Vice President of Policy and Campaigns

Overview Title : Vice President of Policy & Campaigns Location : (Remote) Must reside in California Timeline : The position is open until filled. Expected start date : Q2 of 2026 Reclaiming the California Dream…. California Calls is looking for a Vice President of Policy & Campaigns—a strategic and politically savvy leader—who is energized by our work of building a movement to reclaim the California Dream of equality, opportunity, and prosperity for all Californians. In this role, you will develop campaign strategies and drive the policy agenda for the alliance, be a member of the executive leadership team and a thought partner to CEO and Board of Directors, and represent the organization across the movement ecosystem. You will manage a team of two talented senior staff members and work collaboratively across the organization to model a workplace culture that fosters: rigorous practice, mutual accountability, creativity, and boldness. To learn more about our work and other opportunities to join the team, explore our website. About California Calls California Calls (501c3) and its sister organization California Calls Action Fund (501c4) is a powerful alliance of 27 local community-based organizations spanning urban, rural, and suburban counties across the state. We engage, educate, and motivate new and infrequent voters, including young people, communities of color, and poor and working-class communities to ensure that the electorate represents all of California. Through our bottom-up approach, we organize people most impacted by decades of disinvestment, deteriorating public services, mass incarceration, and growing inequality in support of systemic policy solutions. Working together and building the power of communities who are often left out of policy decisions, we believe we can reclaim the California Dream for all Californians. Founded in 2009, we have an annual budget of $11M and a talented team of 27 staff members. With our headquarters in Los Angeles, remote staff across California, and partner organizations anchored in 14 counties, we advance state-based structural battles that strengthen democracy, fully-fund schools, affordable housing and local services, and expand racial, gender, and economic justice. Knowing no one organization alone can win the bold policies needed to address California’s biggest issues, we strengthen the capacity and build collaborations with organizations across the for a strong movement capable of winning structural change. In this moment of peril and possibility, we are holding the urgency of now while also creating space to dream expansively about the future. We are growing our power toward a broad-based multiracial movement of Californians united behind our shared values of authentic democracy, racial solidarity, corporate accountability, and interdependence. Current signature initiatives Million Voters Project is an unprecedented multi-racial, multigenerational alliance of 103 community-based organizations that comprise nine community-driven state and regional networks, reaching out to millions of voters across the state. Since 2015, we have collectively built a base of nearly 2.1 million supportive voters and infrastructure designed to win statewide and regional races. We are activating the rising California majority by organizing Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Latino, and young voters and employing voter outreach programs with cultural competency and in multiple languages. We Are California catalyzes a powerful mass base–a multiracial, multigenerational, multi-issue movement–that will carry forward a decade-long fight for true representative governing power in California. Through strategic collaboration with multiple organizations, we are opening avenues for hundreds of thousands of people to unite across differences and create a shared future where all communities can thrive. Together, we will build the California we are dreaming of: a home where everyone belongs. Schools and Communities First is a foundational campaign for California Calls and represents the kind of tough fight we are uniquely situated to pursue as a tenacious organization with a bold vision for what is possible with a broad coalition and community power. This decades-long fight to close a corporate tax loophole passed in 1978 (Prop 13) and bring billions of dollars back to our California school system and local services represents an unparalleled opportunity to create systems change for our state at such a massive scale that it would create shared prosperity for generations to come. Together, we are reclaiming the California Dream. Join us! Position Overview The Vice President of Policy & Campaigns is an organizational leader who furthers our mission by shaping and driving the overall strategy for our policy agenda. They will hold both decades-long movement strategy and manage the day-to-day details of moving a policy agenda across our organization and with partners. The position requires the ability to craft statewide ballot and legislative strategy and tactical plans, represent the organization to external audiences, and lead strategies to exercise grassroots power. Reporting to our CEO, and serving as a critical thought partner to her and other leaders across the organization, this position is part of our executive leadership team. The VP supervises two senior leaders: Political Director; Policy & Research Director. The VP works closely with the program directors, our executive leadership team, Board of Directors, anchors, and external partners to ensure that policy agenda is grounded in our values and strategic objectives, connected across teams, and moving shared objectives across our alliance and other partners. Responsibilities Long Term Policy Agenda and Statewide Campaigns Leads the development of a long-term vision and structural policy agenda, developing recommendations to the Board of Directors about policy positions, priorities, and campaigns, and supporting organization-wide education and coordination across teams to move the agenda. Tracks the state political conditions (decision makers, organized opposition, movement landscape, and active battles) and policy landscape (pending legislation, emerging and qualified ballot measures) related to California Calls reform principles and policy agenda, proactively identifying potential opportunities and obstacles. Works with VPs and other Directors to integrate narrative, organizing, and electoral strategies into the campaigns. Ensures that key project outcomes and/or policy, advocacy, and legislation are evaluated and leveraged for maximum community and organizational impact. Oversees component and campaign budgets and legal compliance. Team Management Provides supervision for two Director-level staff, building frameworks for team success and reflecting a workplace culture that fosters: rigorous practice, mutual accountability, creativity, and boldness. Guides staff with aligning their work plans and activities with broader organizational priorities, supporting staff with evaluation of tactics and related metrics, recommending adjustments and updates as needed across these two program areas. Directs the Policy Director to craft effective analysis and policy demands that advance California Calls long-term policy agenda. Directs the Political Director to develop and execute campaign strategy and tactical plans that exercises and leverage coalition and grassroots power. Coach and support staff to grow in their roles and as leaders, providing professional development and opportunities to encourage continuous learning and growth; with the support of outside facilitators, create space for staff to dream and vision, lifting our shared vantage beyond the present crisis and towards possibilities for the future. External Collaborations & Movement Building Works with the VP of Strategic Collaborations to strengthen relationships with allies and partners in support of campaigns, building power in service of our mission. Serve as an organizational representative as needed, stewarding relationships with alliance members and other key institutional partners, including grassroots organizations, labor, policymakers, media, research/academics, and funders. Oversees coalition development for statewide legislative and ballot campaigns. Who You Are You have 10+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in areas relevant to the work described here (e.g. campaign, legislative, organizing etc.) at a nonprofit organization, ideally at both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities. You have a heartfelt connection to California and are energized by our mission. You have 5+ years of supervisory team management experience, including the ability to develop team performance and build relationships that foster trust through direct feedback with compassion and clarity of purpose. You have a demonstrated commitment to social, racial, gender, and economic justice and to building power with communities of color. You have expertise in high-level policy, campaign and strategy development for statewide or regional ballot and/or legislative campaigns. Understanding of the California political landscape is preferred. You are highly-collaborative and have experience working in coalition, and/or with other complex partnerships while building trusting relationships and alignment across different settings, communities, and issues with people of different backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures. You are a creative and flexible thinker with an orientation towards problem-solving; able to maintain a sense of hope and possibility that provides direction and inspiration for others, building momentum and moving initiatives forward despite ambiguity or obstacles. Strong facilitation, public speaking, and written communication skills, including writing policy briefs, contributing to and editing reports, summary memoranda, correspondence, etc. and experience with the use of communications as a tool to support advocacy work and/or campaigns and/or fundraising and/or public education and/or power building. Bonus Qualifications We are open to drawing candidates from a wide range of professional backgrounds and aligned issue areas (e.g. housing justice, climate justice, economic justice, immigrant rights, education, worker power, LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive justice, criminal justice reform etc.) Other not required, but welcomed experiences are: experience as a community organizer, experience working with state and local elected officials, and connection with the broader landscape of social justice organizations in California and across the nation. This is a FTE remote position based in California. The VP must reside in California. In-state travel will be required roughly 1-2 times per month with additional travel as needed related to major campaigns/projects. Our goal is to have the VP begin their role during the second quarter of 2026. The annual compensation for this FTE position is an annual salary of $150,000. Additionally, employees receive a benefit package, including the following items and more: 100% employer-paid health coverage for employees and their family; dental and vision insurance; life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care; 401k Plan; and generous PTO (20 days vacation + 12 paid holidays). Application Instructions & Hiring Process This position is open until filled, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 2. A cover letter produced without the use of AI that thoughtfully addresses your alignment with the role and answers the following prompt: Tell us about an issue-based campaign you contributed to in some way that you are proud to be a part of. What was your role? Why this example? 3. A work sample of any kind or length that demonstrates related skills Nonprofit talent agency People Power is the search partner for this hire. We appreciate your time and interest in contributing your talents to California Calls’ mission. Thank you! You will receive an email auto-reply to your application. We wish we could respond personally to all applicants, but only those chosen to interview will be contacted. Please do not contact California Calls directly to inquire about the status of your application. Selected applicants will be invited to an initial 30-minute screening interview with People Power via phone. Those who continue in the process will have an opportunity to meet with executive leadership as well as the direct reports for this role over a series of three interviews that range from 30-60 minutes each. We welcome your interest and feedback. If you meet the minimum requirements for this position and would like to make a confidential inquiry and/or have questions regarding this position, please email Kate B. People Power: View email address on click.appcast.io #J-18808-Ljbffr Cacalls