Congress Watch Director

Public Citizen is a national, non-partisan, public interest group with over 500,000 members and activists. The Congress Watch division conducts public education campaigns and advocates before Congress, the White House, and administrative agencies on corporate accountability, consumer protection, access to justice, healthcare, worker health and safety, progressive tax policy, budget and military spending issues, tech policy including AI, privacy, and anti-trust, and public health and safety. This position reports to Public Citizen's co-presidents.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION: The Congress Watch Director coordinates and oversees a team of 12-20 people working on diverse public interest policy issues including a managing director. The CW Director will also create cross-cutting advocacy strategy across Public Citizen in close collaboration with the co-presidents, and directly lead some discrete policy and coalition work.

We're looking for someone who combines a lot of attributes:

• A leader who can develop and implement bold, aggressive and effective campaign and lobbying strategies;

• A coalition builder and leader who can help guide multiple issue-specific coalitions;

• A deft lobbyist;

• A policy expert on at least one of the Congress Watch subject matter areas, with broad policy familiarity and dexterity;

• A team leader with experience mentoring and coaching staff and the ability to foster equity and inclusion;

• A strong fundraiser;

• A person who can keep a lot of balls in the air at once;

• Someone who is excited about taking on corporate power and shares our commitment to advancing health, safety, democracy and justice.

This is an exciting, impactful and challenging job.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Management. Manage a fast-paced, highly flexible legislative, research, media, and field operation. Work with the CW managing director and other staff to develop policy positions and plan and implement legislative advocacy and public education campaigns.

• Advocacy. Track and analyze legislation and proposed regulations. Meet and correspond with legislative and executive branch officials and staff.

• Publications. Oversee production and dissemination of analyses, reports, fact sheets, and testimony.

• Media. Develop and maintain media relationships and respond to inquiries. Coordinate with communications division in writing editorial board memoranda, press releases, letters to the editor, and opinion editorials.

• Development. Work closely with the managing director and co-presidents on fundraising, including outreach to foundations and major donors, written proposals and reports, and electronic solicitations.

• Collaboration. Serve as liaison to other Public Citizen divisions and coalition partners across numerous Public Citizen issue areas and run our longstanding Clean Budget Coalition.

QUALIFICATIONS: Fifteen years of experience in a legislative setting or in campaign-oriented public interest advocacy, including ten years as a supervisor preferred. Proven interpersonal and management skills. Outstanding analytical thinking, political judgment, and oral and written communication skills. High energy and enthusiasm. Law or other professional degrees are a plus.

SALARY AND BENEFITS: Competitive non-profit salary commensurate with experience; excellent medical and dental coverage; three weeks paid vacation for new employees.

Benefits include:

• Great medical and dental coverage, 100% paid by PC, including full coverage for children

• Three weeks paid vacation for new employees, plus five personal days

• 401K plan with a 5% contribution from PC after one year of employment

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave after one year of employment

• Sabbatical after 10 years of employment

• Student loan reimbursement program

To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample to lgilbert@citizen.org. Please include your last name and the position for which you are applying in the subject line of your email and in the filenames of attachments.