National Field Director – Global Trade Watch-Washington DC.

Public Citizen seeks a strategic and experienced organizing professional to serve as National Field Director for our Global Trade Watch (GTW) division. The National Field Director plays an integral role in developing GTW’s overall strategy, while leading our field operation. The job involves working closely with other senior-level GTW staff, including the GTW Director and Deputy Director, the International Campaigns Director, the Research Director and Communications Officer to develop winning strategies and campaigns. The National Field Director oversees a small organizing staff, sometimes amplified by short-term contractors and field interns, and coordinates with the organizing staff and grasstops leadership of national and state-level ally organizations.

General Description:

The Field Director develops and implements national grassroots strategies and campaigns to support GTW’s initiatives, supervises the organizing staff, serves as primary liaison with the national Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC) coalition for campaign coordination, and coordinates with the GTW international campaigns, research and communications operations.

Specific Responsibilities:

1. Work with GTW lobbyists, research and communications staff to plan, develop and implement national issue campaigns.
2. Supervise the work of GTW’s field staff, including creating and implementing professional development and work plans that ensure organizers’ success.
3. Work with national coalition partners to plan joint strategies on legislative initiatives and campaigns, and, where appropriate, take the lead role in implementing and supervising the campaign plan.
4. As assigned, work with the Citizens Trade Campaign to coordinate field work, including, as agreed by the GTW and CTC Directors, supervising specific CTC-paid regional contract organizers and consultants for work such as local coalition building, lobbying efforts, press outreach and special events.
5. Phone work and regular travel to build networks and motivate local organizations and coalitions through public speaking, media appearances, strategic planning and training.
6. Work with communications staff and Deputy Director to develop and supervise management of state and local media strategies, including new media, free and earned media events, media contacts, editorial mailings, talk radio alerts, and op-ed placement.
7. Develop (and oversee other organizers’ development) of organizing materials, issue updates, action alerts, and media materials needed to implement issue campaigns.
8. Design online strategies to build lists, motivate action and, in coordination with press staff, help elevate GTW’s online presence.
9. Prepare and recommend budgets and staffing patterns for field activity based on campaign goals.
10. Supervise the maintenance of national coalition, key contact, and state databases, and build and maintain relationships with key grasstops allies.
11. Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

1. Education: College degree preferred – equivalent experience may be substituted. Formal organizer training preferred.
2. Knowledge: Extensive knowledge of legislative strategies and advocacy techniques, organizing, and building organizational capacity. Working knowledge of trade a plus.
3. Work Experience: Four to eight years of field organizing for legislative and/or electoral campaigns on the state and/or national level. Significant supervisory and training experience.
4. Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills; strong interpersonal, supervisory strategic planning and training skills; excellent media skills; good computer skills; familiarity with database programs helpful.
5. Capabilities: Ability to work well with a wide range of people, work well under pressure, and adapt to changing situations on a daily basis.
6. Conditions: Long hours possible when Congress is in session; travel required; and climbing two flights of stairs is necessary.

People of color, women and LGBT candidates are encouraged to apply.

About Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch:

Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent the public interest in Congress, the executive branch and the courts. We fight for openness and democratic accountability in government; for social and economic justice in globalization and trade policies; for clean, safe and sustainable energy; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; for safe, effective and affordable medicines and health care; and for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts. We have offices in Washington, D.C., and Texas.
The mission of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch division is to ensure that in this era of globalization, a majority in America and around the world have the opportunity to enjoy economic security; a clean environment; safe food, medicines and products; access to quality affordable services such as health care; and the exercise of democratic decision-making about the matters that affect their lives.
Public Citizen started working on globalization and “trade” issues in 1991 when we recognized that this was necessary simply to remain effective advocates for the public health, consumer safety, environmental and economic justice goals Public Citizen had promoted over decades. Motivating this strategic initiative was our realization that today’s international commercial agreements, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), were no longer mainly about trade per se. Rather, these far-reaching agreements were backdoor delivery mechanisms to implement an expansive, enforceable package of nontrade policies – limits on financial regulation and food safety, new monopoly patent rights over medicines and seeds that limit access, new investor rights that promote job offshoring and subject public interest policies to attack, and more. This corporate-led version of globalization is designed to limit governments’ role in regulating the economy and to eliminate many of the public-interest safeguards Public Citizen and like-minded organizations and activists had won over decades. And it shifts decision-making on matters previously determined in national, state and local venues to international bodies where those affected by the decisions have no meaningful role.
Since its inception in 1995, GTW has been a leader in popularizing the globalization and trade debate by connecting these seemingly arcane policies to people’s everyday experiences – and helping people make a difference in the future of globalization by giving them the tools they need to educate their communities, hold Congress accountable for policy choices and hit the streets to protest. GTW works with diverse national and international coalitions. For more information, please see our websites: www.tradewatch.org andwww.exposethetpp.org

Send cover letter, resume and writing sample to[email protected].