Women’s Action for New Directions

Public Policy Director Job Description


The Organization:

WAND (Women’s Action for New Directions) is a national, non-profit organization
which works to educate the public and opinion leaders about the need to reduce
violence and militarism in society, and redirect excessive military spending to
unmet human and environmental needs. WAND operates two non profit organizations
with one united vision. WAND Education fund is a non partisan educational
program. WAND Inc. helps us to transform our ideas into policies and real
change. WAND has a staff of 12, with offices in Arlington, MA, Washington, DC,
and Atlanta, GA.

WAND began as in 1981 as Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament. Today, our
work focuses on several areas:
• Progress toward reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons.
• Changing national budget priorities to redirect money away from outmoded
military weapons designed to fight the Cold War, and toward human needs.
• Educating and empowering women to take effective political action.
• Creating a pipeline of women leaders to run for office up to Congress and
beyond. (WAND has a program for women state legislators called WiLL.)

The Position:

WAND’s public policy director will work out of the Washington D.C. office and
develop WAND’s federal policy agenda and be expected to research and analyze
policy options, including legislative specifications; design and execute policy
implementation strategies; and, produce policy related material for advocacy
and education efforts. In addition to policy, the public policy director will
team with the appropriate WAND staff and board to advance the WAND agenda.

Essential Functions:
• Annually develop a policy agenda that highlights WAND’s issues
• Analyze new and existing federal policies and their impact on programs and
create proposed action plan to address WAND’s position on areas that may impact
our mission.
• Advocate WAND policy positions before Congress and the Administration, as
well as national coalitions.
• Develop, nurture, and leverage relationships with elected and appointed
officials and their staffs and with national advocacy organizations and
coalitions that can influence federal policies related to WAND issues.
• Develop, promote, monitor and help to implement new or revised policies and
legislative strategies designed to promote our issues.
• Represent WAND outside of the organization at meetings and speaking
engagements.
• Prepare (with the help of communications staff) policy and advocacy
materials, including issue briefs, legislative recommendations, journal
articles, letters, press statements, opinion editorials, action alerts, and
talking points.
• Manage the organization’s issue work.
• Provide issue-related information for grants supporting WAND work.
• Help keep WAND website updated with latest policy resources and materials
related to our work (working with communications staff)
• Help to develop a strategy to engage state chapters, partners, and WiLL
members in federal policy development and advocacy activities.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in related field and 5 years increasingly responsible
experience.
• Ideal person will understand federal policy-making process, be adept with key
tools in advocacy and policy change, understand political landscape and be able
to work on issues that require bipartisan support to lead to policy change.
• Experience working on Capitol Hill or engaging in education and advocacy on
Capitol Hill.
• Knowledge of issues facing foreign policy and federal budget issues, and
major organizations involved with setting policy and advocating for policy
changes and improvements – a plus
• Demonstrated skill/experience in developing strategies to affect public
policy debates and decisions, and an ability to consider complex issues and
explain those issues (both in writing and orally) for broader audiences.
• Advanced communications skills including public speaking, persuasive writing
and negotiations. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, both
verbally and in writing, with a wide range of external contacts; and the
ability to speak to large and small groups as well as facilitate and plan
meetings.
• Demonstrate the maturity and confidence to work internally and externally to
promote the legislative agenda. Familiarity with key policy issues important to
WAND.
• Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word and Outlook; and be able to
prepare graphic presentation and conduct internet research.

How to Apply:

To apply for this opportunity, please submit a cover letter outlining your interest in the position, your salary history, two writing samples, and a recent copy of your resume to Sharon Zimmerman jobs@wand.org. We seek
diversity including but not limited to race, sex, age, physical and mental
ability, sexual orientation, religion, class, philosophy and culture.