Senior Public Policy Manager

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Hunger Free Colorado, a statewide nonprofit organization, connects people to food resources to meet existing needs and drives change in systems, policies, and social views to end hunger. As the state’s leading anti-hunger advocacy organization, Hunger Free Colorado works with federal, state and local partners to ensure that every Coloradan has equitable access to the nutritious food needed to thrive and reach their full potential.

The organization is committed to achieving racial, economic and food justice and seeks employees who share these values. Hunger Free Colorado’s vision for our staff experience is that employees can exercise influence at all levels of the organization and are provided relevant and intentional opportunities to grow as professionals and people.

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Public Policy Manager at Hunger Free Colorado leads federal legislative advocacy efforts, with a primary focus on protecting and strengthening SNAP, while also supporting related programs like WIC and child nutrition initiatives. The role involves driving regulatory improvements to expand access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally relevant food through both state and federal systems. It includes conducting policy research, data analysis, and community engagement to support advocacy campaigns. Additionally, the position emphasizes community leadership development and building partnerships to advance racial and food justice across Colorado.

This position is required to be Colorado-based. Though this is a mostly remote opportunity, there are some in-person programmatic obligations based around the Denver Metropolitan Area.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Federal and State Policy Advocacy

• Lead federal policy advocacy efforts to protect and strengthen SNAP and other essential nutrition programs like WIC, as well as programs that intersect with SNAP and address poverty.
• Foster strong relationships with federal legislative offices to ensure they are informed of Hunger Free Colorado’s legislative priorities.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to legislative offices and work to cultivate legislative champions who will advocate for and protect SNAP and other vital nutrition programs.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Help lead internal and external collaborative efforts that center directly impacted communities in support of SNAP administrative and legislative advocacy.
• Aid in relationship building between diverse stakeholders, including counties, the state, advocacy groups, institutions of higher education, non-profit partners, and grassroots community leaders.

Community Organizing and Capacity Building

• Coordinate with Organizing and Communications Departments to manage individual and organizational action networks and build the capacity of directly impacted community members and grassroots organizations to advocate on food and economic justice issues.
• Support the Organizing Department in holding community forums and listening sessions to surface ideas for improving nutrition programs and build the skills and capacity of directly impacted community to drive forward policy advocacy
• In collaboration with other departments and partners, develop and deliver training sessions, including train-the-trainer sessions, to strengthen community expertise on federal nutrition programs and opportunities to pursue policy change

Research and Policy Analysis

• Engage in analysis of relevant quantitative and qualitative data to draft reports pertinent to policy goals
• Analyze best practices and synthesize community expertise to prepare options for legislation and policy changes to help community leadership prioritize campaigns and strategy.

Communication and Advocacy Materials

• Craft action alerts, campaign pages, organizational comments, statements, press content, fact sheets, and delegation letters.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 3-5 years of experience in policy and advocacy, including leading policy advocacy initiatives– or a combination of experience and relevant academic study
• Experienced in policy analysis, ideally related to racial and economic justice or human services
• Passionate and knowledgeable about eradicating hunger and working toward racial and economic justice through advocacy, policy, community organizing, strategic partnerships and data analysis
• Ability to work on tight deadlines to successfully manage diverse projects and multiple priorities while maintaining a high attention to detail
• Strong presentation, writing and interpersonal communication skills
• Skilled in collecting, analyzing and interpreting data
• Strong relationship building skills

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Fluency in Spanish
• 1-2 years of formal/paid or informal/unpaid experience with community organizing and/or grassroots leadership development
• Experience with federal policy advocacy and/or experience working for/with federal executive agencies or Congress Members
• Experience with federal nutrition programs and/or food system
• Experience supporting community-driven advocacy efforts
• Understanding of Colorado’s political environment
• Experience using advocacy platforms such as EveryAction

SALARY & BENEFITS

Starting salary for this position is $74,500 - $81,500 per year, depending on qualifications and experience. Hunger Free Colorado offers an exceptional benefits package including an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), holidays, paid time off, retirement plans, and insurance coverages which include but are not limited to health, vision, dental, and life insurance. For staff who have worked at least 6 months FT, parental leave and professional development benefits are available. Detailed benefits documents are available to interested candidates upon request.

Hunger Free Colorado is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and equitable work environment and we strongly encourage you to apply if you are part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and/or LGBTQIA community, are differently abled, a veteran, or are of diverse nationality or religion.

Hunger Free Colorado expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

Hunger Free Colorado will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants for failing to disclose salary rate history in accordance with applicable law.