Careers

About the Position

The Legislative Advocate influences policy and policy makers in California’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches to create conditions that will create political will to end poverty. This role

• Champions the California Earned Income Tax Credit, the Young Child Tax Credit and other legislation to provide cash-based assistance to low-income Californians.
• Works to enhance and guide implementation of existing policies and create new ones to reduce the amount of Californians living in poverty.
• Serves as co-lead of the CalEITC Coalition and represents GSO in coalition spaces aligned with our policy goals.
• Collaborates internally and externally as a thoughtful, mission-driven partner to leverage and build relationships and coalitions, develop creative strategies for advocacy, and make persuasive appeals to public officials and their staffs.

Job Functions

• Develops and maintains effective bipartisan working relationships with members of the California legislature, the executive branch, regulatory agencies, and other state-level policy makers, and their staffs.
• Generates and executes advocacy strategies in collaboration with internal staff and external partners, including contract lobbyists, and allies.
• Researches and analyzes California state policy issues and outcomes, legislation, rules, and regulations to inform the advocacy team as it shapes GSO’s positions and strategies.
• Issue spotting for legal considerations and impacts of legislative and other policy proposals in partnership with policy and legal professionals.
• Provides expert testimony as appropriate and sources expert testimony from the credible and highly respected contributors.
• Develops, articulates, and negotiates legislative and other policy proposals, positions, and amendments, as well as advocacy materials, and sources, generates and presents testimony, working collaboratively with the policy and communications teams.
• Collaborates with GSO staff, responding to requests, participating in meetings, and preparing written summaries of legislative work.
• Facilitates alignment and communication in partnership with organizational leadership around legislative objectives and strategy between coalition partners, allied organizations, policymakers and their staffs, and other interested stakeholders.
• Serves as a key partner in the development and execution of GSO’s annual advocacy day and other moments of mobilization to support legislative priorities.
• Serves as a representative of GSO, presenting the organization’s positions in a clear and persuasive manner with partners at conferences, conventions, meetings, and other events.
• Serves as a spokesperson on GSO policy issues in the media and at public events as directed by the Communications team.
• Serves as co-lead of the CalEITC Coalition; working to facilitate a space that is collaborative, strategic, and aligned about enhancement of the legislation and works to maximize potential and partnership in its implementation.
• Prepares coalition documents and communications, including notices, agendas, materials, and minutes, as appropriate.
• Participates in and provides leadership to coalitions that are aligned with GSO’s short-term and long-term legislative and relationship development priorities.
• Expands and strengthen GSO’s network of aligned organizations, individuals, and partners to enhance effectiveness on legislative priorities and increase reach and capacity of the organization.
• Provides mentorship, support, and partnership to community-based organizations in GSO’s granting programming who are working to grow their advocacy efforts and presence.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Minimum three years (seven years for senior advocates) of demonstrated experience in policy advocacy in California and particularly at the State Capitol.
• Strong relationships with California policymakers, including members of the legislature, Governor’s Office and other executive branch officials, and their staffs.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct policy research and develop persuasive policy arguments.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and articulate policy positions and communicate them to a variety of audiences.
• Exceptional analytical and research skills.
• Experience working on economic justice; policy issues that impact low income individuals, families, and communities; and/or tax policy, preferably in California.
• Knowledge and familiarity with equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging principles; proactively prioritizes these principles in one’s work and approach to relationship building.
• Demonstrated commitment to dismantling systems rooted in oppression and discrimination; solid human rights knowledge base.
• Strong knowledge of the California policy making process and governmental systems.
• Superior written and oral communication skills to convey complex policy positions in simple terms and prepare documents and presentations.
• Willingness to work on a variety of tasks and projects to advance our advocacy agenda.
• Resourceful, diplomatic, team-oriented, accountable, and sensitive to the needs of our partners and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a team environment and independently, with internal and external stakeholders, in large coalitions, and with diverse staff, activists, and public officials.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, and optimism.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and balance a large portfolio of work; ability to manage one’s time independently and respect agreements, especially around due dates, timeliness, communications, and strategy.
• Ability to work from Sacramento when the legislature is in session.
• Strong proficiency with PC and Mac operating systems and G-Suite and Google Workplace applications as well as Microsoft Office 360 applications.
• Leadership and management skills sufficient to lead policy projects with complex and nuanced coalitions, positions, and stakeholders.
• Essential functions and duties require being able to communicate, see, and follow reasonable ergonomic recommendations and/or assistive devices to communicate and/or computer for extended periods. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Ability to work overtime, holidays, weekends, and evenings as well as travel as needed.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Language skills sufficient to conduct business and community-based conversations in a language other than English; strong preference for Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, or Hmong.
• Expertise and/or lived experience with low-income communities and their needs, earned income and young child tax credits and policy, and/or economic justice.
• Demonstrated interest in contributing to working to end the systems and conditions that create poverty in the U.S.
  Experience as a registered lobbyist in the State of California.
• Strong database skills, specifically Salesforce.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation and benefits package includes employer sponsored medical, dental and vision coverage for you and your family, a 401k, unlimited PTO, 9 days of sick time, and 20 paid holidays a year.

Salary ranges from $70,000-90,000; Senior Advocate $90,000-120,000.

Selection Process

Please submit your resume no later than November 6, 2023 to jobs@goldenstateopportunity.org for consideration. If you have any questions about the position or our process, please reach out to Lindsay Cooper Martin at lindsay@goldenstateopportunity.org or ‪(916) 234-0231‬.

Golden State Opportunity is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please contact Lindsay Cooper Martin at lindsay@goldenstateopportunity.org or ‪(916) 234-0231‬. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request accommodation during the interview process.

Offers of employment for this role will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of the background check prior to the start date. Any negative findings will be assessed based upon the potential risks and liabilities related to the job’s functions above.

October 20, 2023

GSO’s Fellowship Program is an opportunity for aspiring leaders in nonprofit, anti-poverty, or advocacy work to gain critical organizing and leadership skills. Fellows will graduate not only with practical skills and knowledge, but as a part of a network of passionate leaders in the anti-poverty workspace. As part of the program, fellows will regularly meet with GSO leadership to learn about nonprofit, anti-poverty, and advocacy careers.

GSO is seeking to engage 10 fellows from January 16 – May 24 to support and advance its CalEITC+ program outreach and education efforts in the following roles:

Distributed Organizing Fellows (5-6)

Fellows recruit, train, and manage volunteers in their own region, and use our peer-to-peer texting platform to engage with more than 2 million individuals about federal, state, and local benefits. Remote or hybrid (Los Angeles, Riverside, or Bay Area); part-time, 15-20 hours a week. Must be able to commit to shifts Tuesdays-Fridays from 5PM-8PM and Saturdays from 11AM-2PM for the duration of the fellowship.

Community Based Organizing Fellow (3, one fellow in each region)

This role will represent GSO at local events and meetings, sharing information about resources for low-income people and families, including tax credits, public benefits, and financial well-being. In-person; part-time, 15-20 hours a week. Los Angeles, Bay Area, and Inland Empire (San Bernardino and Riverside Counties). Shifts are dependent upon event schedules and will include evenings and weekends.

Program & Volunteer Administration Fellow (1)

The fellow will support the program and volunteer management functions, working to ensure the CalEITC+ program is as effective as possible. Remote; part-time, 15-20 hours a week. Schedule to be determined with supervisors.

All fellows to attend and participate in GSO’s Community Action Day in Spring 2024.

Compensation is $22-24/hour.

Selection Process

Please express your interest for fellowship roles via this application no later than December 11, 2023. Interviews for the fellowship roles will be conducted December 18, 19, and 20. If you have any questions about the position or our process, please reach out to Citlalli Lizarraga at citlalli@goldenstateopportunity.com or ‪(628) 210-5011.

Apply