensure a balanced state policy agenda and communicate the agenda on all channels.
• Design, lead and engage in state policy workshops and other efforts at relevant conferences and including Task Force hosted events like Creating Change (CC) and CC365, our year-round virtual event series, recruiting diverse partners.
• Develop expertise in a range of policy issues relevant to the U.S. states and territories, and continuously learn new areas through research, hands-on work and trainings.
• Evaluate and make recommendations on legal briefs in potential amicus advocacy cases, contributing to the tracking system.
• Provide expertise and support, as needed, to The LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
• ·In collaboration with the Policy Director, you will collaborate to recruit, select, train and supervise cohorts of law fellows and establish and maintain cohort groups of past fellows. (Counsel position only).
• Collaborate closely with departments across the organization, ensuring accuracy and alignment in data, analysis, and talking points, used for public speaking, external education, organizing and fundraising to further organizational goals.
• Adopting Task Force community practices, integrating learnings from staff and other training, and performing other duties as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

A qualified candidate should have:

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Accredited Law School (Counsel position only).
• Advanced/Graduate Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Government, etc. (Analyst position only)
• 5+ years of experience. Strategizing and advocating for change in your community.
• Deep knowledge in C3/C4 Advocacy Tactics.
• Experience with State specific legislation tracking software (BGOV, BillTrack50, PoliticoPro, etc.)
• Strong research and writing skills. The ability to develop and communicate information clearly is fundamental to this role. You will write legal policy research analyses and proposals as well as campaign and program materials, professionally edit the work of others, and communicate with internal and external stakeholders to develop and communicate campaign assets.
• Exceptional communication skills. The ability to clearly communicate with the staff you are working with within the organization as well as external partners, consultants, and media is paramount; especially in fast-paced moments, you will need to be on message, clear and ask for clarity in return.
• A deep analysis on how LGBTQ identity impacts a person's lived experience how it intersects in across many aspects of life.
• Top-notch organization skills. If you enjoy using cool software programs to keep yourself organized and you find long to-do lists energizing, then we want to talk to you! There is a lot to keep track of in this role, and when things fall through the cracks the expectation is to acknowledge it quickly, determine and communicate the impact and create a plan to recover). Meeting quick deadlines is key, and so is long-term advocacy to deliver impact, meaning positive change in people's lives.
• Collaboration and relationship-building skills. This position relies heavily on building and maintaining relationships with national, state and local partners including participation and leadership in coalitions.

Compensation

Commensurate with experience. The Task Force is an organization that values both self-care and community care and embodies those values through our benefits package and a competitive salary. We are proud to be a Care First organization that offers excellent benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, FSA, annual and sick leave, and 403(b) plan. We also offer short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, technology spend, health and wellness benefits, and more. This position is not a part of our collective bargaining unit.

The Task Force is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, personal appearance, family responsibility, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable law. Women, transgender people, veterans and people of color are encouraged to apply.

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