State Engagement Lead

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is seeking an experienced tech policy advocate to spearhead the development and implementation of CDT’s state-level strategy, coordinating the organization’s engagement with state-level policymakers and allied organizations throughout the United States.

The State Advocacy Lead will partner with CDT’s program directors and staff to identify and prioritize key advocacy opportunities at the state level and support CDT’s effective engagement. In coordination with the policy teams, they will build and maintain relationships and trust with relevant state policymakers of both parties as well as organizations advocating at the state level, raising awareness of CDT’s advocacy and research work and helping our policy teams expand their reach to state-specific audiences. The State Engagement Lead will effectively represent CDT’s positions and values; help develop resources for state advocacy as needed; and strengthen CDT’s relationships with relevant civil society organizations and other allies.

Historically, CDT has focused its U.S. advocacy and direct assistance efforts primarily at the federal level. This position offers the unique opportunity to help CDT expand its work at the state level, as state policymakers increasingly create and implement consequential technology policies.

The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker who is passionate about strengthening the community of public interest voices advocating at the state level for civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. They will be excited to work in partnership with CDT’s broad range of policy staff, which includes teams focused on consumer privacy, the governance of AI, free expression and online speech, elections, government surveillance, equity in civic technology, and competition.

This position reports to the CEO, while working closely with CDT’s VP of Policy and policy staff across the organization.

About CDT

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that fights to advance civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. We champion policies, laws, and technical designs that empower people to use technology for good, while protecting against invasive, discriminatory, and exploitative uses. CDT was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1994 and has operated a second office, in Brussels, since 2014.

CDT works to protect people’s rights across a range of technology uses and applications, with a focus on privacy and data (including specific projects on health privacy, workers rights & technology, and disability rights & technology), AI policy and governance, free expression/platform governance, government surveillance, elections & democracy, civic technology & education, open internet and competition.

We engage policymakers in the U.S. and the European Union, advocate for companies to adopt best practices, represent the public interest in multistakeholder processes and standards bodies, file amicus briefs in court, conduct original research, and raise public awareness about how technology design and governance impact our democracy and social inequality.

CDT is a leading voice in tech policy conversations. We testify before Congress, advocate to the White House, engage closely with federal agencies – and, increasingly, engage with policymakers in the states. We also collaborate with a wide range of civil society partners and academic researchers. Read more at https://cdt.org.

Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Work in partnership with CDT program directors and other policy staff to track pertinent state-level policy developments, identify key advocacy opportunities at the state level, and coordinate and prioritize areas for CDT’s state-level engagement
• Map and understand the landscape of stakeholders engaging on CDT’s issues at the state level, to inform advocacy strategies and effective use of CDT resources
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant state-level policymakers of both parties and related organizations (e.g., National Conference of State Legislatures) to increase awareness of CDT’s work, build trust in our expertise, and create engagement opportunities for CDT.
• In partnership with CDT policy staff, build and maintain relationships with allied organizations engaging on CDT’s priority issues in target regions, including both relevant state-based organizations and national organizations seeking to increase their state-level work.
• In partnership with CDT policy staff, participate in coalitions and build/lead coalitions as appropriate on particular advocacy opportunities.
• Effectively represent CDT’s positions, work product, and areas of expertise to a broad range of stakeholders, demonstrating requisite knowledge and passion for CDT’s values.
• Maintain systems to track CDT’s state-level engagement and relationships with relevant stakeholders.
• In partnership with CDT’s General Counsel, ensure CDT’s full compliance with its 501(c)(3) obligations and relevant state lobbying laws.

Qualifications:

• We encourage anyone with relevant experience or knowledge to apply, but an ideal candidate would have:
• At least 5 years of experience in U.S. technology policy, state-level policy work, or a combination of the two
• Experience as a legislative or executive branch policy staffer or a tech policy advocate, strongly preferred
• A degree in a relevant field (e.g. law, information technology, public policy)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent relational skills and ability to connect with a diverse range of partners and stakeholders, including those with differing political views
• An energetic, entrepreneurial, and collaborative working style
• A deep commitment to CDT’s mission and values.