Leaders We Deserve: Down-Ballot Recruitment Director

Leaders We Deserve: Down-Ballot Recruitment Director

Leaders We Deserve is a PAC and SuperPAC dedicated to electing the next generation of bold, young, progressive leaders to state legislatures and Congress. We collaborate directly with candidates on their campaign strategy, communication, fundraising, political outreach, and coalition building to help them run the best campaigns humanly possible and maximize their chance of winning. In the final months of their campaigns, we run hard-hitting independent expenditures on their behalf.

LWD was co-founded by David Hogg, Parkland survivor and Gun Safety advocate, along with Kevin Lata, Congressman Maxwell Frost's Campaign Manager and the 2022 Campaign Manager of the year.

Location: In-person, Washington, DC; LWD office

Down-Ballot Recruitment Director Overview:

We're building the bench for the next generation of political leadership and we're looking for someone who knows how to find, inspire, and recruit Millennials and Gen Z leaders ready to step into the arena. The Down-Ballot Recruitment Director for will lead a strategic initiative to identify and support young, values-driven candidates for local and state-level offices. This is a mission-critical role that sits at the intersection of politics, movement-building, and culture.

A successful Leaders We Deserve employee will:

• Think outside the box: This person will have a high level of creativity and constantly questions conventional knowledge. This person knows that just because it was done one way in the past, doesn't mean it has to continue to be done that way.
• Be a self-starter: This person possesses a can-do attitude and constantly thinks about how we can exceed what seems possible. This person will be an independent worker and collaborate across departments.
• Be detail-oriented and thoughtful: This person understands that working in a small organization means that the details and precision matter, but also doesn't become a prisoner to them and let perfection stand in the way of action.
• Be highly communicative: This person will be a proactive communicator towards management and co-workers when issues arise in carrying out their projects and duties. This person can give feedback in a direct, but respectful way. We're looking for radical candor, not "brutal honesty".
• Extremely dedicated to electing young progressives: This person sees the virtue in electing progressive young people and believes they have a critical role to play in our party and in advancing the progressive agenda.

Down-Ballot Recruitment Director Responsibilities:

• Candidate Recruitment
• Identify and recruit young leaders (typically aged 1830) to run for state legislatures
• Build relationships with campus groups, youth advocacy organizations, digital creators, and community networks to surface potential candidates.
• Organize and host "Run for Something" info sessions, recruitment events, and listening tours in target geographies and online spaces.
• Pipeline Development
• Develop and manage a dynamic, trackable pipeline of Millennial and Gen Z prospects using internal tools and CRM platforms (e.g., Airtable, NGP, VAN).
• Create outreach systems that reflect where young people are including social media, text, Discord, Twitch, and other platforms.
• Set demographic and geographic goals with a strong focus on racial equity, LGBTQ+ representation, and first-generation leaders.
• Candidate Onboarding & Readiness
• Help prospective candidates assess where and when to run
• Coordinate candidate preparation resources such as political trainings, mentorship pairings, messaging bootcamps, and digital strategy support.
• Partner with campaign staff, training hubs, and movement allies to ensure a strong support structure is in place.
• Strategic Collaboration
• Work with political, comms, digital, and organizing teams to integrate youth recruitment into broader electoral and movement goals.
• Monitor key deadlines (e.g., filing dates, redistricting updates) and identify new opportunities in real-time.
• Provide regular reporting on outreach, recruitment outcomes, and pipeline diversity metrics.

Down-Ballot Recruitment Director Qualifications:

• 36 years of experience in campaigns, organizing, or political recruitment
• Deep networks or lived experience within Millennial and Gen Z communities, and a track record of building trust across race, class, gender, and geography.
• Passion for local politics and down-ballot races as a lever for structural change.
• Strong interpersonal, digital organizing, and event facilitation skills you can recruit someone from TikTok and help them launch a city council campaign.
• Comfort using digital organizing platforms, CRMs, and political data tools (e.g., VAN, Mobilize, Reach, Airtable).
• Nice to have qualifications (but not required):
• Experience working with BIPOC youth-led movements or civic education efforts.
• Prior campaign or training experience (manager, field director, trainer, or candidate).
• Prior caucus or state legislative campaign experience

This role is dynamic and will be time intensive. Leaders We Deserve is looking for a candidate who is comfortable with late-night work sessions and weekend projects when there are important events, deadlines are pressing, or urgent communication needs arise, particularly in the lead up to the election. Additional responsibilities are likely to arise given the growth stage of the organization and the current political environment. Additionally, this role includes travel across the country, which could be a few days a month, up to two weeks. The most likely amount of travel will be at least 5 days a month, but you should be prepared and ready if more is needed.

Down-Ballot Recruitment Director Compensation:

• Salary: $100,000 - $120,000 annually
• Healthcare: 100% employer paid platinum level healthcare, dental, and vision.
• Benefits:
• 5% employer match for 401k retirement plan
• $5,000 moving stipend if living outside DMV area
• Cell phone stipend
• Transportation stipend
• Professional development stipend
• Lots of snacks in the office
• Classpass fitness benefit
• Paid time off policies:
• Vacation (starting at 15 days per year)
• Sick (10 days per year)
• 14 paid holidays, along with bereavement and voting time off.
• In December and January of 2025, LWD will also be observing a 4 week remote work and office closure period. This closure is revisited on a yearly basis and may not be offered every year.
• Work From Home: 15 days per year
• 12 week paid parental leave policy, with a service qualification.

We value diversity, equity and inclusion. Leaders We Deserve is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status. We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our community.