The Grassroots Co-Director role includes both shared and individually held responsibilities. As currently structured, the role of our current Grassroots Co-Director is focused on Grassroots Strategy, Campaigns, and Communications work and the open Co-Director role has more emphasis on Coalition Building and Member Support. There is room for flexibility to best suit an incoming Co-Director.

Position Responsibilities

Shared Responsibilities Between Co-Directors

Grassroots Strategy, Campaigns, and Communications

• Develop and implement grassroots campaigns and strategies to advance federal policy goals and build grassroots power in close collaboration with policy and grassroots staff along with coalition membership

• Identify and implement effective grassroots campaign tactics and actions, including fly-ins, action alerts, story banking, digital campaigns, petitions, field organizing, and more

• Contribute to the development and distribution of relevant, accessible grassroots campaign materials, resources, and tools to coalition members

Coalition Building

• Help build NSAC members’ knowledge of and confidence in: the legislative process, grassroots strategy and advocacy, and bringing a racial equity lens to sustainable agriculture policy goals and campaigns

• Represent NSAC in the field and virtually at key conferences and organizing events

Staff Management and Organizational Development

• Supervise, manage, evaluate, support, and assist in hiring and onboarding grassroots team staff, including maintaining a climate that fosters ongoing learning and professional development

• Assist with fundraising with respect to grassroots advocacy and communications work and joint fundraising with member organizations

• Potentially support racial affinity caucus coordination/facilitation

• Assist with organizing and facilitating NSAC meetings, including regular team and staff spaces and strategic planning, along with helping plan our biannual coalition meetings

Individually Held: these responsibilities will be held primarily by one Co-Director

Grassroots Strategy, Campaigns, and Communications

• Take a lead role in the development of effective, inclusive message framing for grassroots materials and campaigns in collaboration with the grassroots team

• Lead grassroots campaign coordination and information-sharing efforts through planning, execution, and evaluation phases with NSAC staff and coalition membership, including using shared decision-making and distributed campaign management approach with coalition Issue Committees and Councils

• Track, review, and provide sign-off on team-developed campaign materials

Coalition Building

• Support the staff team in building accountable partnerships with peer organizations and partners at the national and local level

• Lead NSAC new member inquiry, application, and orientation process

• Work with the Coalition Director to strategically seek new NSAC members

• Facilitate the NSAC Grassroots Council as a space for members to share strategies through peer learning

• Facilitate the NSAC Racial Justice Committee as a space for members to advance racial equity efforts at NSAC

Staff Management and Organizational Development

• Supervision of Grassroots Advocacy Coordinators

• Supervision of Grassroots Fellows

We encourage interested candidates to apply if they meet at least 75% of the qualifications. We also strongly encourage applications from people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, LGBTQ people, or those who are members of other marginalized communities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• An understanding of sustainable food and agriculture issues and passion for NSAC’s mission

• 8+ years of grassroots organizing experience, preferably leading federal policy advocacy campaigns or commensurate experience at the state, regional, or community level

• An understanding of and commitment to grassroots movement building principles and experience developing short- and long-term grassroots strategies and creating opportunities to achieve small and large goals

• Demonstrated understanding of how racial equity intersects with agriculture and food systems and experience designing and implementing grassroots strategies informed by these intersections

• A strong team player and leader oriented toward collaboration, shared success, and accountability, including experience in a supervisory role

• Enthusiasm for and experience in cultivating lasting relationships and accountable partnerships with a diverse body of stakeholders and decision makers

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen well, build trust, model healthy conflict resolution, and work effectively with and value differences of diverse groups of individuals

• Strong project management skills, capable of planning, prioritizing, troubleshooting, and evaluating efforts in an ongoing manner

• Excellent written and verbal communication and public speaking skills, including distilling complex material for lay audiences

• Ability to consider policy implications on diverse groups of individuals including people of varied race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic circumstance

• Self-motivated, organized, and able to stay on task when managing multiple projects

• Ability to work within a dynamic Congressional schedule and meet fast-paced deadlines

• Willing to travel domestically several times a year

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with large, multi-organization, multi-racial grassroots coalitions or networks with diverse membership

• Experience cultivating donor and foundation relationships and crafting development language for grassroots capacity building efforts and campaigns

• Experience and training as a facilitator to develop consensus among diverse stakeholders

• Experience with long-term strategic planning as well as project planning and priority setting

• Experience with online advocacy tools and CRMs (EveryAction, etc)

• Cross-cultural communication skills, including but not limited to fluency in a language other than English

SALARY AND BENEFITS

NSAC offers a competitive non-profit salary dependent on qualifications and experience, $95,000-$115,000+.

This position offers excellent benefits (as per the employee handbook), including generous vacation and other time-off policy, health, dental, and long-term disability insurance, contributions after two years in a retirement plan, and financial support for professional and personal development.