Policy Director

Move Texas; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

MOVE Texas is seeking a Policy Director to lead statewide policy campaigns, legislative strategy, and advocacy efforts. This role drives democracy reform, climate justice, and gender justice initiatives for young Texans and coalition partners.

Reporting to the Political Director, this position emphasizes cross-team collaboration, budget oversight, and stakeholder engagement across Texas politics.

Qualifications

• Must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Must be a Texas resident.
• 2+ years managing multiple scaled legislative and/or advocacy projects in a politically demanding environment.
• 2+ years of people management experience and coaching direct reports; leading a remote statewide team.
• Understanding of movement spaces and policies related to civic engagement in Texas, democracy reform, labor, climate justice, gender justice.
• Strong ability to cultivate connections with staff, membership, partner organizations, academic institutions, and community leaders.
• Deep commitment to MOVE’s mission of building the political power of young people in Texas.

Responsibilities

• Translate organizational priorities into strategic programs, campaigns, projects, and initiatives.
• Manage department and organizational budget.
• People management.
• Coalition building and partnerships.
• Design, evaluate, and evolve statewide advocacy strategies and tactics.
• Lead as the primary contact during the Texas Legislative Session, manage coalitions and rapid-response frameworks.

Skills

Analytical skills

Research skills

Writing skills

People management

Remote statewide team leadership

Job description

Job Description

Posting Date: Friday, October 2, 2026 Application Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026

Email: [e-mail]

Division: Policy & Communications

Department: Organizing

Location: Central Texas. Preference for Austin, TX

About Us

Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower. MOVE Texas was founded in 2013 by a small group of dedicated students at The University of Texas at San Antonio to increase participation in local elections (MOVE UTSA). Since then MOVE Texas has gone statewide to become one of the most effective voter registration and civic engagement groups for young people in the state. Our vision is to build the political power of young people to transform democracy in Texas and beyond. We are building the next generation of Texas leadership by teaching critical organizing skills to take them from voters to effective, lifelong organizers. Our theory of change is simple: develop new leaders, educate voters and create space for the changes we need to make so that our state can be a place where all Texans can thrive.

Position Description

Our team is seeking a Policy Director to lead the organization's statewide policy campaigns, legislative strategy, and advocacy efforts. This role serves as the primary driver of MOVE Texas' policy work, responsible for developing and executing policy campaigns that translate our work on democracy reform, climate justice, and gender justice into actionable strategies for young Texans, elected officials, and coalition partners. The Director will draw on cross-team community insight to develop policy campaigns for our membership that move young Texans to action and directly influence legislation in Texas.

Primary Responsibilities

• Translate organizational priorities into strategic programs, campaigns, projects, and initiatives
• Manage department and organizational budget
• People management
• Coalition building and partnerships

Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Strategic Campaign & Advocacy Leadership: Design, evaluate, and evolve statewide advocacy strategies, translating policy and legislative priorities into measurable, data-driven, and sustainable campaign tactics aligned with long-term political and electoral goals.
• Legislative Representation & Coalition Building: Serve as the primary contact during the Texas Legislative Session, leading institutional relationship-building, legislative staffer engagement, coalition coordination, and rapid response frameworks to advance policy agenda priorities and rapid-response frameworks.
• Partnerships & Community Expansion: Cultivate a community-focused culture by deepening external partnerships and institutional relationships, leveraging feedback loops to keep advocacy tactics responsive while executing strategic expansion opportunities statewide.
• People Management & Team Development: Coach, mentor, and empower team members, utilizing emotional intelligence to foster a dynamic learning mindset, define scopes of work, address knowledge gaps, and align cross-functional workflows.
• Fiscal Oversight & Organizational Development: Exercise fiscal responsibility by managing department budgets, streamlining operational and program workflows, and supporting organizational development through grant writing, impact tracking, and funder relationship management.
• Spokesperson, Subject-Matter Expertise & Risk Governance: Serve as an organizational spokesperson on core issues (including democracy reform, climate justice, and gender justice), guide curriculum development, conduct media scenario planning, and ensure proactive risk management and legal compliance.

Qualifications

• Must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Must be a Texas resident.
• At least two years of experience managing multiple scaled legislative and/or advocacy projects in a politically demanding environment with the ability to demonstrate strong analytical, research, and writing skills. Are prepared to step into a greater strategic planning role.
• At least two years of people management experience and coaching direct reports. Ability to effectively lead a remote statewide team and unionized workforce.
• A demonstrated understanding of movement spaces, policies relating to civic engagement and the political and social landscape in Texas. Including a growing expertise in policies related to democracy reform, labor, climate justice, and gender justice.
• Strong ability to cultivate connections with staff, membership, partner organizations, academic institutions, and community leaders.
• Deep commitment to MOVE’s mission of building the political power of young people in Texas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within the Texas progressive ecosystem, electoral campaigns, or social justice nonprofits in other Southern states.
• Experienced spokesperson and communication skills for advocacy and public relations.
• Experience managing a unionized workforce.
• Experience managing multi-entity organizations.
• Experience as a board member.
• Spanish language proficiency.

Physical & Mental Requirements

• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, including driving the MOVE Mobile, must be comfortably driving throughout the organization’s service area including in urban and suburban environments and following all traffic laws and safety regulations.
• Frequently walks, stands, and moves equipment weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Frequently works in outdoor weather conditions.
• Frequently moves throughout the community and inside and across buildings to access meetings or to conduct site visits for work in a single shift.
• Learn new tasks, remember processes, maintain focus, complete tasks independently, make timely decisions in the context of a workflow, ability to communicate with coworkers and partners, ability to complete tasks in situations that have time constraints.

Compensation

This is a full-time, permanent, exempt position with comprehensive benefits, including health, vision, and dental insurance, unlimited paid time off, and more. The starting base salary is $80,000 with yearly increases up to a salary ceiling of $90,041. MOVE Texas operates as a statewide hybrid team with a 32-hour work week, Monday-Friday, though some evening and weekend work will be required. While hours will increase or decrease based on certain cycles, campaigns, and activity, the position requires travel. Including consistent time at the Texas Capitol during the legislative session. This is a supervisory position and reports directly to the Political Director.

General Timeline

Subject to change based on size and quality of candidate pool

• Launch Posting: Friday, October 2nd
• Application Deadline: Friday, October 30th
• Interviews 1: Monday, November 9th & Tuesday, November 10th
• Interview 2: Thursday, November 12th & Friday, November 13th
• Start: Monday, November 23rd

Equal Opportunity Employer

MOVE Texas Action Fund 501(c)4 is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status.