Political Director

The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council represents 100 unions and more than 100,000 union members in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. For over 50 years, the Labor Council has championed the cause of working families in the South Bay. The Labor Council’s primary goal is to advance candidates, causes, and policies that benefit working families. We achieve this objective with a combination of activities, including community organizing, leadership training, campaigning, and issues advocacy. The Labor Council is proud to run the largest, most sophisticated, grassroots political campaign operation in Silicon Valley.

The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council is seeking an experienced political professional to serve as Political Director. The ideal candidate for this position will have substantial experience in electoral politics as well as excellent communication and analytical skills. We are seeking to hire for this position immediately, and the candidate will be expected to quickly begin advancing the Labor Council’s field and communication strategies for several important campaigns. This position will also involve substantial writing and policy work. The ideal candidate will be able to apply their strong communications and analytical skills towards crafting and executing the Labor Council’s electoral and policy priorities.

Examples of Duties

• Serve as a principal strategist and field organizer for the Council’s electoral and policy campaigns.
• Coordinate and execute the Council’s political and policy priorities.
• Collaborate with unions and their members on engagement, especially related to efforts related to political education policy campaigns, and leadership development.
• Maintain and build relationships with key partners, politicians, candidates, and political campaigns.
• Coordinate internal and external communications and engage in public facing spokesperson responsibilities to the labor movement, the public, and the press.
• Lead political communication program (e.g., speeches, white papers, letters to the editor, lobby materials, etc.).
• Coordinate annual COPE fundraiser and political receptions
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

• Five or more years of political and campaign experience (including electoral campaigns, government, policy advocacy, research, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to plan and organize multiple campaigns and projects simultaneously in a high-pressure environment requiring rapid adjustment to changing priorities, strategies, and deadlines.
• Sophisticated knowledge of legal, political, economic, and industry forces that impact organizing campaigns.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills - you practice the rigor needed for spelling, grammar, and concise and clear communications
• An ability to work in a demanding, fast-paced environment, including flexibility on nights and weekends.
• A commitment to the labor movement and to advancing social justices.
• Fluency in a second language is desirable.

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

This position is based in San Jose, California. The annual salary range for this position is $85,000 - $115,000 depending on experience in addition to a generous benefits package. This is a full-time, exempt position.

TO APPLY:  Please send a letter of interest, resume, and three professional references to [email protected]with “Political Director” in the subject line.

Communications Director

The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council represents over 100 unions and more than 100,000 union members in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. For over 50 years, the Labor Council has championed the cause of working families in the South Bay. The Labor Council’s primary goal is to advance candidates, causes, and policies that benefit working families. We achieve this objective with a combination of activities, including community organizing, leadership training, campaigning, and issues advocacy. The Labor Council is proud to run the largest, most sophisticated, grassroots political campaign operation in Silicon Valley.

The Communications Director will lead a strong communications program for the labor council, with a special emphasis on content production, website management, press outreach, and union member outreach via digital media and organizing. The ideal candidate for the Communications Director has work experience with non-profit, media, and political organizations, understands the goals and mission of the labor movement, and has a demonstrated, broad knowledge of websites, speech writing, email, and blogging they can seamlessly apply to issue organizing. We’re looking for a creative thinker with a strategic and executional mindset, that brings innovative communication approaches to the organization. 

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:

• Works with staff to provide campaign support including messaging, communications plans, timely materials, website copy, etc.
• Leads planning, strategy for communications program.
• Monitors the website for regular consistent content and regularly contributes content to website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Monitors and implements email, digital, and text messaging program
• Enhances and expands online capacity of the labor council
• Writes, edits, and designs regular leaflets, newsletters, and other communiqués on important worksite issues
• Outreach to news media to pitch and shape earned media supporting the goals and mission of the SBLC and our campaigns.
• Assistance with photography and video production at union events.
• Assistance with event staging, including press conferences and rallies.
• Development of SBLC leaders into campaign and issue organizing spokespeople.

SKILLS:

• A commitment to the labor movement and to advancing social, racial, and economic justice.
• Three or more years in campaign communications, labor communications, public affairs, journalism or other related experience.
• Ability to work both independently and effectively as part of a team under limited direction and balance conflicting demands and to lead, teach and train other colleagues including communications staff and field staff.
• Excellent communications skills, confidence in generating written and visual content for print productions, as well as online and social media consumption.
• Demonstrated design, verbal, visual/graphic, interviewing and analytical communications skills.
• Familiarity with campaign communications and organizing.
• Advanced experience with WordPress, InDesign, Photoshop, databases, various web platforms, and PDI, or ability to be trained on additional software as needed.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and discern priorities.
• Ability to work effectively with members and staff from diverse ethnic, social, and economic groups.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends.
• Valid California driver's license, working automobile and valid auto insurance.
• Special consideration will be given to candidates with the ability to speak, read, and write in multiple languages.

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

This position is based in San Jose, California. The annual salary range for this position is $85,000 - $115,000 depending on experience, in addition to a generous benefits package. This is a full-time, exempt position.

TO APPLY:  Please send a letter of interest, resume, two writing samples, and three professional references to [email protected] with “Communications Director” in the subject line.