Director of Public Affairs in Washington, District of Columbia at American Promise, Inc.

About American Promise, Inc.
American Promise is a cross-partisan organization working to address the problem of unlimited money in American politics with the passage and ratification of the For Our Freedom Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Our team is passionate, collaborative, courageous, adaptable, and fun. We love setting big goals and learning lessons on the way to achieving them. We work to ensure that our staff, donors, volunteers, and supporters reflect the tremendous diversity of the American people as we strive together on the most American of national projects: amend the US Constitution so that our government reflects our wishes rather than those of the powerful, wealthy elite.

If you’re excited to contribute your passion, skills, and experience to our urgent and historic effort, then please apply as specified for each open position below.

Potential Applicants – please note that all open positions at American Promise will be listed on this page. Any other job openings you may see online that are not also listed on this page are not sponsored by the organization. See this FBI notice for more information about the potential for employment scams.

About the role

The Director of Public Affairs advances American Promise’s engagement with senior public officials and constituencies beyond Congress — e.g., former Members of Congress, former state legislators, governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general, and their national associations. American Promise comprises American Promise Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization, and American Promise Education Fund, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

The Director builds and manages a network of champions who lend credibility and momentum to the For Our Freedom Amendment, in the states and in Washington. The Director carries out the public affairs strategy set by the Chief Public Affairs Officer (CPAO), and turns relationships with senior officials into concrete support, e.g., endorsements, testimony, sign-on letters, meetings, and public voices for the amendment.

The Director works in collaboration with the Director of Congressional Affairs, so that officials who can influence their congressional delegations are engaged in step with our federal strategy. The Director also coordinates with the state campaigns team, Partnerships & Coalitions, and the Chief Communications Officer.

The Director also serves as one of American Promise’s key messengers on Capitol Hill and in target states, meeting with state legislators on deployments agreed between the CPAO and the Chief Campaigns Officer. In this work, the Director advances the state campaigns team’s legislative goals while remaining part of, and accountable to, the public affairs team.

This full-time position requires a relationship builder with sound political judgment, discretion, and the follow-through to turn introductions into durable support.

Reports to: Chief Public Affairs Officer

What you'll do

Strategy & Planning

• Carry out the public affairs strategy set by the CPAO, including annual engagement plans and goals for each constituency.
• Identify and prioritize the current and former officials whose support would most advance our state and federal goals, in coordination with the state campaigns team and the Director of Congressional Affairs.
• Track the positions, priorities, and political context of target officials, and recommend when and how to engage them.

Relationship Building

• Build and manage relationships with governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general, and their senior staff across the political spectrum.
• Build and manage relationships with former Members of Congress and former state legislators who can serve as champions.
• Engage national associations of governors, secretaries of state, attorneys general, state legislators, and former Members of Congress, including presence at their meetings and conferences.
• Recruit and support individuals for endorsements, testimony, sign-on letters, op-eds, and events.
• Prepare and staff meetings between senior officials and the Chief Program Officer, CPAO, President, and other senior leaders.

State Engagement

• Work with the state campaigns team on specific state deployments where the Director will serve as a key American Promise messenger in target states, meeting with state legislators and their staff to build support for state resolutions backing the For Our Freedom Amendment.
• Report what is learned in state meetings so it informs both state and federal strategy.

Coordination

• Work with the Director of Congressional Affairs to align asks where a state or former official can influence a congressional delegation.
• Coordinate with Coalitions & Partnerships, which leads American Promise’s engagement with organizations and think tanks; maintain select relationships with these groups so that outreach to officials and to partner organizations is complementary.
• Coordinate with the Chief Communications Officer when key individuals speak publicly or appear in the media.
• Partner with the legal and state campaigns teams to ensure engagement with officials complies with applicable lobbying, disclosure, and ethics rules.

Operations

• Maintain accurate records of relationships, commitments, and follow-ups.
• Report regularly to the CPAO on progress, including key individuals recruited and commitments secured.
• Plan and manage public affairs events, such as briefings and convenings of current and former officials.
• Manage consultants and advisors supporting public affairs work, as assigned.

Qualifications

Candidates should be highly organized, detail-oriented, and adept at handling multiple projects simultaneously in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. Candidates should be trustworthy, collaborative, and demonstrate sound judgment.

• A commitment to and excitement for American Promise’s mission, goal, and values.
• Minimum of 5 years of related, progressively responsible experience in public affairs, government relations, political campaigns, coalition-building, or public service.
• Experience building relationships with, and persuading, elected or appointed officials and their staff across the political spectrum.
• Familiarity with state government, the state legislative process, and the national associations of state officials.
• Strong meeting, event, and follow-up management, with a track record of turning relationships into concrete commitments.
• Discretion and the ability to operate comfortably with senior officials across the political spectrum.
• A deep understanding of American Promise’s political strategy for proposal and ratification of a constitutional amendment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to connect with others, listen, relate, and collaborate to the collective satisfaction of the participants.
• Excellent communication and public speaking skills, including the ability to distill complex political and strategic issues into language accessible to a wide range of audiences.
• Excellent critical thinking, risk analysis, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational abilities, with the ability to grasp the big picture while paying attention to detail.
• Demonstrated cultural competence and sensitivity, and a commitment to uniting people of widely different backgrounds and political views in pursuing a common goal.
• Demonstrated integrity, sound judgment, adaptability, reliability, collaboration, a commitment to learning, and a sense of humor.