Southern Arizona Outreach Associate – Arizona Center for Economic Progress

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress and the People First Economy campaign seek an organizer in southern Arizona for a multi-year, multi-issue, multi-organizational campaign centered around creating a stronger economy for all Arizonans through stronger state and local investments and progressive reform. This team member will play a critical role in ensuring that the voices and priorities of southern Arizona communities are actively engaged in shaping this work. The organizer will be responsible for expanding organizational partnerships, coordinating media and outreach efforts, and engaging in state legislative and local advocacy in southern Arizona.

About People First Economy

People First Economy centers the voices and goals of Arizona’s communities historically shut out, ignored, and excluded from state policymaking, programs, and progress. Together, we fight to rectify the disproportionate impacts of longstanding policies, no doubt highlighted by the pandemic. But going back to normal is not good enough. After 30 years of cuts to education, worker protections, and safety net programs, many Arizonans have struggled. We need to create a new normal and we need to do it now. Together, we can build the Arizona we deserve.

People First Economy seeks transformational change in three key components:

• INVESTMENT: Investment in programs and enactment of policies to improve and sustain economic outcomes for all Arizonans.
• FAIRNESS: Improvement in the progressivity of Arizona’s tax and budget system.
• SUSTAINABILITY: Activation to address the state’s structural barriers to change into the future.

People First Economy is a community-centered campaign that seeks to include the voices and priorities of all Arizona communities, including those in southern Arizona. Creating community-driven policy change through listening sessions is a central to the campaign’s success. The campaign seeks to inform, empower, and mobilize organizations, advocates and voters; providing resources and coordination to change Arizona’s narrative, policy, and outcomes for low/no income people. 

The southern Arizona organizer will be particularly focused on advancing community-centered solutions, including but not limited to:

• protect and increase access to food;
• reduce cross-program access barriers to economic security programs (including childcare and housing assistance)
• boost incomes and strengthen work supports and protections
• fend off deep state budget cuts that threaten low-income communities.

About the Organizer Position

The organizer will contract with and be organizationally housed within the Arizona Center for Economic Progress at Children’s Action Alliance.  The primary focus of the organizer will be to plan and execute the People First Economy in southern Arizona with day-to-day coordination with Children’s Action Alliance’s Southern Arizona Director, the PFE campaign director, and partner organizations. The organizer’s activities will primarily include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with People First campaign partners.
• Introducing southern Arizona organizations to the PFE campaign. Engaging partners and impacted populations in listening sessions, community-focused policy development.
• Assisting with legislative or local advocacy efforts.
• Identifying and promoting tools for delivering messages with PFE partners and engaging communities that reflect the unaddressed needs of southern Arizonans.
• Assist in developing and maintaining relationships with elected officials, media, and other PFE campaign stakeholders in southern Arizona.
• Work collaboratively with staff to produce accessible communications and civic engagement materials, that effectively translate complex policy issues for general public consumption, with a desired emphasis on the Spanish-speaking public.

About You

• Dedication to the mission, goals, and motivation for People First Economy.
• Experience working on regional or state-level advocacy campaigns, electoral campaigns or coalition efforts.
• Experience building diverse and effective alliances and collaborations, particularly with staff and leaders from grassroots community organizations.
• Skilled in facilitating of group/community discussions and listening sessions, distilling information gathered and then translating that information into policy priorities and action items or goals for advocacy.
• Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to work collaboratively.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) skills, ability to meet deadlines and problem solve, particularly in virtual environments
• Experience in crafting and implementing digital communications strategies and tactics.
• Self-motivated, creative thinking with ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Familiarity with Arizona policy and politics, including the progressive advocacy infrastructure.

• Some familiarity with technology and an ability to effectively work in a collaborative but remote manner. This includes the ability to set up video meetings, connect communities to virtual work and facilitate conversations online and assist coalition partners with setting up these communications tools.

• Fluency in Spanish strongly preferred.

Logistics

• This contract position will be termed for two calendar years with the goal of extension.
• The position will be remote but requires a person who resides in southern Arizona and can regularly travel to or within the southern Arizona area when safe and necessary to do so.
• Compensation for this position will be $57,000 in the first year, non-negotiable.

Apply

Please email a resume and cover letter to Jolene Walley at jwalley@azchildren.org .

Applications are due December 31, 2020 and will be received on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Arizona Center for Economic Progress is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, disability, and any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law.