Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications

About the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

The DLCC's sole mission is to win Democratic majorities and build Democratic power in state legislatures. To grow governing power, we battle to win and hold majorities, build their capacity to be self-sustaining, and expand the map cycle over cycle to shape the future of this country. As the official party committee dedicated to state legislatures, we also represent and elevate our ballot level on the national stage to bring more attention and resources to this ballot level.

Over the last decade, a reimagined and reinvigorated Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has reversed electoral trends and shifted the competitive state legislative map in this new decade. While fighting from behind due to Republicans' massive war chest, rigged maps, and focus among Democrats and progressives on the federal level, the DLCC has won back a dozen majorities in the states - including a historic midterm election cycle in 2022 when Democrats flipped four chambers red to blue, and the President's party did not lose a single chamber for the first time in modern history.


The DLCC is an all-of-the-above committee that operates year-round, providing funds for the full scope of campaign work and running significant independent advertising to win races. The data, targeting, organizing, digital, communications and fundraising support, and strategic expertise we provide to states is invaluable. Winning state legislatures doesn't happen in a single election - they are multi-cycle plays, and the DLCC's work with our caucuses to lay the groundwork for future Democratic wins. And when the DLCC secures new majorities, Democrats move quickly on an agenda that protects fundamental freedoms and builds an economy for all.


The DLCC has momentum in our strategy for the decade, and we cannot let up. Extreme MAGA Republicans are showing no signs of slowing down their anti-democratic crusade and there's a long fight ahead of us that will require more investment, attention, and resources for state legislative races. Every victory at our level of the ballot is a win for the future of the Democratic Party, and this year, we're capitalizing on our progress so far to defend our ground and keep expanding the map for Democratic power.


Alongside our mission, we also value our team. We are explicit about our culture and values and how they impact our work and collaboration with others. The DLCC staff, along with our Board of Directors, are committed to holding ourselves to a standard of respect, inclusion, growth, and performance that meets the political and organizational requirements of the future we want to build.

Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications

The DLCC's Research Department exists to strengthen the credibility and authority of the organization. It is responsible for ensuring DLCC's narratives are the most salient in elevating the DLCC's brand, principals, and surrogates, demonstrating the relevance of state legislatures among our primary audiences. The Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications ensures that all public and semi-public DLCC communications are accurate and verifiable.

The Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications role is to provide analysis and research that promotes the DLCC's brand and authority at the state legislative level of the ballot and increases engagement with the ballot level among progressive and Democratic donors, activists, and leaders. Responsibilities include providing research and analysis that supports the DLCC to elevate its brand, DLCC principals, and surrogates in alignment with our fundraising, communications, and marketing strategies; managing DLCC's approvals, candidate and surrogate vetting, and discrete research projects in service of DLCC's messaging.


The Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications manages one Research Assistant. This position is expected to work within the Marketing & Communications team and cross-departmentally to ensure DLCC messaging is factual, salient to our priority audiences, and hard-hitting.

Overseeing the Research Assistant's fact-checking of organizational communications is also a component of this work and requires the Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications to help the team meet inflexible deadlines and juggle multiple priorities during regular working hours; this position is not expected to work weekends or after-hours regularly. The DLCC offers flextime, compensatory time, and other benefits that support work-life balance.

This position reports to the Director of Communications. The DLCC is a hybrid organization located in Washington, DC. This position is eligible to be permanently remote or for flexible work arrangements. This is a cycle hire position through December 31, 2026.

The Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications is expected to model the values of the DLCC:

• CREDIBILITY: We are respected and trusted in words and actions.
• INCLUSIVE: The DLCC values the unique experience and perspective of all who work here. We strive to make all contributors feel welcomed, valued, and respected. We focus on outcomes, recognizing different people approach opportunities and challenges differently.
• INITIATIVE: We exhibit high levels of creativity in our work and need all team members to proactively contribute ideas to move our work forward.
• RESULTS DRIVEN: Our team undertakes projects professionally and executes them fully, and to completion.
• RISK: We identify opportunities to employ new ideas and tactics and execute these ideas when we believe the potential reward outweighs the risk. We evaluate, learn, and improve our strategy, both when the risks pay off and when they do not.
• TEAMWORK: We work collaboratively, additively, and in sync with our colleagues. Our individual work considers the needs, capacity, and expertise of those we work alongside.

Responsibilities

Strategy

• Maintain an accurate understanding of DLCC's organizational strategy and our finance, communications, digital, and political departmental strategies.
• Maintain knowledge of state legislative-focused narratives and effective messaging for DLCC's audiences.
• Maintain knowledge of salient electoral messaging for DLCC's national audiences.
• Maintain knowledge and information systems that analyze the strengths and weaknesses of organizations focused on the state legislative, LG, and state supreme court elections.
• Provide analysis of the progressive and Democratic influence landscape and opportunities to elevate both the ballot level and the DLCC.
• Provide perspective and manage the research team to deliver research products that support the development and recognition of DLCC's brand, principals, and surrogates.

Research

• Design, plan, execute, and assist with research projects that are responsive to donor, partner, and press requests and topics of interest.
• Oversee the tact-checking of public-facing materials within a short time frame and provide final sign-off for the department when required.
• Play a primary role in reviewing materials from other researchers, providing edits and feedback that help team members improve their skills.
• Identify examples of DLCC's work and impact statements, votes, or other events that offer opportunities for communications, digital, finance, and political teams to promote to their audiences.
• Collaborate across departments to execute on additional rapid and long-term messaging opportunities, particularly for targeted races or chambers.
• Develop and maintain systems for cataloging research products.

Team Management

• Supervised employees: Research Assistant
• Prioritize and manage day-to-day research needs and research projects.
• Develop and maintain systems for cataloging and sharing research products.
• Cultivate and guide the professional growth of the team by establishing and maintaining thoughtful opportunities to learn, grow, and receive constructive feedback.
• Uphold DLCC expectations for supervisors.
• Act with integrity and awareness of one's power as a leader.
• Maintain a harassment-free and inclusive workplace for team members.
• Ensure work is aligned and prioritized based on DLCC's organizational strategy, coordinated-side political strategy, independent-side political strategy when assigned to the IE, and priorities within any given state, chamber, and/or target.

Outcomes

• The DLCC understands the brands, messaging, and tactics of its competitors for influence and fundraising.
• The DLCC understands its brand and influence advantages and has access to data about fundraising and spending benchmarks of allies and competitors.
• The DLCC has facts, examples, trends, and impactful narratives about our ballot level that are informed by state legislative tracking (ours or procured from others)
• The DLCC is confident in the veracity of its public and private communications and multimedia production.
• DLCC narratives gain national and target state donors, media, and digital audience share among progressive audiences.
• DLCC's vetting produces credible, aligned candidates for DLCC and its allies to support.
• Research aligns its time and resources consistently with the organization's objectives and targets.
• DLCC's public-facing language is inclusive, respectful, and accessible.
• Junior staff are efficiently managed and well mentored.
• Staff perform to a high standard, continuously improve, and have high levels of satisfaction.

Qualifications/Skills/Knowledge

• Minimum four years of experience managing political or advocacy research projects and staff at the federal or state/local level, with often quick and rapid response deadlines.
• Proven project and people management skills, including communications with external parties.
• Advanced research skills and knowledge of LexisNexis, legislative resources, and campaign finance databases.
• Advanced attention to detail, precision, and organization.
• Advanced ability to write, edit, and fact-check with precision.
• Advanced ability to understand or clarify objectives and prioritize work.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office/Google Suite.
• Calm during high-volume, fast-paced periods.
• A keen political instinct.
• Shares our commitment to electing state legislative Democrats.

Physical Requirements

The DLCC is committed to supporting employees of varying abilities and to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to thrive at the DLCC.


The requirements of this role, related to its physical demands, described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.


All DLCC employees must be able to operate a computer and use a cell phone. For roles at the DLCC that include frequent business travel expectations, we can discuss reasonable alternatives to travel in some instances. Most roles also require communicating with key external stakeholders of the organization in person, via the telephone, or via email. Applicants with questions about accommodations may request to speak with our ADA liaison, Kennissa Brown.

Essential functions of the role include:

• Working from a computer for long periods of time;
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to communicate using the telephone, email, and in-person with stakeholders; and
• This position has less than 5% travel and is eligible for flexible work-hour arrangements.
• This role may require work outside of normal business hours.

How to Apply

Salary for the Deputy Director of Research & Strategic Communications is $95,400.00, commensurate with experience and qualifications. The DLCC offers a generous benefits package, including:

• Unlimited paid time off, including time off for all Federal holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year, and sick days.
• Fully paid health/vision/dental insurance for the employee + spouse/partner + dependents.
• Up to 6% retirement employer contribution.
• Monthly use-it-or-lose-it $100 transit benefit for employees located in the DC region.
• Employer contribution of $500 to employee's Flexible Spending Account, and opportunity to withhold pre-tax income for Dependent Care Account.
• Up to $5,000 employer-paid Health Reimbursement Account for IVF-related costs or Adoption Assistance, and up to $2,500 for employer-paid Health Reimbursement Account for out-of-pocket dental and orthodontic expenses.
• Monthly $100 student loan payment benefit.
• Monthly $100 mobile phone reimbursement.
• and more.

To apply for this position, please complete an electronic applicationby June 4, 2026 via The DLCC may review applications after this deadline in limited circumstances; however, this is not a guarantee that your application will be considered if it is not submitted by June 4, 2026. Only complete applications through the application portal will be accepted. You must also include a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to be considered for this position. When an applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to compete for this position, they may request it in writing by emailing jobs(at)dlcc.org. No calls please. Applicants will be screened on a rolling basis.

The DLCC is committed to an inclusive and equitable environment and diversity among its staff and recognizes that its continued success requires the highest commitment to engaging, retaining, and supporting a diverse staff that provides the best quality services to supporters and constituents. The DLCC is an equal opportunity employer and it is our policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, personal appearance, marital status, family responsibilities, genetic information, or any other legally protected basis. The DLCC will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination and any such conduct is strictly prohibited.