Advocacy Director

Our Org Missions and Backgrounds

AZ AANHPI for Equity 501(c3) is a statewide organization striving for equity and justice by building power through direct community organizing, increasing civic engagement, and developing young leaders. We envision an Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community that is working together to shape its future as a part of the broader racial justice movement and advance our community towards a common purpose of well-being for all.

In 2019, our organization was created by solidarity work amongst a coalition of AANHPI organizations and leaders that came together to take on the extensive work of Census 2020. From our beginnings to now, our collaborative work reflects our dedication to ensure all AANHPI communities are fought for and represented accurately in the most important issues that affect us today - guaranteeing that we always have a voice at the table. By pioneering the growth and strength of AANHPI political power, we were then able to establish the first and only AANHPI-led political c(4) organization in Arizona during a time of epidemic anti-Asian hate - specifically in a state that also witnessed the first murder of someone of AAPI descent immediately after the events of 9/11 in Mesa. As a first of its kind, we are able to amplify the faces of those we represent at a scale that has no boundaries.

As the fastest growing demographic in the state of Arizona and the United States, it is imperative accurate and holistic representation is advocated for and our greatest pride is the very fact we are pioneering and succeeding this movement. Moving forward, our commitment to intersectional organizing and mobilization has now expanded into a multi-issue organization that allows us to be a central resource hub and advocate that is adaptable to any situations affecting our communities.

AZ AANHPI Advocates 501(c4) is our sister organization. Our mission is to empower and engage the Arizona AANHPI community, encourage civic engagement and educate the community on relevant public policies to facilitate the creation of an equitable society and inclusive democracy.

Job Description

The Advocacy Director plays a crucial role in building the organization’s strategy to fulfill the organization’s mission. The candidate for this role must be grounded in the org’s mission of striving for equity and justice through civic engagement, direct community organizing, and developing young leaders, and be grounded in the values of justice, equity, respect, community/safety, and empathy. While analyzing policies we support or oppose, the advocacy director should consider these values. The advocacy director leads a team of organizers, develops trainings, and supports organizers’ progress to goals established in the organization’s annual strategic planning. The Advocacy Director works closely with the Operations Director, Communications Director, and other Program Directors to strategize and implement advocacy priorities, and reports to the Executive Director. The Advocacy Director also plays a key role in fundraising efforts by communicating to funders the vision and mission of our advocacy efforts. It is important that this role is filled by someone who strives towards systems change and understands the ripple effects of our organization’s actions and stances.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage AZ AANHPI for Equity’s legislative and cultural advocacy work, including lobbying, policy advocacy, and community organizing to achieve the organization's strategic priorities.
• Develop c4 strategy and support implementation of AZ AANHPI Advocates’ political campaigns.
• Collaborate with the Program Directors to implement integrated advocacy campaigns; ensure coordination and integration of Legal, Advocacy, and Base building work plans.
• Develop legislative and administrative engagement in line with organizational priorities; make ultimate decision on whether and how to engage on an issue, with the oversight of the Executive Director
• Identify opportunities on select emerging issues and develop priority goals in collaboration with staff to advance the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Develop strategic campaigns and strategies to advance the organization’s strategic priorities at the state, city, and county levels.
• Support in identifying, analyzing, and tracking legislation before the state legislature that affects marginalized communities with an emphasis on the AANHPI community.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and participate in meetings related to organizational fundraising as requested to discuss the programmatic work in the Advocacy Department.
• Other duties assigned as needed

Qualifications

• At least 3-5 years of community organizing, base building, policy advocacy, and campaign building experience
• Strong belief in the organization’s mission and vision and has demonstrated commitment to racial justice, migrant justice, environmental justice, and healing and transformative justice
• Ability to produce written plans, reports, meeting agendas, trainings, and curriculums
• Experience in developing staff and community leaders, and has the ability to empower others
• Works comfortably with computer software and applications including Google Suite, EveryAction, VAN, text and phone banking platforms, Mobilize, Canva, Asana, and social media platforms
• Knowledgeable of policy impacts on the AANHPI community and other marginalized communities
• Dedicated to multi-cultural, multi-racial, and multi-generational collaboration
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to support organization’s base building and advocacy efforts
• Self motivated and manages time, resources, and other personnel
• Experience in building relationships with stakeholders and elected officials
• Expert in 501c3 and 501c4 compliance policies
• Familiar with judicial systems and processes
• Works well in coalition with partner organizations and community members
• Bilingual in any AANHPI languages or Spanish is a plus
• Travel is required within Arizona and out of state as needed for in-person programming, training, external events and/or conferences.

How to Apply:

Submit a resume and cover letter, we will reach out to you to schedule interviews.

• * COVID vaccination

required. Exemption requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. ***

We value our staff’s health greatly, therefore we kindly ask that everyone is vaccinated as some of our staff have compromised immune systems. Exemption request can be made with proper documentations provided upon hiring

Our organizational values include equity, which we define as being driven by true fairness for all people, especially people who have been impacted by and historically marginalized by systems of oppression, including white supremacy. Our team is a diverse group of individuals including people who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, gender nonconforming, disabled, neurodivergent, and more. We strongly encourage LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and gender nonconforming people to apply.