We are seeking a strategic, experienced, and mission-driven Senior Director, Legislative Affairs to lead our federal legislative advocacy work and our strategic approach to advocacy within our states to strengthen our democracy by holding power accountable.
In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing a dynamic federal lobbying strategy, managing high-level relationships with lawmakers and key partners, and building strategic alignment across Common Cause’s policy pillars and state teams. You will serve as a key thought partner in our cross-department campaigns and media efforts that include federal legislative components.
This is a full‑time role reporting to the Senior Vice President, Policy & Litigation; this role is based in Washington, DC, with an expectation to work in‑person at least two days per week, up to five days per week during peak legislative periods, and travel at least four times per year. We hope our Senior Director, Legislative Affairs will start in November.
Responsibilities
Federal Legislative Strategy & Advocacy
- Lead the development and execution of Common Cause’s federal legislative strategy, aligning efforts with organizational goals and political context
- Manage high-level relationships with lawmakers, congressional staff, and federal legislative partners; represent Common Cause in key advocacy coalitions and at public events
- Serve as the primary registered lobbyist for Common Cause, ensuring compliance and transparency
- Coordinate and lead Hill meetings, briefings, and hearing preparation, and provide timely strategic updates to internal teams
- Serve as a senior spokesperson on federal legislative issues and support communications staff with strategic messaging and media engagement
Strategic Integration with State Advocacy
Develop and implement a strategy to support state teams in building and maintaining relationships with congressional district offices and U.S. Senate state officesTailor guidance and tools to state political conditions, ensuring state teams can engage effectively on federal prioritiesHelp connect local and national advocacy efforts, translating grassroots momentum into meaningful federal influenceInternal Leadership & Coordination
Collaborate with Senior Policy Directors across our four pillars—Voting & Fair Representation, Anti‑Corruption & Accountability, Media & Technology, and Civil Rights & Civil Liberties—to identify and advance legislative prioritiesPartner with the Campaigns & Organizing and External Affairs departments to align public campaigns, grassroots advocacy, and communications with legislative goalsOversee the development and coordination of policy materials including talking points, testimony, letters, fact sheets, op‑eds, press releases, and other advocacy collateralEngage with journalists and respond to press inquiries to elevate our legislative agenda and shape public narrativeLead the creation of regular reports and communications for Capitol Hill stakeholders, including producing and promoting Common Cause’s Democracy Scorecard and other strategic assessments of congressional action on democracy reformCoordinate closely with executive leadership to ensure legislative advocacy efforts are integrated into organizational planning and fundraisingOther duties as assignedYou will thrive in this role if you have :
A strong commitment to Common Cause’s nonpartisan mission and to advancing equitable opportunities for communities through our pro‑democracy agendaDeep understanding of the unique aspects of our national political dynamic and of key decision‑makers at the federal and state level; ideally you have existing relationships with these people and organizationsA commitment to equity in the goals of your work and in how you work with othersAbility to work collaboratively with others, and to build rapport, trust, and credibility with multiple stakeholders with diverse interestsAbility to navigate organizational and power dynamics, respectfully navigate conflict while maintaining your values, and influence others to adopt changes to meet common goalsInnovative and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to navigate through ambiguity to achieve goals, and a resourceful approach to solve problemsAbility to manage and meet deadlines for multiple short‑ and long‑term priorities at once, with high attention to detail, strong organization skills, and the ability to manage your time independentlyAbility 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, and ideally you have served as an external spokesperson for an organization previously or have experience speaking to the mediaOpenness to feedback and awareness of your own strengths and areas for growthFamiliarity with office productivity tools including Microsoft Office, Slack, and ZoomThe following is required :
Have managed legislative strategy on issues related to one or more of our pillars (Voting & Fair Representation, Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Media & Technology, and Anti‑Corruption & Accountability) at the federal levelA track record of successful and impactful lobbying efforts at the federal levelDemonstrated experience with the federal legislative process, including policy research and analysis, policy development, legislative drafting, legislative advocacy and lobbying, and policy implementationExperience managing coalitions with diverse interests to achieve a goal
Have managed and developed a team; set strategic direction for a team, and built a unified approach to achieve goalsA track record of leading organization‑wide change initiativesAbility to work in‑person in the Washington, DC area at least two days per week, up to five days per week during peak legislative periods, and travel at least four times per yearWilling to have a social media presence on behalf of Common Cause, including being tagged on posts and creating content on behalf of the organization (as needed, Common Cause may provide accounts for staff members to use)Per our nonpartisan 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 partyAdditional information about this role :
This position is included in a union‑represented collective bargaining unit and specific employment terms and conditions are subject to collective bargaining negotiationsCommon 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$128,750 - $144,200 a year
Note that as this role is based in Washington, DC, there would be a 3% increase on the offered salary as part of our geographic adjustment.
In order to ensure greater equity and transparency as an organization, Common Cause sets salary ranges consistently based on job responsibilities, and we determine salary for each staff member based on relevant years of experience (you can read more about our approach to compensation here, including where we offer geographical adjustments). For these reasons, we do not negotiate on our salary ranges or our specific salary offers.
In addition to salary, we also offer a generous benefits package, including :
A robust healthcare plan that covers 97% of employee’s medical care, 100% of employee’s vision and dental benefits, and 75% of family medical care and 100% of family vision and dental benefitsLong‑term disability and life insuranceGenerous Paid Time Off including 20 Days of Vacation and 10 observed Holidays per year, and additional days off for Thanksgiving and Winter break16 weeks of paid parental leaveFlexible spending accounts401k retirement savings plan, with immediate Employer MatchDependent Care and Pet Care Support when you travel for workFunds for professional developmentAnd more! See more details here : https : / / www.commoncause.org / our-benefits /Common Cause is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated.
Common Cause (501(c)(4)) and Common Cause Education Fund (501(c)(3)) are nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots affiliate organizations dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Common Cause has members and supporters living in every congressional district in the United States, and offices in 23 states around the country.
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