The Director of State and Local Advocacy’s primary responsibility is to develop state and local legislative and regulatory policy positions and to implement those positions to advance the organization’s mission of improving oral health for the underserved and marginalized populations. To be successful, the Director of State and Local Advocacy must be skilled at distilling multilayered complex issues and data and translating them into clear, effective arguments and conclusions that are easy to communicate to policymakers and influencers. This individual must align with CareQuest Institute’s mission and priorities for achieving impact through a collaborative and partnership mindset with a willingness to lead from behind as well as the front. While this position focuses on state and local policy development and state and grassroot advocacy efforts, the incumbent will serve as a policy and advocacy thought partner to the Director of Public Policy and support the Director of Public Policy on federal policy and advocacy efforts on an as-needed basis.
PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Develop and implement comprehensive solutions for state-specific policy positions and advocacy strategy to support CareQuest Institute’s mission, which includes identifying and prioritizing key states, monitoring/tracking legislative and regulatory opportunities and risks, strategies to partner with and leverage community and grassroot advocacy support and approaches.
- Develop, monitor and track appropriate metrics to measure the effectiveness of advocacy strategies and impact.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with key policy makers, relevant associations, coalitions, and/or organizations with shared legislative and policy agendas and represent the organization on relevant workgroups and taskforces.
- Identify, establish and maintain strategic policy and advocacy partnerships with various mission aligned organizations, and build coalitions of stakeholders to advance shared policy goals.
- Effectively and efficiently manage legislative and political consultants to ensure deliverables and timelines are met and are within budget.
- In partnership with key internal and external stakeholders, guide and support the strategic growth and advocacy success of the Oral Health Equity and Progress Network (OPEN) – a national network of oral health advocates supported by CareQuest Institute, including developing a grassroot mobilization plan, supporting OPEN advocacy efforts, and providing technical assistance as needed (e.g. advocacy toolkits, education and training).
- Assist grassroot advocacy groups in developing and prioritizing state-specific oral health policies and build alignment with grassroots advocacy groups on advocacy campaigns, and coordinate and implement such advocacy campaigns, including collaborating with internal stakeholders to prepare and deploy appropriate advocacy materials, toolkits and content.
- Develop and share relevant internal reports and materials, including through the effective management of tools like Quorum, to inform and educate colleagues about the status and impact of the organization’s policy and advocacy work.
- In partnership with internal stakeholders, produce state specific policy “white papers”, legislative and regulatory reports, briefs, and position papers for dissemination to internal and external audiences.
- Support the Director of Public Policy as needed and various ad hoc projects to ensure that legislative and advocacy considerations are contemplated and incorporated into cross-functional projects.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree, with emphasis on fields related to public or health policy, oral health, population management, or government affairs.
- 8 or more years of current professional experience in public policy research and development, and/or advocacy space, preferably in health care and/or nonprofit space.
- Demonstrated leadership in the development, monitoring and successful implementation of policy strategies.
- Demonstrated leadership and networking relationships with various advocacy groups and government agencies and ability to build strong relationships and consensus internally and externally.
- Experience with grassroots advocacy mobilization strategies, including the ability to collaborate with influential stakeholders and grassroot advocacy groups.
- Ability to work independently, manage and complete projects in a timely and accurate manner in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, while maintaining a professional demeanor and flexibility as required.
- Exceptional written and verbal communications skills with proven track record of distilling complex legislative issues into customized messaging for a wide range of audiences, and ability to present professionally at public forums and to engage in public speaking.
- Strong organization skills with the ability to effectively prioritize, lead and handle multiple large-scale projects simultaneously.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment within generally defined practices and policies, and solve problems, including selecting appropriate and cost-effective methods and techniques for obtaining solutions to meet the above responsibilities.
- Sound judgment in maintaining the confidentiality of information
- High competency level with Quorum, and various computer applications (MS Office suite of applications) is required
- Regular travel to states and DC expected
Preferred:
- Experience in state level lobbying and advocacy work and grassroots mobilization efforts
- Record of successful collaborations with non-profit organizations on advocacy issues
- Experience with web-based CRM tools
The specific statements shown in each section of this description are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria necessary to successfully perform this position.
** In accordance with CareQuest Institute for Oral Health’s Compliance Plan, all employees must conduct CareQuest Institute for Oral Health business and activities in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, professional standards and ethical standards and report potential compliance or ethical issues to CareQuest Institute for Oral Health’s designated Compliance Officer. **
CareQuest Institute for Oral Health’s Affirmative Action Program affirms our commitment to make reasonable accommodation for known physical or mental limitation of otherwise-qualified individuals with disabilities or special disabled veterans, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business and activities. Please see Human Resources for additional information regarding this program.