Status: Full-time exempt (not eligible for overtime), with 90-day introductory period (see details below)
Reports to: Membership Director
Location: Remote within USA
Compensation: $110,000, eligible for benefits (see details below)
Job Summary
Are you passionate about preserving democracy through maintaining a free and independent press? Do you know how to quickly make sense of policy proposals and translate them into clear communication with stakeholders? If so, we want to talk to you about our Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy role. We’re looking for an experienced coalition builder to design and lead advocacy efforts on behalf of local independent online news businesses and drive policy outcomes at the national and state level.
LION Publishers is a professional journalism association that currently serves more than 600 independent news publishers across the U.S. and Canada. Most of our member organizations are small and scrappy. Much of the lobbying behind legislation that impacts news organizations is funded by large hedge fund backed newspapers that have not adapted to a digital ecosystem. Our mission is to help our members build sustainable news businesses, and an important part of how we can do that is to help them navigate external policy factors and join their voices together to influence future legislation.
Our ideal candidate has experience tracking policy developments, especially at the state level, and organizing successful online calls to action for relevant stakeholders. You know how to build relationships with key legislators’ offices to amplify the voices of constituents. You have advocacy experience in a place with relevant policies likely to be proposed in 2025: CO, IL, IN, KS, MD, MN, NM, NV, OR, SC, VT, WA, WI, and Washington DC.
This role will report to our Membership Director and work closely with staff across our organization, as well as our members in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Our team believes that relevant, accurate and culturally competent local news and information helps people fully engage in civic life, make more informed decisions and better understand the world around them. If you’re interested in helping us make this vision a reality and working in a space of optimism and growth, learn more about the job and how to apply below.
Key Responsibilities
LION is an Equal Opportunity Employer
LION believes that a team with diversity of backgrounds and experiences will generate the most innovative ideas and ultimately do the best work in support of our mission. This is why we welcome contractors, vendors, staff and board members who contribute to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment. We understand diversity as multi-dimensional and intersectional, encompassing aspects of our identities including race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, class, geography, lived experiences and more. We welcome and encourage all qualified candidates to apply to opportunities at LION so that we build a team that reflects the diversity of independent news entrepreneurs we wish to serve.
We know there are great candidates who might not check all the boxes listed below or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.
Skills and Qualifications for The Role
Skills and Expectations for Teamwork at LION
Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions
Travel Requirements
About LION
Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional journalism association for independent news publishers. While most of our 500+ members across the U.S. and Canada run local news businesses, we also have members who serve larger regions and specific identity-based communities across geographies. LION provides teaching, resources and community to independent news entrepreneurs as they build and develop sustainable businesses. One of our core values is being people-centered, and here are some ways we build that culture for our staff.
90 Day Introductory Period
The first 90 days of employment is a try-out time for the employee and the Company. During this introductory period, the Company will evaluate employees’ suitability for employment and employees can evaluate the Company as well. The purpose of the introductory period is to be intentional about setting clear goals for the employee to accomplish, prompting regular feedback and support from the employee’s manager, and providing structure for a candid conversation about whether either the employee or the manager believes there is a misalignment of the employee’s competencies with and interest in the role.
Status: Full-time exempt (not eligible for overtime), with 90-day introductory period (see details below)
Reports to: Membership Director
Location: Remote within USA
Compensation: $110,000, eligible for benefits (see details below)
Job Summary
Are you passionate about preserving democracy through maintaining a free and independent press? Do you know how to quickly make sense of policy proposals and translate them into clear communication with stakeholders? If so, we want to talk to you about our Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy role. We’re looking for an experienced coalition builder to design and lead advocacy efforts on behalf of local independent online news businesses and drive policy outcomes at the national and state level.
LION Publishers is a professional journalism association that currently serves more than 600 independent news publishers across the U.S. and Canada. Most of our member organizations are small and scrappy. Much of the…