Progressive States Network is hiring

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Progressive States Network is expanding our staff and seeks candidates for a number of exciting, high-impact positions. Please feel free to forward this email to any friends or colleagues who might be interested in applying.

To apply, please send replies to the email address listed at the end of each individual job description. Positions include:

Legislative Director
Stimulus, Tax and Anti-Privatization Policy Advocate
Health Care Policy Advocate
All positions are located in PSN's national office in New York, NY.

Progressive States Network aims to transform the political landscape by sparking progressive actions at the state level. Founded in 2005, PSN is working to build a cohesive nationwide network of advocates and legislators built to advance not just a string of good policy issues, but a multi-issue narrative of progressive values and best practices to meet the needs of working families. By supporting state legislators and other groups in their efforts to spark progressive actions and get good ideas passed into law, Progressive States proves that state policy matters and that good policy leads to good politics for all.

Progressive States Network
101 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor • New York, NY 10013 • p: 212-680-3116 • f: 212-680-3117 • www.progressivestates.org


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Legislative Director

Progressive States Network is seeking a senior-level Legislative Director to direct legislative and communication strategies for PSN, an organization working with state legislators and advocates in all fifty states to advance an anti-racist, social justice agenda covering a range of issues on behalf of working families. The Legislative Director will work with the Executive Director and other staff to develop long-term campaign strategies and will oversee the day-to-day work of policy and communication staff in implementing those strategies. The Legislative Director will have staff management, team evaluation, and project management responsibilities within the organization.

Progressive States Network is a fast-growing organization needing a creative and innovative Legislative Director who can work with both legislators and organizations around the country. Our goal is to dynamically strengthen the political infrastructure supporting progressive policy in the states while helping advance concrete legislation to raise wages, fight racist attacks on immigrants, establish health care for all, expand democratic rights, create a stronger, greener economy and promote a more just society.

Key Campaigns: A few major upcoming legislative campaigns include:

Coordinate policies across state legislatures to require transparency, as well as economic and racial equity in distribution of federal recovery funds;

Move five to six key bills (to be approved at our national conference in September) in fifteen to twenty states simultaneously during the 2010 legislative session, including issues such as paid sick days, anti-foreclosure, corporate contract and tax disclosure, labor rights, and other issues that help publicly define progressive policy and use multi-state work for strategic messaging;

Build on the 750 state legislators in forty-eight states signed onto our health care campaign to continue advocacy at both the federal and state level for fundamental health care reform;
Continue our immigrant rights work and build a national network of legislators working with supportive organizations promoting pro-immigrant policies and help delegitimize racist anti-immigrant legislators and initiatives.

The organizational tools we use in pursuit of these legislative goals include a combination of broad policy support in the form of reports and weekly updates on best practices, combined with rapid-response technical support for legislators and advocates in particular states. We work to strengthen cross-state legislator peer-to-peer education and coordination, while deepening coordination of legislators and organizational allies in each state. Our goal is to organize multi-state legislative networks built around particular issues like health care, immigration, wage rights and election reform, while at the same time building multi-issue progressive caucuses in each state that bring legislators and advocate allies together.

Qualifications: The candidate for Legislative Director must be self-motivated, as well as an innovative thinker and organizer with a dedication to a progressive, anti-racist vision of our economy and society. Legislative and communications experience essential. Demonstrated experience managing staff, volunteers and coalitions, as well as excellent verbal and writing skills are also an essential requirement. Experience in development or other organization-building skills a strong plus. Relevant experience includes (but is not limited to) working in political, policy, legal, journalistic, or government settings. Advanced degrees, including a JD or masters in related fields, may count toward a candidate's professional experience. But most of all, we are looking for smart, creative thinkers and doers who can help build and strengthen the progressive movement in this country.

Progressive States is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage and value a diverse workforce, and we seek diversity among applicants for this position. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary & Benefits: Salary and benefits for this position is commensurate with a senior-level position based on the amount of relevant professional experience that a candidate has. Opportunities for advancement, travel, and additional training are available.

Location: Position based in PSN's national office in New York, NY.

Background: The Progressive States Network works with legislators and community organizations across the country to advance legislation at the state level that protects individual freedoms, promotes sustainable economic growth, and strengthens America's working families. Backed by labor unions, community leaders, environmental groups, grassroots organizations and other individual supporters, Progressive States blends analysis and action and is working to establish a cohesive network and support system for progressive legislators and organizations in all 50 states, while building a concerted movement dedicated to grassroots social and political change across the nation. See www.progressivestates.org for more information.

How to Apply: Email a compelling cover letter, resume and writing sample identifying which policy position you are applying for and which shows your ability to write about policy issues in a manner accessible to the public to: legdirectorjob {at} progressivestates.org


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Stimulus, Tax and Anti-Privatization Policy Advocate

The Progressive States Network (www.progressivestates.org) seeks a highly motivated individual to work in a team approach as a policy advocate to promote transparency and racial equity in stimulus spending in the states, progressive tax and budget reforms, and contract accountability measures that protect taxpayers, workers providing services, and public priorities. The Progressive States Network is a state-based organization, the mission of which is to build a national network of progressive legislators and state-based advocates to advance progressive legislative campaigns in America's state legislatures.

Job Description: Progressive States is looking for an individual to provide policy and technical support for national campaigns and build a national legislative network of tax and budget legislators and allied organizations across the country. The candidate must work with legislators and state advocates to promote:

Equity and transparency in stimulus spending: Work with national coalitions and state legislators and advocates to require transparency in spending and assure that the stimulus addresses racial and economic inequality;

Progressive revenue options, including shifting the tax burden from poor and working families, closing corporate tax loopholes, and providing messaging to promote those options;
Budget reforms, including greater transparency and accountability to promote more effective and efficient spending;

Anti-privatization and contract accountability measures that challenge current privatization efforts, while assuring that any contracting out of government functions to private industry actually saves taxpayer money, promotes public priorities and protects wage standards for workers in the economy;

Economic models that value government investments as a key to economic growth, as a counterpoint to conservative ideology that promotes tax cuts and deregulation.

Since Progressive States is dedicated to breaking down single issue politics in favor of a shared multi-issue agenda, any candidate for this position should be prepared to promote these issues in the context of helping to promote other issues of concerns to our allies in the labor, civil rights, environmental and other grassroots communities.

The work of the policy advocate will include a few key functions:

PSN State Campaign Support: A core part of the PSN staffer's responsibility will be to support campaigns on these issues in each state, while create national messaging and organizing that links work across the states into cohesive messaging and cross-state support. This help will range from drafting legislation and amendments during the sessions, writing op-eds, developing fact sheets and other resource sheets, promoting grassroots public education in support of these initiatives, and helping legislators educate their fellow lawmakers on the need for policy changes.

Coordinating with Partners in Stimulus Transparency and Equity: The policy advocate will work with key partners to develop standards and legislation for the states to assure that the stimulus recovery funds are used to create good-paying jobs and address racial and economic inequality in our states. Politically, the advocate will help to work across the states to frame state priorities as serving national economic recovery goals.


Highlight Developments on Privatization: Part of the work will be supporting a national collaboration around privatization and contract accountability funded by the Ford Foundation with the goal of helping the partners in the collaboration develop innovative new strategies to promote responsible contracting in the coming years. This will include highlighting research on privatization in state and local government contracts and tracking major new privatization deals proposed in states and best practices being promoted in different states in response that promote accountability.

Build Tax, Budget and Contract Accountability Legislative Network: A key role for the PSN advocate will be to build a national network of state legislators that can work consistently to expand tax, budget and contracting reforms. By encouraging more legislator-to-legislator communication across state lines, we help legislators to see a policy proposal not as some radical new innovation, but as a tested policy which has strengthened the political position of their peer legislators in other states. Strengthening legislator-to-legislator coordination also encourages legislators to think more seriously about the national impact of their actions and their role as leaders in the progressive movement, instead of just narrowly concentrating on their role as legislators in their own state.

Qualifications: Any candidate must be self-motivated and an innovative thinker and organizer with a dedication to public interest issues. Excellent verbal and writing skills are an essential requirement. Background in election reform advocacy is strongly desired. Relevant experience includes (but is not limited to) working in political, policy, legal, journalistic, or government settings. Advanced degrees, including a JD or masters in related fields, may count toward a candidate's professional experience. But most of all, we are looking for smart, creative thinkers and doers who can help build and strengthen the progressive movement in this country.

Progressive States is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage and value a diverse workforce, and we seek diversity among applicants for this position. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary & Benefits: Salary and benefits for this position is commensurate with the amount of relevant professional experience that a candidate has. Opportunities for advancement, travel, and additional training are available.

Location: Position based in PSN's national office in New York, NY.

Background: The Progressive States Network works with legislators and community organizations across the country to advance legislation at the state level that protects individual freedoms, promotes sustainable economic growth, and strengthens America's working families. Backed by labor unions, community leaders, environmental groups, grassroots organizations and other individual supporters, Progressive States blends analysis and action and is working to establish a cohesive network and support system for progressive legislators in all 50 states, while building a concerted movement dedicated to grassroots social and political change across the nation. See www.progressivestates.org for more information.

How to Apply: Email a compelling cover letter, resume and writing sample identifying which policy position you are applying for and which shows your ability to write about policy issues in a manner accessible to the public to: taxbudgetjob {at} progressivestates.org


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Health Care Policy Advocate
The Progressive States Network (www.progressivestates.org) seeks a highly motivated individual to work in a team approach as a policy advocate working on health care issues with state legislators and organizations around the country. The Progressive States Network is a state-based organization, the mission of which is to pass progressive legislation in all 50 of America's state legislatures, strengthen progressive alliances, and challenge rightwing forces in each of those states.

Job Description: Progressive States Network has built a network of over 750 state legislators in forty-eight states who support fundamental progressive health care reform and the task of the health care policy advocate, working with both national and state organizational allies, is to help translate that legislative network into concrete changes in both federal and state policy. That work will include a few key policy goals:

Mobilize legislators and allies in support of federal health care reform;
Help implement the law in the states in the most progressive way possible once passed;
Work to assure transparency and equity in the stimulus spending in states across the country.
The organizational tools we use in pursuit of these legislative goals include a combination of broad policy support in the form of reports and weekly updates on best practices, combined with rapid-response technical support for legislators and advocates in particular states. We work to strengthen cross-state legislator peer-to-peer education and coordination, while deepening coordination of legislators and organizational allies in each state.

Because PSN works across multiple issues, any advocate should be prepared to work in a multi-issue framework and track some policy issues beyond health care.

PSN State Campaign Support: A core part of the PSN staffer's responsibility will be to support campaigns on these issues in each state, working with local allies and legislative allies we have developed from other campaigns to find sponsors and help move the bills in more states. This help will range from drafting legislation and amendments during the sessions, writing op-eds, developing fact sheets and other resource sheets, promoting grassroots public education in support of these health care reform initiatives, and helping legislators educate their fellow lawmakers on the need for the bills.

Building National Health Care Legislative Network: A key role for the PSN health care advocate will be to strengthen and deepen our national network of state legislators and allied organization that can work consistently to expand health care for all. By encouraging more legislator-to-legislator communication across state lines, we help legislators to see a policy proposal not as some radical new innovation but as a tested policy which has strengthened the political position of their peer legislators in other states. Strengthening legislator-to-legislator coordination also encourages legislators to think more seriously about the national impact of their actions and their role as leaders in the progressive movement, instead of just narrowly concentrating on their role as legislators in their own state.

Qualifications: The candidate for Health Care Advocate must be self-motivated, as well as an innovative thinker and organizer with a dedication to a progressive, anti-racist vision of our economy and society.

Excellent verbal and writing skills are an essential requirement. Background in health care advocacy is strongly desired. Relevant experience includes (but is not limited to) working in political, policy, legal, journalistic, or government settings. Advanced degrees, including a JD or masters in related fields, may count toward a candidate's professional experience. But most of all, we are looking for smart, creative thinkers and doers who can help build and strengthen the progressive movement in this country.

Progressive States is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage and value a diverse workforce, and we seek diversity among applicants for this position. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary & Benefits: Salary and benefits for this position is commensurate with a senior-level position based on the amount of relevant professional experience that a candidate has. Opportunities for advancement, travel, and additional training are available.

Location: Position based in PSN's national office in New York, NY.

Background: The Progressive States Network works with legislators and community organizations across the country to advance legislation at the state level that protects individual freedoms, promotes sustainable economic growth, and strengthens America's working families. Backed by labor unions, community leaders, environmental groups, grassroots organizations and other individual supporters, Progressive States blends analysis and action and is working to establish a cohesive network and support system for progressive legislators and organizations in all 50 states, while building a concerted movement dedicated to grassroots social and political change across the nation. See www.progressivestates.org for more information.

How to Apply: Email a compelling cover letter, resume and writing sample identifying which policy position you are applying for and which shows your ability to write about policy issues in a manner accessible to the public to: healthcarejob {at} progressivestates.org