Senior Director of Partnerships & Advocacy

Role Overview

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and its partner organizations, Education Reform Now (ERN) and Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Partnerships and Advocacy to lead high-impact national and state-level initiatives that advance educational opportunity for families across the country—especially low-income families and families of color.

Who We Are

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a national political organization that supports elected Democrats and candidates for office who seek to expand policies and practices that work well for America's students and confront those that do not. We are education advocates who prioritize students and families, especially low-income students and students of color who should be better served by our country's education system.

Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA) is an advocacy group that advances education reform measures through executive and legislative engagement strategies and political advocacy work. ERNA keeps constant pressure on elected officials to champion policy that drives progress towards a high-quality public education system for low-income students and students of color.

Education Reform Now (ERN) is a nonpartisan think tank that promotes increased resources and innovative reforms in K-12 public education, particularly for students of color and students from low-income families.

Key Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Senior Director of Partnerships and Advocacy will be shaped by the campaign cycle and organizational priorities at any given time. In the near term, they will center on FSTC; over time they will expand to encompass additional initiatives.

• Immediate Focus: FSTC Initiative Leadership (2025-2026)
• Design and lead a comprehensive national and state strategy to build stakeholder support for FSTC opt-in across priority states, with an eye toward the 2026 gubernatorial election cycle
• Develop and manage state-specific plans, working closely with in-state coalition partners and policymakers
• Track gubernatorial and legislative developments in target states and adapt strategy in real time
• Synthesize data and research provided by our policy team and partner organizations to develop state-specific messaging and advocacy materials, such as factsheets, webinar presentations and toolkits
• Direct targeted multi-channel digital communications campaigns in 4-5 high-priority states to illustrate FSTC's benefits for families
• Present results of polling and public opinion research, including national polls and deep-dive state-level polling in target states
• Ongoing: Government Relations & Coalition Building
• Cultivate and maintain high-level relationships with center-left governors, gubernatorial candidates, and their senior staff on both official and campaign sides
• Build and sustain a structured coalition of national and state partners—including school choice and charter advocates, youth-serving organizations, and community groups—to ensure alignment and amplify advocacy efforts
• Ongoing: Organizational & Budget Management
• Oversee budgets across 3 entities, ensuring resources are allocated effectively across communications, lobbying, polling, research, and coalition activities
• Direct outside consultants and manage vendor relationships
• Ongoing: Future: Expanded Initiative Scope
• Supporting organizational engagement in the 2028 presidential election cycle, including stakeholder outreach and voter-facing education advocacy
• Identifying and launching new mission-aligned state and federal initiatives aligned
• Building out organizational infrastructure—systems, processes, and partnerships—to support a growing multi-initiative operation

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization and recruiting a team that reflects the diversity of the students we serve.

Requirements

• Education Policy Knowledge — Significant knowledge of school choice, charter schools, and K-12 education reform policy is preferred. A commitment to educational equity and expanding opportunity for underserved families is non-negotiable
• Political & Advocacy Expertise — Familiarity with political campaigns, government affairs, or advocacy, with a track record of winning complex legislative or executive-branch campaigns at the state or federal level
• Deep Understanding of the Center-Left — Strong personal relationships with center-left governors, gubernatorial staff, presidential campaign alumni, or other executive-branch decision-makers are strongly preferred
• Coalition Building — Demonstrated ability to build and manage complex, multi-stakeholder coalitions across diverse political and community partners
• Strategic Communications — Ability to translate complex policy concepts into compelling narratives for policymakers, press, and the public; experience overseeing digital campaigns and earned media efforts
• Project & Budget Management — Experience managing multi-faceted campaigns with multiple workstreams, contractors, and budgets simultaneously
• Entrepreneurial Drive — Comfort operating in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment; ability to build systems and structures while executing on an ambitious timeline
• Long-Term Strategic Vision — Ability to think beyond the immediate campaign cycle and contribute to building organizational capacity for future priorities, including the 2028 presidential cycle

Benefits

COMPENSATION The compensation band for this role is $160,000 - $180,000. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. DFER is proud to offer excellent benefits: health, vision, and dental coverage; cell phone and internet reimbursement; flexible spending plan; life insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; 401K plan with a match; paid family leave; and paid time off (vacation, sick time, floating holidays, and all national holidays).