About California Calls

California Calls (501c3) and its sister organization California Calls Action Fund (501c4) is a powerful alliance of 30 local community-based organizations spanning urban, rural and suburban counties across the state. We engage, educate and motivate new and infrequent voters, including young people, communities of color, and poor and working-class communities to ensure that the electorate represents all of California. Through our bottom-up approach, we organize people most impacted by decades of disinvestment, deteriorating public services, mass incarceration and growing inequality in support of systemic, progressive policy solutions. Working together and building the power of communities who are often left out of policy decisions, we believe we can reclaim the California Dream of equality, opportunity, and prosperity for all Californians.

With our headquarters in Los Angeles, remote staff based in the Bay Area, and partner organizations anchored in 14 counties, we advance state-based structural battles that strengthen democracy, fully fund schools, affordable housing and local services, and expand racial, gender and economic justice. Knowing no one organization alone can win the bold policies needed to address poverty and inequality, we strengthen the capacity and build collaborations with organizations across the state to build a strong movement capable of winning structural change.

The Opportunity: Political Director

The Political Director is responsible for leading, developing and executing California Calls statewide policy campaigns by providing opportunities for broad participation from California Calls anchor organizations, allies and community members. The position requires the ability to leverage the power of grassroots community based organizations to win statewide policy measures to fund critical social services and fight back against attacks on our democracy and low income communities. The Political Director is supervised by the Vice President of Policy and External Affairs, and works closely with the California Calls Board, anchors, senior staff and allies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Campaign and Political Strategy

• Regularly assess the state political landscape to inform the development of campaign strategy to win Ballot and Legislative Campaigns
• Working closely with staff, anchors and coalition members to develop the strategy and successfully implement issue-based campaigns.
• Oversee the development and execution of the campaign tactical plan that exercise and leverage coalition and grassroots power, including statewide and local endorsement strategy, core message development, testing and material development, communications and digital strategies, grassroots lobbying and actions. 
• Track the State Policy Landscape including current and pending legislation, ballot initiatives related to California Calls reform principles and policy agenda
• Support the policy team in developing analysis and policy demands that advance California Calls long term policy agenda

External Collaborations

• Develop external and strategic relationships with state, regional and local partners to build alignment around long term agenda, policy priorities and campaigns
• Manages strategic coalition development for statewide legislative and ballot campaigns
• Represents California Calls on external campaign coalitions

Organizational Leadership

• Participate in the Senior Leadership Team and represents California Calls to allies, decision makers, the media and others
• Manage consultants and campaign related staff and projects
• Support leadership development and shared political analysis among board, staff, anchors and partners
• Develop and monitor campaign budgets

We are looking for someone who

• Has at least 5-7 years of campaign, political, or legislative management experience
• Has a strong commitment to social, racial, gender and economic justice and an understanding of the needs of low-income communities of color in California.
• Has expertise in developing high-level strategy and executing tactics.
• Is able to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details and meet deadlines.
• Is a self-starter with demonstrated good judgment, critical thinking, flexibility, resourcefulness, and problem-solving abilities.
• Has strong organizational skills, is detail-oriented, and follows projects through to completion.
• Has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Has strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with others in a team environment, has experience wrangling stakeholders to secure the necessary input, buy-in and approvals.
• Is able to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Has experience in communicating complex issues to varied audiences.   

Compensation and Benefits

Status: Full-time, Exempt

Salary Range: $100,000-$130,000

Location: Ideally based in Los Angeles, but can work remotely anywhere in California

Reports to: CEO

Supervises: Campaign Manager

Travel Requirements: Mostly in state, 1-2 times a quarter

Benefits Include:  Full Family Health Insurance, Dental Insurance and Vision Insurance, Medical after 30 days of employment and Health and Dependent Care Flex Spending Account after 90 days, 401K plan, 30 paid accrued paid time off days.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:  California Calls is an Equal Opportunity Employer, women people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Vaccination Transparency:  Due to travel requirements and in-person meetings during employment, candidates will be required to show proof of being fully vaccinated (Two Doses as well as appropriate booster doses) against COVID-19 before commencing employment.  Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume and 3 references to Melinda Ealy at mealy@calicalls.org. Resume review will begin immediately and those selected for advancement will be notified to participate in the interview process and required to complete a writing assignment.