Director, Electoral System Reform

Socket.dev; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan with 6% match

Paid vacation and parental leave

Professional development stipend

Cellphone/tech allowance

Job summary

Campaign Legal Center seeks a Director of Electoral System Reform to build and lead a new program focused on proportional representation and ranked choice voting, working with coalitions and communities nationwide. The role involves policy development, advocacy, litigation collaboration, and fundraising support.

The Director will manage staff, collaborate across teams, and engage external partners to advance reforms while promoting nonpartisan civic participation and voter empowerment.

Qualifications

• At least twelve years of work experience in policy advocacy at federal or state level.
• Substantive expertise in voting rights and elections.
• Excellent research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Commitment to CLC’s mission and nonpartisan orientation.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams with strong communication skills.
• Experience leading or navigating complex coalitions is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead CLC’s work on electoral system reform, including proportional representation and ranked choice voting.
• Oversee policy work with organizations and community leaders to enact reform via legislation or ballot initiatives.
• Coordinate internal work across teams to advance structural electoral reform.
• Coordinate federal advocacy on structural reform, including briefings and educational materials.
• Serve as a thought leader and spokesperson for CLC with key audiences and media.
• Represent CLC in coalitions with national, state, and local partners.
• Conduct research, write testimony, reports, policy briefs, and talking points.
• Identify opportunities to advance reforms through litigation or defend them from challenges.
• Support fundraising by contributing to proposals and funder reports.

Skills

Policy advocacy

Coalition building

Research

Writing

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

JD preferred

Job description

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Director of Policy, the Director of Electoral System Reform at Campaign Legal Center will build out a new program area to provide policy and legal expertise to catalyze the growing movement for electoral systems reforms—including proportional representation and ranked choice voting that empower American voters and make elected officials more responsive to the constituents they represent. The Director will develop significant expertise in these reforms, oversee our work on structural electoral reforms across teams, and work with external partners and coalitions to advocate for adoption of these reforms across the country in the coming years. The Director will be responsible for developing and executing a multi-year plan to support community‑led efforts in states and localities around the country to adopt proportional representation and ranked choice voting. The Director will also work to raise the profile of these reforms through public speaking, writing, and partner convenings. In coordination with CLC’s litigators, the Director will identify and develop opportunities to advance or defend electoral system reforms through litigation.

The Director position is eligible to take part in CLC’s telework and flexible work programs.

Responsibilities:

• Build and lead CLC’s work on electoral system reform, including proportional representation and ranked choice voting.
• Oversee CLC’s policy work with organizations and community leaders seeking to enact structural electoral reform at the state and local levels through legislation or ballot initiatives, including drafting legislation and advising on policy and strategy.
• Coordinate CLC’s work on structural electoral reform internally, working with colleagues across the organization to advance this body of work and draw from CLC’s staff expertise across teams, whether through policy, litigation, organizing, communications, campaigns, and coalition advocacy.
• Coordinate CLC’s federal advocacy work on structural electoral reform with the Director of Federal Advocacy and other colleagues, including advising on legislation, briefing policymakers and staff, and drafting relevant educational materials.
• Serve as a thought leader on structural electoral reform and as a spokesperson for CLC with key audiences and the media.
• Establish or deepen CLC’s relationships with national, state, and local partners and represent CLC in coalitions working on or considering structural electoral reforms, including collaborating on shared goals.
• Conduct research, analyze, and write testimony, reports, policy briefs, talking points, and other public‑facing advocacy documents.
• Identify and/or develop opportunities to advance structural electoral reforms through strategic litigation or defend those reforms from legal challenges.
• Support fundraising efforts and collaborate with development staff by contributing to grant proposals and funder reports, and meeting with funders.
• Work with the Communications team and other teams to develop a strategic communications plan, messaging guidance, and other public‑facing documents.
• Hire, supervise, and mentor additional staff for the team, as needed and budgeted.
• If the Director is a licensed attorney, then responsibilities could include supporting litigation related to structural electoral reforms with colleagues across multiple teams, including conducting legal research, preparing pleadings, motions, and briefs in federal and state cases, and taking part in discovery processes and court hearings.
• Some travel required.

Qualifications and Skills:

• At least twelve years of work experience, including seven years of experience working on policy advocacy at either the federal or state level is required. Examples of relevant experience could include working for Congress or a state legislature, a nonprofit advocacy organization, a state or federal agency, a political campaign, or a research organization.
• Substantive expertise in voting rights and elections is required.
• Excellent research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Commitment to CLC’s mission and nonpartisan orientation.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams, and excellent communication skills.
• Experience working on structural electoral reform is preferred, but not required.
• Experience leading or navigating complex coalitions on advocacy campaigns is preferred, but not required.
• JD preferred, but not required.
• Experience managing staff preferred, but not required.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary Range: $161,300 - 233,900

Campaign Legal Center is committed to fostering a workplace that supports every team member's personal and professional well-being. Our compensation is competitive and placement within the posted salary range is commensurate with experience. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive and inclusive benefits package tailored to meet the diverse needs of our staff.

Some of our benefits include:

• Generous health, dental, and vision insurance with low employee premiums
• A 401(k) retirement plan with a dollar‑for‑dollar match up to 6%, with immediate vesting
• 20 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 3 floating holidays annually
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave,10 days of bereavement leave, and 8 weeks of sabbatical leave for those who qualify
• Office closures for all federal holidays, plus typically a week in late summer, and a week in the winter.
• Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Accounts
• A $1,000 annual professional development stipend and bar membership reimbursement
• A $500 annual technology allowance
• Pre‑tax metro smart benefits
• New family and family planning support, including reimbursement for travel to access legal reproductive healthcare
• An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free, confidential support for personal, financial, and family matters.

At CLC, we believe that caring for our team is essential to sustaining our mission. We strive to create a culture where everyone can thrive inside and outside work.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is an equal opportunity employer committed to maintaining a nondiscriminatory work environment. CLC is proud to be an inclusive organization. It does not make hiring or advancement, or other employment decisions, based on race, national origin, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, familial status or responsibilities, personal appearance, pregnancy, political affiliation, ancestry, military or veteran status, genetic information, disability, record of arrest or conviction, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, District of Columbia, or local law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, job assignment, compensation, promotion, termination, benefits, and training.

Disclaimer: This description of the position summary, key responsibilities, benefits, and compensation is intended to provide an overview of this position and is not all inclusive. The incumbent in this position will be expected to perform other duties as required. Responsibilities may change over time. This description of the position summary, key responsibilities, benefits, and compensation is provided for informational purposes only and does not form the basis of a contract.