Civic Engagement Manager, Pennsylvania

Action for the Climate Emergency

Time zones: EST (UTC -5)
JOB SUMMARY
The Civic Engagement Manager will work to advance the programmatic and strategic growth of ACE through implementing ACE’s 501(c)(3) nonpartisan civic engagement program in key priority areas across the state. The scope of responsibilities will include, but is not limited to: direct voter contact, cutting and managing turf, managing data and digital tools, relational organizing, partnership, and coalition management, voter registration activities, year-round civic engagement with young people, in-state communications (e.g. text, email, and other modes), and managing three or more state-based civic engagement cohorts doing climate advocacy and civic engagement work.
In this position, the Civic Engagement Manager will work to strengthen ACE’s role and impact in advocating for an end to the era of fossil fuels, a swift and equitable transition to renewable energy, and an increase in diverse youth participation in our democracy, by supporting young people to take action for climate justice and raise their voices to protect voting rights and civic participation. 
This is a full-time position based locally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or other strategic locations in western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. The Civic Engagement Manager will work from home, meet regularly by video chat with ACE team members, partners, and youth, and conduct the majority of activities both online and safely in person. The Civic Engagement Manager must be available for regular travel within the state, and potentially nationally, to participate in fieldwork, conferences, actions, organizing, events, and to attend staff retreats.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
  • Voter contact (25%)
    • Conduct field-based civic engagement work to increase diverse youth participation in our democracy, locally in the state of hire. This may include, but is not limited to:
      • Voter registration
      • Voter education
      • GOTV
      • Relational organizing
      • Coordinating and cutting turf with funders and partners
      • Managing data and the associated digital tools
      • Doing in-person and digital direct voter contact
      • Support young people and other volunteers do direct voter contact
    • Ensure voter engagement work is happening year-round, during major and non-major election years, and that the work focuses on all levels of government (local, state, federal)
    • Ensure civic engagement work is working to increase turnout among young people, protect the integrity of our elections, and support young people to hold their elected officials accountable
    • Regularly participate in the design, implementation, and evaluation of field experiments to measure the efficacy of ACE’s year-round civic engagement work. 
  • Digital engagement & base building (25%)
    • Use in-list communications (e.g. text, email) to:
      • Identify and recruit young people to start or join ACE chapters,
      • Participate in climate advocacy and civic engagement campaigns
      • Engage state-based members in election-related updates and education
    • Manage our SMS opt-in pathways, keywords, and tracking processes to measure the success of influencer content.
    • Create platform-specific content and copy for weekly actions to engage chapters and the broader Youth Action Network members in the state in civic engagement and climate advocacy activities.  
    • Regularly host live virtual events and in-person events to bring young people, including those involved in ACE chapters locally and the broader Youth Action Network members in the state, together to organize and take action. 
  • Partnership & coalition building (25%)
    • Work closely in collaboration with state-based partners and coalitions to coordinate civic engagement activities and partner on coordinated advocacy. 
      • E.g. state table coordinated advocacy
      • ACE’s national campaigns, replicated locally
      • Other state-based coalition work
    • Represent ACE at state-based civic engagement tables (formal and informal)
  • Chapter management (25%)
    • Manage three or more state-based ACE chapters participating in civic engagement work.
    • Support the design and testing, when applicable, of the new distributed components of ACE’s youth organizing program.
    • Collaborate closely with Chapter Managers, Distributed Organizing Director, Civic Engagement Director, Campaign Director, Campaign Managers, and Digital Strategy Directors to thoughtfully execute winning civic engagement and climate advocacy campaigns locally in the state of hire.
This description reflects ACE’s assignment of essential functions, it does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. ACE retains the right to change or assign other duties to this position at any time.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
  • ACE staff
  • National and regional partners
  • Community members and leaders 
  • Communications and website vendors
  • ACE Youth Action Network members and Chapters
  • Manage influencer marketing and communications vendors when applicable.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Field-based Civic Engagement Work: Regularly lead direct voter contact in the field, both in-person (when safe) and digitally, for the purposes of voter registration, voter education, relational organizing, GOTV, and other relevant civic engagement activities. 
  • Digital engagement and outreach: Write and send emails, text messages, and other communications to state-based youth activists in the ACE Youth Action Network, and ACE Chapter members under the management of the Civic Engagement Manager.
  • ACE Chapter Management: Directly recruit and manage three or more state-based chapters locally to participate in climate advocacy and civic engagement work. 
  • Campaign strategy and implementation: Help co-create and implement civic engagement and climate advocacy campaigns to advance the organization’s mission, and engage potentially tens of thousands of young people across the state.  This could look like:
    • Implementing one of ACE’s national campaign toolkits at a state level
    • Coordinating the creation of a new state-specific campaign toolkit 
    • Carrying out voter engagement campaigns, i.e. text/phone banks or other fieldwork
  • Stay updated: Keep on top of local policies, events, coalitions, campaigns, trends, and related hashtags within the short-form video ecosystems like TikTok, Reels, or Triller.
  • Legislative Advocacy: Regularly participate in educating local leaders on key issue areas, policies, and ways to take action. This may take place at the local, state, or national level, and can include: 
    • Meeting directly with elected leaders to discuss relevant policies, events, or opportunities to take leadership (direct lobbying), 
    • Supporting YAN members or ACE Chapter members to do the same (grassroots lobbying) 
    • Participating in coordinated advocacy in coalition with partners.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
  • 2-3 years experience in civic engagement field organizing, and experience leading civic engagement work, including direct voter contact
  • Experience in advocacy work, youth engagement or youth development, preferably with a climate or other social justice focus
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to set priorities, complete work with minimal supervision, and meet deadlines
  • Self-starter with strong organizational skills and creativity
  • Existing expertise or willingness to master trends in climate education, youth development, youth organizing, and the climate movement
  • Awareness of the issues of concern to young people, including climate change and climate justice, and a passion for empowering youth to take action
  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to cultivate and manage partnerships, internal 
Desired Qualifications:
• Demonstrated competence in supervising a team and managing projects• Ability to train and coach youth • Experience in designing and implementing campaigns
Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.
POSITION DETAILS
  • Application Deadline: September 30, 2021
  • Schedule: Full-time
  • Annual salary range: $49,100-$65,800 commensurate with experience
  • Generous benefits including: Medical, Dental, Vision, 403b retirement savings plan, Paid Parental Leave, Flexible Work Schedule, Vacation, 2 Floating Holidays, 2 Community Service Floating Holidays, Sick time, and 12 observed holidays
  • ACE is an equal opportunity employer that highly values staff diversity
  • Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or other strategic locations in western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh (Requires safe travel throughout the state)
APPLICATION GUIDELINESPlease apply by emailing your resume to careers@acespace.org, with “Civic Engagement Manager, Pennsylvania” in the subject line. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEOC guidelines.
ACE is an equal opportunity employer that highly values diversity, equity, and inclusion and views the climate crisis as a social justice crisis. People who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), people who experience gender oppression, people with disabilities, and people who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community are particularly encouraged to apply.
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