Job Posting CLOSED
State Policy Advocate
Scan With Your Phone To Apply!
State Policy Advocate
ABOUT US: Founded in 1981, Isles is a nationally recognized nonprofit
community development and environmental organization with the mission to foster
self-reliant families in healthy, sustainable communities. Each year, Isles reaches thousands of central
New Jersey residents with opportunities for at-risk youth job training,
affordable housing development, financial literacy training, homeownership
counseling, community gardening, environmental health and education, community
organizing, and regional planning.
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO
WORK FOR ISLES: Isles strives to provide impactful programs, while
maintaining a healthy work-life balance and a positive, team-oriented
atmosphere. Our team consists of 100
employees, plus a corps of volunteers and an engaged Board of Directors.
POSITION OVERVIEW: The
State Policy Advocate will coordinate public policy initiatives primarily in
Environmental Health and other similar Isles’ service areas and create
community and governmental partnerships to realize community-based solutions.
The State Policy Advocate will primarily focus on the New Jersey Legislature, N.J.
State Departmental Agencies, and the Office of the Governor, and will also work
on complementary Federal policy.
In
collaboration with staff across all Isles service areas, the State Policy
Advocate will support the growth of the Johnson Center’s public policy, advocacy,
communications and public education priorities for New Jersey. This position will
work closely with the Director of Policy and Partnerships and the Director of the
Johnson Center, as well as with the Senior Policy Advocate focused on Trenton and
Mercer County. The State Policy Advocate will also work with all Isles’ Managing
Directors to advance both Isles and the Johnson Center’s policy and advocacy
goals, as well as educate policymakers, educators, and non-profit leaders to
achieve our goals.
The
State Policy Advocate will help expand on Isles’ existing relationships with colleges
and universities, community-based organizations, policy think tanks and public
opinion leaders to implement public policy with community/grassroots
leadership.
WHO WILL BE
SUCCESSFUL: The people who thrive on our team are
passionate, visionary, curious, creative, open-minded, flexible, self-directed,
and willing to learn from mistakes. They are also results-driven,
detail-oriented, and responsible.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Implementation of a comprehensive
framework for state, local, and federal advocacy and policy change efforts within
Isles’ Environmental Health service areas and policy scope.
- Creates communications
content across all of media with relevant content to engage nonprofits, funders
and others on policy developments and actions affecting the Isles and the Johnson
Center.
- Participates in other
policy projects that impact Johnson Center and/or Isles’ mission.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge, skills, and abilities required
- Strong commitment to our vision, mission, and
values.
- Strong project management skills with the ability
to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and work autonomously.
- Ability to assess organization and community-wide
needs within the scope of all Isles’ service areas, prioritize and
resource viable solutions, and organize community/grassroots leaders to affect
real-world policy change.
- Superior writing skills with the ability to
translate complex issues into a level appropriate for the general
population, policymakers, academic institutions, and media/press.
- Excellent publication skills that include
proofreading and knowledge of design/layout.
- Ability to represent Isles in a professional and
personable manner and build relationships with a wide-range of people
through public speaking and networking.
- Ability to communicate orally and in writing with
a variety of audiences, including community advocates, service providers,
members of the public, press and local officials.
- Strong computer skills with proficiency in web-based
communications, social media, and some basic design software knowledge.
- Ability to work with diverse people, communities,
and cultures, with an understanding of cultural awareness practices.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred
- Knowledge and/or
experience of policy-making process at a local (county) and State level
- Knowledge and/or experience of policy-making
process at the Federal level
- Experience working with local decision makers
(mayors, board of supervisors, etc.) and State Agency decision makers
(commissioners, deputies, managers, etc)
Education and/or
Experience
- Master’s degree in related field and/or five or
more years of relevant work experience.
- High level of knowledge and passion for issues
related to Public Policy, sustainable Community Development, and Climate
Change.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Experience with online data collection systems
and ability to enter data accurately
- Ability to learn new software quickly and
effectively; experience with SalesForce preferred
Position Details: Exempt, 40 hour/week
position, flexible schedule. Salary range: $55,000-$65,000 depending
on training and experience.
Diversity is one of our Core Values at Isles. We are
passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and
learning environment for all staff, which translates to the community we serve.
We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a
broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify
challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. We welcome
candidates that believe and represent this Core Value to apply and help us in
continuing to grow our DEI efforts.