State Director, Wisconsin

About the role

We are looking for a collaborative and visionary leader for our team in Wisconsin, promoting the Common Cause agenda at the state and national level; fostering a strong, sustainable team; leading winning public policy campaigns through policy analysis, research, lobbying, litigation, grassroots organizing, sophisticated communications and building strong and diverse coalitions. The State Director will have the opportunity to envision a strategic approach for Common Cause in Wisconsin and develop programs to achieve that vision. This is a unique opportunity to be a leading voice at the center of advancing democracy reforms in the state, while also expanding our membership base and managing a high-performing team.

This is a full-time role reporting to the Vice President of States; this role is based in Wisconsin, and an expectation to travel around the state at least 4 times per month (and more often during legislative session). We hope our new State Director will start in February.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead our strategy for our policy advocacy and organizing that centers racial equity
• Develop effective proactive and defensive policy campaigns that center racial equity
• Advocate for our campaigns in alignment with the Common Cause agenda and non-partisan mission
• Develop and execute lobbying strategies to advance reform (or stop anti-democratic initiatives) and to hold federal, state, and local elected and appointed officials and other decision-makers accountable
• Oversee Common Cause’s work in the state including issues like voting and fair representation, accountability and anti-corruption, and media and technology
• Produce timely, high-quality policy research
• Act as a leader within Common Cause, collaborating with staff across the organization to advance and support our priorities
• Drive work through public outreach and strategic partnerships
• Build, lead, and participate in effective and diverse coalitions
• Serve as Common Cause’s spokesperson in responding to inquiries from media, government officials, and others
• Engage members and the public across the state through social media, website updates, and email communication
• Develop and implement grassroots organizing strategies to build support for the Common Cause agenda
• Expand and diversify our membership base in the state to deepen our impact

Team Management

• Manage the Wisconsin team: collaboratively set goals, coach and develop them towards these goals and support their career progression and retention at Common Cause
• Supervise consultants, volunteers, and interns as needed, in accordance with Common Cause management standards, practices, and procedures
• Promote, lead, and manage collaboration between your team and other teams across the organization, ensuring coordination and alignment on shared work and priorities

Administration

• Manage the operations of the Wisconsin team, including managing the budget
• Build and engage a strong and diverse state advisory board that assists on policy, organizing, and fundraising activities
• Collaborate with Common Cause staff across the country

Development

• Collaborate with national staff to achieve fundraising goals for Wisconsin
• Develop fundraising strategies to fund Common Cause programs, including lobbying efforts
• Raise money from foundations, major donors, members, and special events
• Cultivate, nurture, and grow relationships with Wisconsin’s network of donors

Qualifications

You will thrive in this role if you have:

• A strong commitment to Common Cause’s nonpartisan mission and to advancing civil rights through our pro-democracy agenda
• A commitment to equity in the goals of your work and in how you work with others
• Ability to navigate organizational and power dynamics, respectfully navigate conflict while maintaining your values, and influence others to adopt changes to meet common goals
• A track record of working collaboratively with others, with the ability to build rapport, trust, and credibility with multiple stakeholders with diverse interests
• Innovative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to navigate through ambiguity to achieve goals, and a resourceful approach to solve problems
• Ability to manage and meet deadlines for multiple short- and long-term priorities in a fast-paced environment, with high attention to detail; strong organization skills, and the ability to manage your time independently
• Ability to compel action through both written and verbal communication, including distilling complex concepts for a broad audience, and to differentiate communications as needed for various audiences; ideally you have experience working with the media and/or as a spokesperson for an organization
• Openness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth
• Familiarity with office productivity tools (Microsoft Office, Slack, Zoom)

The following is required:

• Experience leading successful local- or state-level public advocacy campaigns related to democracy, elections, voting rights and civil rights, including creating and managing campaign or annual plans, from conception through implementation
• Experience drafting, analyzing and advocating for legislation in Wisconsin
• Demonstrated knowledge of the unique aspects of Wisconsin’s political dynamic, as well as of funders and decision-makers in the state; ideally you have existing relationships with these people and organizations
• Experience building, participating in, and leading coalitions or groups that represent stakeholders with diverse interests to achieve a goal
• A track record of leading organization-wide change initiatives
• Have managed and developed a team; set strategic direction for a team, and built a unified approach to achieve goals
• Ability to travel within state at least 4 days per month and up to multiple times per week during legislative session, and nationally 1-2 times per year for team and/or all staff retreats
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed, especially during legislative sessions
• Per our non-partisan policy, Common Cause staff members may not currently be in elected office (or running for office); on the Steering Committee or Finance Committee for any political candidate; or affiliated with the leadership of a political party

Additional information

This position is classified as supervisory and therefore not included in the union-represented collective bargaining unit.

Common Cause is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time; please note that if hired, you will be asked to produce documentation for authorization to work in the US.

Compensation

Salary range: $116,699–$137,917. Common Cause sets salary ranges consistently based on job responsibilities and determines salary for each staff member based on relevant years of experience; salary ranges and specific salary offers are not negotiable.

Benefits

• A robust healthcare plan that covers