State Advocacy Organizers

Position: State Advocacy Organizers (one position per state)

Program: Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Institution: Bikes Belong Foundation

Classification: Full-time salaried position

Location: Your home office in proximity to these regions of the following states*:

  1. Florida (Tallahassee Region)
  2. Mississippi (Jackson Region)
  3. New Jersey (Trenton Region)
  4. North Carolina (Raleigh Region)
  5. Ohio (Columbus Region)
  6. Tennessee (Nashville Region)

*California also maintains a state advocacy organizer position. A call for application for the California advocacy organizer position (Sacramento Region) will be issued separately later this year.

Applications: Applications are due on Thursday, February 2, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. PT and must be sent to davej@saferoutespartnership.org. Specific details on application requirements are provided below. You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as there will be rolling interviews.

Start Date: Thursday, March 1, 2012

Summary: The state advocacy organizer builds, strengthens and maintains a state network of diverse organizations, public agencies and partners to achieve the following three main policy objectives:

  1. Leverage funding for bicycle and pedestrian construction projects, including the award and obligation of federal Safe Routes to School and Transportation Enhancements funds.
  2. Facilitate additional street-scale improvements through the adoption of Complete Streets policies, design guidelines that support active transportation, and other mechanisms at state, regional and local levels.
  3. Advance joint-use agreements through state level policies and agreements between cities and school districts. 

All policies must benefit lower-income communities and are intended to improve the built environment and increase physical activity to help reverse childhood obesity.

The organizer will possess strong skills in recruiting and organizing network partners and building action teams to achieve the three main policy objectives. He or she will also be responsible for ensuring sustainability of the project and position by securing on-going funding for 2014 and beyond.

For more information about the positions available for the specific states, please see the detailed job description.

Qualifications:

  1. Bachelor’s degree required.
  2. Experience with network/coalition building to develop collaborations and unified action to create policy changes at state, regional, and local levels.
  3. Experience analyzing and developing policy.
  4. Experience as an effective fundraiser or aptitude to learn.
  5. Ability to be a public speaker, comfortable presenting in front of large groups.
  6. Knowledge of state, regional, and local transportation governance processes.
  7. Knowledge of Safe Routes to School, transportation and/or health issues.
  8. Minimum of two years proven success in an advocacy/communications position.
  9. Self-motivated, creative, detail oriented and energetic.
  10. Ability to work from home, and to work independently with minimal supervision.
  11. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  12. Ability to follow-up in a timely manner and to work under tight deadlines/schedules.
  13. Experience in meeting facilitation.
  14. Track record of supervising complex projects with multiple stakeholders, and organizing/motivating volunteers and groups.
  15. Experience with providing technical assistance to help groups advance their goals.
  16. Organized and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, with excellent attention to detail.
  17. Proficiency with PCs and with MS Office software.

Background: The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was founded in 2005 and is a network of more than 550 organizations. The National Partnership is hosted by the non-profit Bikes Belong Foundation, and its mission is to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership first launched the State Network Project with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2007.

Annual Salary: The position offers a starting annual salary of $48,000 to $52,000/year plus health insurance benefits, paid time off and optional participation in a deferred compensation plan. A PC computer, telephone and internet access will be provided. All Safe Routes to School National Partnership personnel are employees of the Bikes Belong Foundation and work from home offices.

To Apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and three writing samples in one PDF file to: Dave Janis, State Network Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, at davej@saferoutespartnership.org. The PDF file shall be named as follows: [LastName]_[ApplicableState].pdf. We are not accepting email or telephone call inquiries.

Receipt of applications will be acknowledged with an email reply. Applications will be accepted until Thursday, February 2nd, at 5:00 p.m. PT. Applications must be submitted in the format indicated in order to be considered. Applying soon is encouraged as the positions will be open until filled, and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Visit www.saferoutespartnership.org for more information about the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. Bikes Belong Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.