Political Associate

Title: Political Associate

Reports to: Political Director

Hours: Full-time, exempt

Location: Washington, DC

Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords is a nonprofit organization whose team is on a mission to save lives from gun violence. Giffords is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Giffords is seeking a Political Associate to join our team. The Political Associate is an integral part of the political team, assisting in almost every facet of the 2022 political program. As part of the political team, the Political Associate will be fighting to elect leaders with the courage to stand up to the gun lobby. The successful candidate for this role does not need a deep background in politics or campaigns, but must bring good humor, a willingness to learn, and a strong self-starter initiative. 

This is a full-time position based in our Washington DC office. This position requires the ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time, potentially increasing up to 50% of the time in the summer and fall approaching Election Day, as well as interest in staffing occasional weekend and evening events. As the safety and wellbeing of our team is of utmost importance, Giffords has been following strict COVID protocols including a mostly-remote work schedule with occasional travel and in-person events and meetings.

This position is available for the duration of the 2022 campaign cycle and will end in December 2022. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants, no phone calls or emails, please.

Duties + Responsibilities:

The workload for this position will fall largely into four buckets: Political Action Committee (PAC) coordination (Giffords’ political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to to elect candidates who are willing to stand up for lifesaving gun laws), assisting with the process for endorsements and candidate service work, political department support, and political research.  

Political Action Committee (PAC) Coordination

• Along with the political team, work closely with the finance and operations team on procedures to report spending and PAC check requests weekly/as necessary.
• Help coordinate a focused quarterly PAC spending plan in conjunction with the rest of the political team teammates and the government affairs department to maximize the impact of PAC spending to meet the political moment. This will include making recommendations of which candidates to donate to and establishing quarterly goals for total spent and total checks cut.
• Track the day to day of Giffords’ PAC spending and work with colleagues on compliance and budget expenditures.
• Manage the administrative work needed to cut and send PAC checks each quarter.

Endorsements and Candidate Services

• Update and maintain materials for candidates, including message guidance and policy backgrounders. 
• Coordinate calls and regular communication with candidates, consultants, and staff.
• Assist the political team with internal workings of the candidate endorsement process as needed. 

Political Department Support

• Recommend and manage processes, systems, and projects to strengthen political department operations.
• Support with the creation and drafting of materials for meetings and presentations; attend internal and external meetings on behalf of the political team. 
• Assist with event planning and logistics. 
• Assist Political Director with long-term and short-term projects for the 2022 election cycle in targeted states and races. 

Research

• Complete research memos on candidates, competitive races, state political profiles, and others as needed. 
• Assist with news clips and social media monitoring for relevant races. 

Required knowledge, skills + experience

• 1-2 years of full or part-time work experience in related fields such as politics, government, advocacy, administrative roles, and/or customer/client facing positions.
• Interest in political work as well as gun violence prevention advocacy.
• Highly organized; able to work independently and problem solve. 
• Solutions oriented, creative, and flexible. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, sense of humor and ability to work well on a team.
• A commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism.

Valued non-essential knowledge, skills, + experience

• Previous campaign or political work experience.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.

Salary + benefits

The salary range for this position begins at $45,000 annually with the exact salary depending on experience. Competitive benefits include employer-funded health, dental, and vision insurance; health, transit, and parking flexible spending accounts; 401k plan with 4% employer match; 25 days of PTO annually (pro-rated based on the start date); and paid federal holidays.

Applying + the interview process

Submit your resume and a brief cover letter (400 words maximum) that outlines three specific ways that you would be a good fit for this position. Our interview process for this position consists of a phone interview, a video interview, a skills assessment exercise, and reference checks.