Policy Director

About CAASE

Mission and Vision

CAASE envisions a community free from all forms of sexual exploitation, including sexual assault and the commercial sex trade. CAASE addresses the culture, institutions, and individuals that perpetrate, profit from or support sexual exploitation. Our work includes prevention, policy reform, community engagement, and legal services.

About Opportunity

Job Function

The Policy Director leads the creation, development, and implementation of CAASE’s strategic policy and advocacy agenda to most effectively and equitably serve survivors of sexual harm and exploitation, in keeping with CAASE’s Strategic Plan. This position is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders in public, private, and governmental contexts as well as regular engagement with various coalitions, both as a member and a leader.

Responsibilities

Legislative Advocacy

• Maintain a deep understanding of the evolving policy and political landscape of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois.
• Monitor and identify emerging issues relevant to CAASE’s mission, vision, values and goals through ongoing tracking of legislation in the Chicago City Council, Cook County Commission, and Illinois General Assembly.
• Play a leading role in coalition work that promotes policy and practice improvements related to sexual harm, at city, county, and statewide levels.
• Lead all CAASE’s engagement with elected officials and manage all CAASE’s lobbying activities.
• Travel to Springfield as necessary during legislative sessions.

Relationship Cultivation

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with elected officials, policymakers, law enforcement leaders, community groups, partner organizations, and other groups focusing on work that aligns with CAASE’s goals.
• Develop mutually beneficial partnerships with organizations working on policy

campaigns; collect information, track policy efforts, and share advocacy and education strategies.

• Build and nurture effective multi-organizational coalitions and alliances by forging partnerships, actively participating, building consensus, steering coalition members to meet campaign goals, and keeping parties engaged.

Research

• In collaboration with CAASE program leaders, develop research objectives and plan research projects and reports that advance CAASE policy and advocacy goals.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research including data collection and analysis, interviewing survivors of sexual violence, and other research methods as needed.
• Collaborate with various internal and external stakeholders, gathering relevant information and experiences and keeping them informed throughout the research process.
• Produce accurate research results in various formats including fact sheets, memos, and comprehensive reports.

External Communications

• Disseminate research reports through presentations to stakeholder groups like law enforcement, attorneys, elected officials, and civil servants at meetings and conferences.
• In collaboration with the Communications Department, work to ensure high-quality, strategic external communication that informs and engages various communities about CAASE Policy work, including specific research, reports, legislation, and policy positions and concepts.
• Communicate directly with the media regarding CAASE policy issues, in collaboration with the Executive Director and Communications staff.
• Provide presentations to community groups about CAASE policy priorities and campaigns.
• Represent CAASE at local, state, and national convenings, meetings, and events.

Department Administration

• Lead the creation, implementation, and evaluation of Department annual plans which serve CAASE’s Strategic Plan and have measurable objectives and outcomes.
• Collaborate with all CAASE Directors to ensure that Policy goals and projects are well-aligned with the work and goals of the Prevention, Legal, and Community Engagement Departments.
• Collaborate with all program Directors to ensure that CAASE expertise is most effectively being utilized to inform CAASE policy and legislative work, including in ways that conform with all grant requirements.
• Provide oversight and support to all Department heads to ensure that the various coalitions in which CAASE actively participates are most effectively and strategically utilizing staff time and resources, including by participation from staff across all departments.
• Collaborate with the Development Department to maintain and increase the capacity of the Department, participating in fundraising activities and events, managing relationships with funders, preparing grant applications, crafting department goals for specific funder-required internal policies, and ensuring timely completion of grant reporting requirements.
• Maintain documentation of lobbying/programmatic activities for funding reports and organizational records.
• Keep CAASE staff and board updated on Department priorities, specifically highlighting work that may require their attention, support, or engagement.
• Work closely with the Executive Director to draft the Department budget and monitor expenses throughout the year ensuring adherence to the budget.
• Lead the process of recruiting and managing Policy staff. Supervise department to ensure programmatic success.
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement by taking part in, and promoting for others, professional development and engagement activities.

Education and Experience

• Substantial experience in Chicago or Illinois doing work that involves legislative, and policy advocacy is required.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field will be considered but is not required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough understanding of governmental and legislative processes.
• Substantive expertise related to sexual harm, and willingness to adopt and promote the specific positions advocated by CAASE related to the commercial sex trade, the criminal legal system, and survivor rights and interests.
• Nuanced understanding of all forms and manifestations of inequality and oppression and a commitment to promoting equity through an intersectional lens.
• Commitment to supporting and promoting leadership by survivors of sexual assault and commercial sexual exploitation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with, teach, and be taught by others.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: including but not limited to advanced active listening skills and a strong ability to communicate and engage with individuals of varying levels of experience, familiarity, and expertise.
• Ability to understand and navigate complex issues and competing priorities.
• Creative and innovative problem-solving skills.
• Exemplary research, writing, and public speaking skills.
• Ability to work independently and self-direct.
• Demonstrated commitment to working against sexual harm.

Status: Full Time, Exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

Salary and Benefits

The salary range for this position is between $80,000 and $90,000 and may be negotiable depending on experience.

CAASE strives to provide a comprehensive and equitable benefits package, including health and dental coverage with generous employer contributions to premiums, optional employee-paid vision coverage, and employer-paid life insurance. CAASE offers a robust 401k plan with a 2.5% employer contribution regardless of employee choices. CAASE offers remote work stipends to partially cover phone and internet expenses for those to whom it applies. CAASE also has generous paid time off, including regular vacation time, flexible sick time which can be used for mental health, preventative health and family wellness, regular paid holidays (including floating holidays,) and long-term paid medical and parental leave.

Application Instructions

Please submit a resume and cover letter to hr@caase.org. No phone calls, please. If you need any assistance or accommodation during the application process, please contact hr@caase.org.

Additional Information

CAASE Values

Social and institutional systems do not adequately serve survivors of sexual violation. Sexual violation disproportionately harms people from marginalized communities, including girls and women, people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, people living in poverty, and immigrants. To best support survivors, CAASE confronts the inequities that fuel or intersect with sexual harm. Our dedication to this work is reflected in our values.

Dignity | We respect the inherent humanity of all people and strive to expand opportunities for personal autonomy.

Accountability | We answer to survivors and collaborate with allies as we seek to hold those responsible for harm accountable.

Progress | We create individual, institutional, and cultural change by using innovative approaches to ending sexual harm.

Equity | We commit to building a world where every person, with consideration for their intersecting identities and unique circumstances, has the same access to opportunity and power.

CAASE does not discriminate against job applicants or employees based on actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, sex (including sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender stereotyping, pregnancy and childbirth status) religion, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, neurotype, marital status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, military status, veteran status, arrest record, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as being under an order of protection, lack of a permanent mailing address or using the mailing address of a shelter or social service provider, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. CAASE supports a person’s full access to reproductive health information and services.

CAASE is committed to providing an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, and follows all laws related to equal employment opportunity applicable to CAASE via local, state, and federal law. As a recipient of federal and state funds, CAASE promotes applicant awareness about their legal rights via state and federal law (see Illinois Department of Human Rights and EEOC).