NCLR is seeking a Capacity-Building Strategist in its California office. The Strategist will develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to increase the capacity of California Affiliates to affect policy outcomes. This includes development and implementation of systems, policies, and processes for nurturing, supporting, and advancing advocacy work among NCLR Affiliates and other partner CBOs in California.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas—assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.

Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCLR serves all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country and has operations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.nclr.org.

In 2008, NCLR launched the Capacity-Building Department with the goal of developing and strengthening the Latino community’s organizational infrastructure and advocacy capacity. This new department provides intensive training, technical assistance, coordination, and support to Affiliates and other Latino organizations to increase their ability to affect policy outcomes through community organizing and advocacy. Based on the size of the Latino population and the large number of NCLR Affiliates in California, the California regional office will be the first of the NCLR regional offices to implement a capacity-building component. Through this initiative, NCLR seeks to build the advocacy capacity and profile of its California NCLR Affiliate Network (CNAN) and expand the ability of Affiliates to participate in key policy debates and influence decisions that impact the quality of life for Latinos. NCLR will connect its California Affiliates to a range of public policy debates with the potential for impact on a national scale, particularly in the areas of civil rights, immigration, education, and health.

The Strategist will develop relationships with Affiliates to identify policy priorities and advocacy capacity; convene Affiliate planning sessions to share information and develop collective advocacy strategies; provide technical assistance and training; develop advocacy material; and organize advocacy actions that ensure strong participation of NCLR Affiliates and allies.

The Capacity-Building Strategist will report to the Director of Capacity-Building and work closely with the NCLR Vice President in the California Office.

Salary: High 40s; Commensurate with experience

Location: Los Angeles, California

Responsibilities

• Build a sophisticated, strategic, and highly effective advocacy capacity-building project; organize, plan, coordinate, and engage in activities that advance ground-up advocacy work among NCLR Affiliates and other partners in California.
• Carry out community outreach and meet with Affiliates to assess their advocacy capacity. Apply a “concentric cycles” model to identify various levels of capacity and provide support and appropriate technical assistance.
• Develop teams of spokespeople on various issues, assisting these teams with media outreach, and conducting periodic conference calls and meetings as needed.
• Coordinate the advocacy efforts of CNAN, the Health Task Force, and other coalitions; organize annual policy briefings, advocacy days, and related activities; evaluate and document progress; and provide follow-up as needed. In collaboration with policy staff, coordinate the production and dissemination of updates on legislative developments and advocacy materials including talking points, policy analyses, target lists, and similar tools.

• Work closely with allies and stakeholders in the community-organizing field and cultivate relationships with existing California coalitions and advocacy organizations working toward similar public policy objectives.
• Facilitate network communications through regular email updates, conference calls, one-on-one meetings, support for local and regional trainings, meetings, conferences, and other methods.
• Develop a data base with names and contact information collected at community forums and events.

Spokesperson

Represent NCLR in an appropriate and professional manner, communicating effectively in various settings (internally and with coalition partners, CBOs, legislative staff, the media, foundations, and academics).

• Work with the Director of Capacity-Building to further develop strategies to build the department.
• Prepare written internal and external reports.
• Assist in preparing proposals for and meeting with existing and prospective funding sources.
• Carry out other duties and organizational activities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and five to eight years of relevant work experience required
• Community-organizing and advocacy experience required
• A firm commitment to the Latino community, underserved/marginalized communities, and working with community organizations required
• Experience working with CBOs, organizations working on community organizing, Latino issues, and state and local organizing efforts required
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to research and synthesize information from different sources and present it in a variety of written formats and styles for various audiences (e.g., research briefs, academic articles, testimony, fact sheets) required
• Strong ability to create programs, develop work plans, set deadlines, work with minimal supervision, manage multiple project, set priorities, and become a solid resource for Affiliates required
• Strong skills in planning, preparing, and delivering written and spoken remarks required
• Solid organizational and administrative skills and attention to detail required
• Substantive knowledge of the legislative process and some exposure to health, education, and/or immigration policy preferred
• Knowledge of computer software essential, including strong competency in word processing skills using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Internet use to conduct online research required
• Strong sense of self-motivation.
• Ability to function effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Willingness to carry out a wide range of professional and logistical tasks
• Flexibility with regard to schedule, working hours, travel, and work assignments.
• Reliable job attendance essential
• Ability to work in a bilingual environment (English/Spanish)

Please note: Only those applicants who submit a cover letter and writing sample along with a résumé will be considered for this opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or enrollment in a college, university, technical school, or adult education.