State Director, Texas

Essential Functions

Policy Advocacy 35%

• Lead and execute strategic issue campaigns, work with multiple teams, manage staff and consultants, and leverage UnidosUS policy, program, and network assets, to achieve policy outcomes in the state and maximize the impact of state and federal efforts.
• Develop advocacy strategy plans (including legislative, administrative, electoral, and other elements as appropriate) to advance policy goals, in collaboration with senior leadership.
• Expand the power and influence of Latino voters through electoral campaigns.

Coalition/Networking 25%

• Increase awareness on issues impacting Hispanics through communications, stakeholder presentations, and earned and paid media.
• Build, sustain and expand partnerships with UnidosUS Affiliate Network, state coalitions, allies, and elected officials to advance policy priorities, and represent UnidosUS in those settings.
• Track state legislative and agency activity, policy, and media developments on key issues, to provide strategic advice to launch and scale campaigns.

Communications and Fundraising 30%

• Collaborate with the issue and communications teams to develop issue analyses, position statements, talking points, and public information materials that energize Latino participation, elevate Latino issue priorities, and educate partners and policymakers.
• Organize policy/advocacy activities, including roundtables, town halls, and legislative visits, and provide technical assistance and issue support to develop spokespeople.
• Identify and cultivate in-state funding opportunities and manage ongoing communications with existing funders, including developing proposals and report submissions
• Implement effective tracking and reporting mechanisms to document progress and outcomes, both of campaign teams and community partners, and communicate progress to senior leadership, Affiliates, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Assist States Team in issue and electoral campaigns in other states as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and six to eight years of experience developing and executing high-impact issue advocacy campaigns, combining policy, policy research, and communication strategies and tactics.
• At least 6 years of experience running voter registration, education, and mobilization campaigns.
• At least 3 years of experience managing a distributed team.
• Robust understanding of the Latino community, commitment to social justice, state political landscape, and UnidosUS mission.
• Experience submitting a major federal, state, or county-level grant with many intricacies, deadlines, and deliverables.
• Substantive knowledge of federal and state government structures (e.g., legislative/administrative process, budget, state agencies, etc.) to advance policy goals.
• Excellent writing skills and ability to synthesize information and present it in a variety of formats and styles (e.g., issue one-pagers, position letters, blog posts, op-eds, talking points).
• Excellent verbal communication skills and ability to represent UnidosUS effectively in various settings (e.g., training, presentations, press conferences, interviews, and legislative testimony).
• Experience engaging a wide range of stakeholders (coalition partners, legislator and their staff, media, foundations, business, and academics), working in coalition, and building high-impact partnerships.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a complex environment. with multiple priorities and tight deadlines, working both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to self-start and manage up, as well as communicate effectively across multiple teams and with multiple staff members in various locations around the country.
• Bilingual abilities (English/Spanish) are a plus.