Maine State Coordinator

Location: Remote (preferred residence in Maine)

Reports to: Deputy Director of Government Affairs and Partnerships

About Rebuild Local News

The crisis in local news poses a severe threat to democracy and the health of communities. Rebuild Local News believes that in addition to improved business models and increased philanthropy, public policy plays a crucial role. Rebuild Local News develops public policies to strengthen local news – and then works on the state and national level to pass effective legislation. Our pathbreaking set of policy initiatives, which we advocate for alongside partners, has helped advance effective, First Amendment-friendly legislation in California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington. Together, these states have established programs directing more than $316.2 million to local newsrooms. We are working in another dozen states.

Rebuild Local News also runs the Rebuild Local News Coalition, which unites newsrooms, labor unions, and civic organizations committed to revitalizing local journalism. Collectively, the groups in the Coalition represent over 3,000 newsrooms and thousands of journalists, working together to safeguard the future of local news. We focus on policies that are nonpartisan, and platform and content neutral.

About the Role

We seek an excellent communicator with exceptional project management and planning skills to lead our legislative and coalition-building campaigns in Maine. This individual will work to build a strong coalition and pass legislation that is nonpartisan, platform and content neutral to counter the collapse of local news and revitalize community journalism. This position’s primary focus will be in Maine.

Responsibilities

• Legislative Advocacy: Coordinate state-level efforts to pass legislation by serving as a spokesperson for local stakeholders and Rebuild Local News, supporting stakeholders in the legislative process, managing lobbyists, and building bipartisan relationships.
• Coalition Building: Build broad, permanent state-level coalitions that unite the local media ecosystem with external industry stakeholders, such as small businesses and economic development leaders. Facilitate local coalitions meetings and ensure local stakeholders are engaged in the legislative process. Establish project timelines, coordinate responsibilities across key stakeholders, and drive cross-functional accountability to ensure timely delivery.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of four years of professional experience, with two years of legislative or coalition building experience, or campaign or advocacy efforts, preferably at the state level.
• Experience and knowledge of Maine’s political landscape.
• Demonstrable experience working within the legislative system at any level of government.
• Understanding and appreciation of the importance of local journalism.
• Experience working in or with civic groups that used its collective voice to impact laws or ordinances at any level of government.
• Experience working in a fully remote or hybrid work environment preferred.

Skills

• Outstanding at building relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to navigate conflict with professionalism
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• An enthusiasm for collaboration and coalition building
• Collaborative team player who works well with others to achieve shared goals
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, ability to meet deadlines
• Comfortable working independently on a fully remote team
• Willingness to travel as necessary for conferences or events

Pay

$70,000 - $80,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Benefits

• Generous time off
• Employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance plan options
• 401(k) retirement plan with an employer contribution
• Voluntary enrollment in a full suite of other health coverage options, including disability insurance, life insurance, Health FSA / Dependent Care FSA and more

Note: This position is funded through a grant currently secured through the end of 2027. While the role is initially structured as a term-limited position aligned with grant funding, Rebuild Local News is committed to pursuing ongoing funding and organizational growth in an effort to sustain this role beyond the grant period.