Eastern Pennsylvania State Director

Center for a Humane Economy; Pennsylvania; Remote; USD 15,000; Part time

Job summary

An innovative organization dedicated to animal welfare is seeking a passionate State Director to lead advocacy efforts in Pennsylvania. This role is pivotal in driving change for animals through strategic lobbying, empowering local advocates, and managing communications. The position requires a proactive individual with a strong background in animal welfare policy and advocacy, capable of building coalitions and engaging diverse stakeholders. With a flexible remote work environment, this is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on animal protection initiatives while working closely with community partners and state leaders. If you're ready to champion animal welfare and create positive change, this role is for you!

Qualifications

• 5+ years in animal welfare policy or related field required.
• Strong communication and project management skills needed.

Responsibilities

• Lobby on animal welfare issues at state and local levels.
• Manage social media and engage with supporters effectively.

Skills

Animal welfare policy

Advocacy

Communication skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Marketing strategies

Education

Experience in nonprofit advocacy

Experience in animal welfare

Tools

Social media management tools

Legislative tracking software

Job description

The Eastern Pennsylvania State Director operates as a generalist for the Center for a Humane Economy (“the Center”) and Animal Wellness Action (“AWA”) working to advance our organizational goals for Pennsylvania by utilizing a wide range of strategies, across an array of animal welfare issues, and with people having diverse political views, backgrounds, and beliefs.

The Eastern Pennsylvania State Director (“SD”) for the Center and AWA will help animals by extending the reach of the organizations’ programs, priorities, and core messaging. The SD will work on the wide range of farmed, wildlife, and domesticated animal issues. The SD will also work on a regular basis in cooperation with the leadership of established animal protection organizations in the state.

Salary: $1,250/month
Location: Remote; must reside in Philadelphia County

The contact position reports to the director of state affairs.

DELIVERABLES

1. Build animal welfare capacity in Pennsylvania
2. Lobby on priority items at the state and local level, as directed by leadership.
3. Play defense on legislative initiatives that attempt to set the state back on animal welfare.
4. Work with the leadership and digital communications team and help to build a list of supporters, with regular outbound communications to the state’s universe of supporters.
5. Monitor state agencies and their respective activities and help develop executive agency reform goals. Become familiar with workings of other agencies such as the state Game Commission, Department of Agriculture, and animal care and control agencies.
6. Empower local animal advocates and supporters
7. Develop a state council that allows you to harness advocates’ energy and extend your reach into more communities. Work with them to find tasks and activities that appropriately utilize their time and energy.
8. Coach and develop local volunteers and support them in their goals to effectively advocate for animals.
9. Broaden the coalition to build local and state coalitions, including religious organizations, law enforcement, domestic violence organizations, and others whose values and work intersect with animal welfare. Develop contacts at the University of Vermont and connect with the Animal Law Program there.
10. Establish relationships with other animal protection groups, including shelters, rescues, sanctuaries, and wildlife rehabilitation centers. Activate them to the extent practicable on our legislative and other programmatic campaigns.
11. Recommend candidates to open positions on various state agency boards and commissions.
12. Be a cultural change agent and leader
13. Set a high-water mark for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania regarding animal welfare, creating an expectation of success in the region and state.
14. Organize lobby days and annual days of awareness around various animal issues, in conjunction with other PA animal protection groups and AWA/Center leadership.
15. Communications

In collaboration with the director of state affairs and the communications team, develop and send regular communications to email subscribers, including general updates and targeted content for specific audiences.

Social Media Management

1. Help manage and maintain Facebook and Instagram pages, in collaboration with leadership.
2. Create, schedule, and post engaging content that aligns with organizational goals and resonates with the audience.
3. Monitor and respond to comments and messages in a timely and professional manner.
4. Analyze social media metrics with the communications team to inform strategy and improve performance.

Legislative Communications

1. Collaborate with the Director of State Affairs to develop and send communications to legislators using specialized software.
2. Ensure timely and accurate delivery of legislative updates, calls to action, and other pertinent information.
3. Track and report on legislative communications, including legislators’ positions on various bills/issues.

General Communications Support

1. Assist in creating and distributing newsletters, press releases, fact sheets, and other communication materials, as needed.
2. Coordinate with other team members to ensure consistent messaging across all platforms.
3. Stay updated on communication trends and best practices to enhance outreach efforts.

Website Management

1. Update the Pennsylvania website at least monthly to ensure that current and relevant information is available to the public.
2. Coordinate with other team members to develop new content, including news updates, event announcements, and resource materials.

OTHER DUTIES

1. Attend weekly check-in meetings with supervisor and Pennsylvania partners, biweekly staff meetings, and other meetings as necessary.
2. Be prepared and on time for intramural and extramural meetings and events.
3. Monitor the legislative calendar/journals.
4. Maintain and update various organizational databases, including but not limited to:

• Legislative trackers to monitor and record pending policy, regulatory, and legal actions.
• A deliverable tracker will ensure the timely completion and accountability of project milestones.
• A communications calendar schedules and tracks outreach efforts and media engagements.
• Additional databases as deemed necessary by the supervisor to support organizational needs.

Assist with planning and implementation of Philadelphia initiatives. Tasks include research, attending legislator meetings, making phone calls, and writing letters.

Develop comprehensive plans outlining campaign objectives, strategies, and timelines.

Cultivate relationships with legislators and other stakeholders.

Regularly assess campaign progress, analyze data, and adjust strategies as needed.

Respond to AWA leadership emails and calls within one business day.

Remain flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances or challenges during campaign.

Be prepared and on time for meetings and events.

Share and support the groups’ mission and core values and adhere to their policies.

Other duties as needed.

Qualifications

1. Minimum five years’ experience in animal welfare policy, or a related field.
2. Experience in a nonprofit advocacy organization, or with an agency that works with advocacy clients, strongly preferred.
3. Ability to travel frequently in and around Philadelphia, and as needed to various destinations within the state.
4. Ability to achieve results with minimal supervision.
5. Ability to successfully manage key internal and external stakeholders and relationships.
6. Ability to prioritize and multitask efficiently.
7. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage stakeholders, team members, and the public.
8. Ability to plan, execute, and oversee campaign from inception to completion.
9. Understanding of animal issues in Philadelphia and PA.
10. Ability to develop and implement strategies to effectively advocate for animal welfare.
11. Ability to collaborate with various organizations, volunteers, and communities to achieve campaign goals.
12. Ability to identify challenges and develop innovative solutions.
13. Utilize marketing strategies to raise awareness and engage the public in campaign initiatives.
14. Self-motivated.
15. Familiarity with general project management principles and methodologies.
16. Able to prioritize tasks to deliver the required outputs to the agreed timelines.
17. Able to work with people with varying needs, personalities, and technical abilities.
18. Ability to present yourself in a friendly, professional, and non-partisan manner.
19. Ability to work independently, follow instructions, and meet deadlines.

TIME COMMITMENT
10-15 hours per week. While some of the work is flexible, the contractor must be available for daytime in-person meetings with local Philadelphia stakeholders as needed and virtual meetings with AWA employees.

LOCATION
Much of the work can be done remotely, but applicants must reside within the county limits of Philadelphia. Applicants must possess reliable transportation and acknowledge that local travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

ABOUT US
Center for a Humane Economy is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) whose mission is to help animals by helping forge a more humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both. The Center believes helping animals helps us all. X: @TheHumaneCenter

We are an equal opportunity employer and give consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, disability or protected veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.