State Advocacy Leader & Grassroots Mobilizer

OATS; Columbia (SC); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Pension plan

Health, dental, and vision plans

Life insurance

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

AARP seeks an Associate State Director-Advocacy to lead multi-level advocacy efforts across local, state, and federal arenas. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, engage with officials, and drive campaigns that advance priorities.

The role emphasizes volunteer recruitment and strategic partnerships while maintaining nonpartisan policy focus. Candidate will develop advocacy plans, monitor legislation, and communicate complex policy issues to diverse audiences, supporting AARP’s health and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related policy field or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years lobbying at state or federal level with measurable outcomes.
• 5+ years in advocacy, government relations, or grassroots organizing with impact.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, and lead volunteers and advocates.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and public speaking skills.
• Ability to build nonpartisan relationships with officials and partners.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements advocacy strategies at local, state, and federal levels.
• Represents the organization to government agencies and elected officials.
• Collaborates on advocacy campaign communications and grassroots tools.
• Identifies public policy issues and drafts memos/releases for support.
• Produces reports and convenes meetings to disseminate findings.
• Recruits, trains, deploys volunteers, aligning them with priorities.

Skills

Lobbying

Advocacy strategy

Volunteer leadership

Public speaking

Stakeholder relations

Policy analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Policy

Bachelor's degree in Political Science

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration

Bachelor's degree in Public Relations

Bachelor's degree in Community Organizing

Tools

Qualtrics

Springboard

Constant Contact

SharePoint

Salesforce

Job description

AARP seeks an Associate State Director-Advocacy to lead multi-level advocacy efforts across local, state, and federal arenas. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, engage with officials, and drive campaigns that advance priorities.

The role emphasizes volunteer recruitment and strategic partnerships while maintaining nonpartisan policy focus. Candidate will develop advocacy plans, monitor legislation, and communicate complex policy issues to diverse audiences, supporting AARP’s health and