What: The Director of Public Policy serves as part of the Community Impact leadership team, leading the organization's strategies to leverage policy change to end hunger. The Director serves as an expert on legislative policy related to food insecurity, public benefits, healthcare, and other anti-poverty issues significantly impacting individual and families with low incomes.
The Director identifies policy legislative and administration opportunities through written proposals that build a case for advancement. Additionally, the Director supports the development of strategic communication campaigns designed to mobilize coalition partners. Annually, directs the process to develop the policy agenda for approval by the CEO and the Board of Directors. Leads the charge to expand benefits outreach services by creating new collaborations to connect clients to additional public benefits and support. Leads a staff working on policy, advocacy, and benefits outreach. Success requires collaboration with a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders.
Key responsibilities include:
Direct the Food Depository's legislative and administrative advocacy efforts, with an increasing focus on the second half of the organizational mission to "end hunger in our community."
- Provides recommendations to the Food Depository's leadership team on advocacy priorities and endorsement of advocacy initiatives.
- Represent the Food Depository at policy-related meetings, events, and conferences.
- Work closely with the Communications and Marketing team to develop strategic messaging and deploy communications tools to support policy and advocacy goals. Serve as a media spokesperson or resource on policy related issues.
- Build and nurture effective multi-organizational coalitions and alliances on priority issues.
- Oversee the development and management of effective working relationships with key public officials at the federal, state, and local levels.
- Ensure the tracking and analysis of relevant legislation before the city, state, and federal legislature that affect the hunger and poverty related causes.
- Develop and disseminate issue briefs, fact sheets, or other materials regarding various policy issues.
- Some travel to Washington, D.C. and Springfield, IL will be required.
- Provide an oversight to the benefits outreach team efforts, ensuring all reporting requirements are met as part of the our participation in the state SNAP Outreach Plan.
- Help develop new strategies for connecting clients with public benefits and supports.
- Facilitate strong connections between the benefits outreach staff and advocacy staff to ensure a strong communication loop and information sharing.
Assist the fund development team to prepare grant requests and reports as needed.
Qualifications:
- A Bachelor degree is required. Graduate degree preferred.
- A minimum of seven years of work experience with a proven track record in public policy legislative work, program management, community and/or government administration.
- Experience with public benefits programs, state-level advocacy, and/or healthcare legal/policy analysis is highly desirable.
- Significant supervisory experience and the ability to lead and direct work of individuals and teams in collaborative, fast-paced environment.
- Robust analytical, planning, and evaluation skills.
- Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and the ability to create and present information to a variety of audiences in a way that is dynamic and easy to understand.
- Aptitude for building relationships across stakeholder groups to advance policy and programmatic objectives.
- Must be detail-oriented and organized.
- Proficiency in MS Office - Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Apply here