Director of Candidate Training and Engagement
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund (“Everytown for Gun Safety”) is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country. Everytown for Gun Safety’s Political Team is seeking a Director of Candidate Training and Engagement to help build the strength and power of our grassroots volunteer network, Moms Demand Action. Our goal is to build a pipeline of gun safety candidates up and down the ballot. The Director Candidate Training and Engagement will drive the development of high quality training, mentoring, and networking opportunities for our grassroots volunteers who are interested in learning more about how to run for local, state, or federal offices.
Candidates should be self-starters with a proven track record of managing electoral campaigns and developing and delivering candidate training. This position is based in New York City and will require travel (when it is safe to do so).
Responsibilities:
- Assess and survey training and resource needs of volunteer base and develop a national curriculum and training calendar for volunteers who are considering running for elected office , particularly candidates running for local offices.
- Develop resource materials for candidates based on surveys of candidate needs
- Organize virtual and in-person national and regional training events/conferences
- Develop and distribute resource materials for program participants
- Manage creation of regular opportunities for candidates to connect and share best practices and strategies and facilitate mentorship
- Manage platforms (Slack, Icebreakers, or other types of tools) that house program resources and facilitate opportunities for connection among program participants
- Identify opportunities to recruit potential federal, state, and local candidates for participation in the program based on broader political goals with an emphasis on identifying a diverse pool of candidates who have a history of gun safety activism.
- Provide direction and guidance to regional political managers to ensure that regional training is meeting the needs of candidates.
- Build relationships with regional allies to support the training needs of candidates (i.e. bring in experts from partner groups to brief candidates on issues outside of gun safety)
- Review and assess all training content and materials to ensure that they are the highest quality and that they meet the needs of candidates and overall program goals.
- Serve as conduit between organization and candidates as part of broader organizational coordinated electoral program, identifying opportunities and tactics to support candidates in priority races and elevate gun safety
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
- 5-7+ years of experience in managing political campaigns
- 3-5+ years of experience in training political candidates, campaign staff, and/or volunteers, including experience building a curriculum for candidates who are new to running for office
- Experience in building and supervising a team of trainers
- Experience in building relationships with external partners and stakeholders
- Ability to work independently and to drive and manage own workload
- Ability to manage several tasks/projects concurrently and prioritize work effectively by making and meeting team goals.
- Excellent communication and time management skills, with attention to detail
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to be flexible in a fast paced environment
- Flexible work schedule when evening and weekend hours are required
- Demonstrated experience managing relationships with external partners at the state and local level
- Basic proficiency in Google Suite and the ability to quickly learn new systems
- Ability to travel on behalf of the organization (when it is safe to do so) as needed
This position will be based in New York City
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Everytown for Gun Safety provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
Candidates who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. A diverse workforce and open culture are at the heart of our organization and vital to our success