CAA Policy Advocate

About CAA and AACRE

Chinese for Affirmative Action was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.

In 2014, CAA helped to launch the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) network that focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice. Including CAA, there are currently 11 partnering member groups with unique strengths. Fiscal sponsorship, administrative, and operational support is provided centrally for all of these groups so they can focus on their core programs.

More recently, CAA, along with AAPI Equity Alliance and the San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Department, launched the Stop AAPI Hate coalition to document and respond to incidents of hate at the local, state, and national levels. The mission of Stop AAPI Hate is to advance equity, justice, and power by dismantling systemic racism and building a multiracial movement to end anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander hate. This is an exciting period of growth and impact for Stop AAPI Hate. Due to the extraordinary demand and support for our work, we are poised to deepen and expand our reach and engagement throughout the country.

At the grassroots level, our community building work nurtures the ability of immigrants to participate fully in civic life. These activities include direct services, leadership development, and civic engagement with limited-English proficient newcomers and immigrants on issues that impact our community. At the systemic level, CAA leads advocacy, communications, and movement building work to improve public policy and shape public discourse. We produce community-based research, publish policy analyses and recommendations, influence opinion through media, organize to engage elected and government officials, and nurture a range of progressive coalitions.

Position Overview

The Policy Advocate plays a vital role in supporting the Policy Team at CAA, which is responsible for advancing the organization’s policy portfolio in language access, immigrant rights, community safety and justice, economic justice, and education equity. This position supports the Policy Team through research, collaborating with CAA staff, and participating in local advocacy efforts in San Francisco. The Policy Advocate is a policy generalist with an understanding of CAA’s policy positions and is responsible for executing discrete projects as assigned.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Advocacy

• Research and prepare policy analyses, reports, and recommendations on CAA’s core issue areas
• Develop and adapt policy content for community education and external communications purposes
• Collaborate with staff to help draft local legislation and public policies and to develop community-based advocacy strategies to implement them
• Support the implementation of local advocacy campaigns, including attending and developing talking points for meetings, rallies, and/or hearings with community members and government agencies or officials
• Support community engagement initiatives including participating in local coalitions and collaboratives
• Support the Policy Manager in maintaining and updating CAA’s comprehensive tracker on support/opposition positions
• Execute on internal and external policy-related projects as determined by the Policy Manager
• Represent CAA in external communications, including community meetings, public hearings, in traditional and digital media, and other spaces

Grant, Contract and Financial Management

• Support administration of contracts/grants, including tracking assisting with the preparation of reports for compliance purposes

Organizational Support

• Support the planning, coordination, and staffing of CAA events, cross-program and organization-wide, such as community workshops, outreach opportunities, leadership development training meetings, and CAA-wide events
• Contribute to fundraising and development activities for the organization as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the overall mission of the organization
• Contribute to positive work environment in alignment with organizational values

Qualifications

• Commitment to the mission, values, aspirations of CAA
• Ability to represent CAA’s values, positions and framing on policy issues
• Experience working on local policy issues impacting AAPI communities in San Francisco and/or the Bay Area
• Experience with policy writing and policy analysis
• Superb written and oral communications skills
• Strong organizational and analytical skills
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously in a timely manner
• Proactive, self-motivated problem solver who can exercise sound judgment
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to work effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Quick learner who is flexible and adaptable to diverse tasks and environments
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency with Google suite

How to apply:

Please apply directly on our Gusto platform and include your cover letter, resume, and a 3-5 page policy analysis writing sample: bit.ly/3Ynw2Jw. Please upload your cover letter and writing sample as one document.

AACRE is committed to creating a work environment that is free from discrimination and a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Women, people of color, immigrants, queer and trans people, individuals with conviction and arrest records, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.