Manager Of Policy And Advocacy

Organization Overview

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. The Children's Defense Fund builds community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. We serve and advocate for the largest, most diverse generation in America: the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25, with particular attention to those living in poverty and communities of color. CDF partners with policymakers, aligned organizations and funders in this service. The Children's Defense Fund is the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child wellbeing and racial justice by wielding the moral authority of programmatic proximity and community organizing to inform public policy.

Position Summary The Manager of Policy and Advocacy works with the Leadership Team and the Policy Team, under the supervision of the Deputy Director, to design, coordinate, and implement CDF-TX's long and short-term strategy to advocate for health justice for Texas children and their families. The Manager of Policy and Advocacy has expertise in child well-being and social determinates of health. Manage and advance CDF-Texas' advocacy coalitions and campaign strategies by playing a leading role in the following: the Southerners for Medicaid Expansion, Cover Texas Now, Children's Health Coverage Coalition, Sick of It, Texas!, and Protecting Immigrant Families. Supervise the Senior Administrator of Policy and Advocacy, Program Coordinator - Story Collection, Organizing Associate, and Intern(s) and will also provide support in monitoring, tracking and managing the budget for Health Policy and Advocacy work DocuSign Envelope and related initiatives. Lastly, the ideal candidate will translate organizational goals into functional and individual goals while tracking and reporting results to the Deputy Director.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement thoughtful policy initiatives that align with CDF's five policy zones: Children's Health and Healing, Early Learning and Development, Education for Civic Life and Work, Family Stability and Economic Mobility, and Just and Caring Communities.

• Prioritize legislative strategy and build meaningful relationships at the Statehouse.

• Draft articles, fact sheets, policy papers, testimony, and policy briefs

• Represent CDF-Texas at conferences, coalition meetings, and public events • Supervise, train, coach and support staff, including interns, to assist with policy efforts

• Harness the important role of data in furthering policy goals

• Monitor and track legislation and policy initiatives • Develop a media strategy (including new media avenues) to further policy efforts

• Connect and leverage CDF deep research, relationships, and data expertise

• Lead and guide action on policy and advocacy coalitions

• Monitor project budgets, complete funder and donor reports and strengthen funding partnerships and relationships

Leadership and Strategy

Lead CDF-TX's multi-level (legislative, grass-tops, and grassroots organizing and storytelling) strategy to achieve coverage expansion towards health justice in Texas by convening relevant CDF staff, partners and coalitions to map out, coordinate, and execute local, state, and national strategies. This encompasses work with the Sick of It, Texas! (SOIT) coalition, Finish Line team, the Cover Texas Now coalition, the Children's Health Coverage Coalition, the Southerners for Medicaid Expansion coalition;

Participate and/or lead in the following:

• Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign, co-chaired by National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

• Children Thrive Action Network (CTAN), a national coalition co-chaired by CLASP and Unidos US.

• Creatively co-develop SOIT's grassroots campaign to activate people power across the state towards health justice; • Lead development of Texas health coverage legislative agenda alongside Deputy Director and key partners and coalitions.

Campaign and Program Management

• Supervise and support the Storytelling Coordinator to build CDF-Texas' story advocacy work;

• Supervise Organizing Associate and support the expansion of public education and deepening community partnerships to promote voices of Texans particularly those in the Medicaid coverage gap, and ensure they are heard by legislators and other key decision makers;

• Identify new and cultivate existing relationships with statewide and local organizations

• Work closely with the Communications Team to center healthcare stories through a range of platforms to build grassroots and grass-tops support for health care coverage DocuSign 2 issues, including social media and earned media;

• Identify strategic opportunities for policy advocacy-coordinating meetings and drafting testimonies, public comments, advocacy letters, op-eds, and other materials that improve health coverage and access for Texans;

• Manage health policy grants and associated interim reporting, collaborating with Executive Director and partner coalitions as relevant;

• Oversee technical assistance, strategy, and reporting guidelines for three sub-granted community partners in targeted rural communities to engage Texans on health coverage issues;

• Track health care policy, especially pertaining to Medicaid and CHIP, at the state and national levels;

• Constantly look for new partnerships and opportunities to promote our objectives, act as the partner, funder, and client-facing representative for CDF-Texas' social determinants of health and child well-being policy work;

As an active member of the CDF-Texas Policy Team, the Manager of Policy and Advocacy:

• Works with the Deputy Director to identify policy issues requiring action.

• Works with the Communications Team to uplift the work of coalition partners and promote our own work.

• Works with Institutional Advancement to identify, cultivate and secure new funding opportunities.

Qualificatons

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's degree in relevant field with 10+ years' experience

• Knowledge of children's issues, including but not limited to healthcare policy, economic and juvenile justice issues with at least five years of experience in researching and communicating complex policy and administrative topics effectively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in relevant field

• Experience developing and executing legislative strategy

• Experience working across and strengthening state and national coalitions

• Understanding of TANF, CTC, EITC, Medicaid, CHIP, ACA, and other healthcare and child well-being policy issues in Texas;

• Story collection, organizing, and mobilizing experience a plus;

• Experience working with people with low incomes;

• Spanish proficiency a plus.

Competencies

• Racial equity analysis and application in the social sector.

• Community awareness and prioritization of proximity to inform decision-making. DocuSign Envelope

• Results-driven management style.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Relationship and consensus building with diverse stakeholders.

• Ability to set and manage priorities and manage competing demands.

• Ability to build and successfully navigate in a fast-paced, outcomes-driven, and entrepreneurial environment.

• A well-organized individual with high ethical standards.

• A self-directed individual who is an independent thinker and a team player.

• Analytical ability is required to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to business challenges.

Personal Characteristics

• Orientation to and background of servant leadership

• Passion for CDF's mission and purpose and ability to communicate this passion to others

• Ability to serve as an advocate and exemplar for the vision, values, and mission of the Children's Defense Fund

• Demonstrated strong relational skills

Type of work environment associated with the job

• Indoor, office setting