Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy

Status: Full-time exempt (not eligible for overtime), with 90-day introductory period (see details below)

Reports to: Membership Director

Location: Remote within USA

Compensation: $110,000, eligible for benefits (see details below)

Job Summary

Are you passionate about preserving democracy through maintaining a free and independent press? Do you know how to quickly make sense of policy proposals and translate them into clear communication with stakeholders? If so, we want to talk to you about our Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy role. We’re looking for an experienced coalition builder to design and lead advocacy efforts on behalf of local independent online news businesses and drive policy outcomes at the national and state level.

LION Publishers is a professional journalism association that currently serves more than 600 independent news publishers across the U.S. and Canada. Most of our member organizations are small and scrappy. Much of the lobbying behind legislation that impacts news organizations is funded by large hedge fund backed newspapers that have not adapted to a digital ecosystem. Our mission is to help our members build sustainable news businesses, and an important part of how we can do that is to help them navigate external policy factors and join their voices together to influence future legislation.

Our ideal candidate has experience tracking policy developments, especially at the state level, and organizing successful online calls to action for relevant stakeholders. You know how to build relationships with key legislators’ offices to amplify the voices of constituents. You have advocacy experience in a place with relevant policies likely to be proposed in 2025: CO, IL, IN, KS, MD, MN, NM, NV, OR, SC, VT, WA, WI, and Washington DC.

This role will report to our Membership Director and work closely with staff across our organization, as well as our members in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Our team believes that relevant, accurate and culturally competent local news and information helps people fully engage in civic life, make more informed decisions and better understand the world around them. If you’re interested in helping us make this vision a reality and working in a space of optimism and growth, learn more about the job and how to apply below.

Key Responsibilities

• Policy research [25%]
  • Proactively identify and monitor policy proposals at the state and federal level that will have a material impact on LION’s core membership of small, digital independent news businesses
  • Identify emerging issues and trends and prepare reports to inform and support LION staff and members, as well as elected officials and partners
  • Research legislation passed domestically and internationally in recent years in order to iterate on LION’s policy agenda
• Public education and organizing [50%]
  • Develop materials using a range of outreach strategies to educate LION members and the public on the impacts of proposed and recently enacted legislation, which may include written materials, presentations, and social media content
  • Design and implement state/legislation-specific call-to-action campaigns for LION members to mobilize their staff and networks
  • Research and recruit local grassroots groups in key states to be campaign partners
  • Communicate and build relationships directly with key legislators’ office in order to connect them to LION member constituents, ensuring members’ voices are heard at every stage of policy development
  • Lead collaboration with industry groups and organizations with complementary goals to achieve policy objectives
  • Prepare reports, policy briefs, and testimony for legislative hearings and public forums
  • Draft communication for LION members to inform them on how to take advantage of tax breaks and other policy benefits made available through recent legislation
• Capacity-building [20%]
  • Educate and train staff and board members on advocacy strategies and policy issues
  • Cultivate a culture of advocacy within the organization, supporting the development of meaningful connections between individual roles and organizational efforts
  • Incorporate policy education into new and existing LION offerings, including News Entrepreneur Academy, Independent News Sustainability Summit programming, weekly industry newsletter, etc
• Lobbying [5%]
  • Serve as point of contact for pro bono lobbying firm, ensuring on-message and timely actions are planned on behalf of LION’s members
• Other duties as assigned

LION is an Equal Opportunity Employer

LION believes that a team with diversity of backgrounds and experiences will generate the most innovative ideas and ultimately do the best work in support of our mission. This is why we welcome contractors, vendors, staff and board members who contribute to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment. We understand diversity as multi-dimensional and intersectional, encompassing aspects of our identities including race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, class, geography, lived experiences and more. We welcome and encourage all qualified candidates to apply to opportunities at LION so that we build a team that reflects the diversity of independent news entrepreneurs we wish to serve.

We know there are great candidates who might not check all the boxes listed below or who possess important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

Skills and Qualifications for The Role

• Organizing Experience: Experience as an organizer and/or leading community organizing campaigns; knowledge and experience with the craft of grassroots organizing and power building
• Campaign Implementation: Some experience planning or implementing a state level campaign, including developing strategy and tactics, organizing, lobbying, media relations, and working with mid to senior level political, organizational and business leaders
• Systems Thinking: Proactively identifies emerging trends and changes in contexts and needs, and develops innovative strategies to navigate them
• Effective Communication: Strategically designs and delivers highly impactful multi-mode communications tailored to specific audiences, driving engagement and achieving desired outcomes
• Project Management: Oversees project management, proactively monitors progress, making necessary adjustments and ensuring project success
• Planning and Prioritization: Independently manages workload, effectively prioritizes tasks based on importance and urgency, and develops work procedures that enhance efficiency and productivity

Skills and Expectations for Teamwork at LION

• Work in a way that upholds and reflects our organizational values: Being data-informed, equitable and inclusive, people-centered, systems thinkers, transparent and iterative
• Use digital tools and platforms to stay organized, communicate transparently, and collaborate with team members remotely
• Collaborate strategically with others, clearly defining processes for decision making
• Give and receive constructive feedback to help the team produce its best work
• Celebrate our wins and learning moments
• Take on an experimental mindset and demonstrate flexibility to iterate on our work, systems, and processes
• Be willing and able to ask for help when needed, and demonstrate an ability to learn and grow in the role

Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position, at a desk or similar, 90% of the time. Time spent in stationary location includes operating a computer and relevant peripherals and communicating via phone.

Travel Requirements

• Available to travel for staff retreats 1-2 times per year (approx. 3 days per retreat)
• Available to travel for annual LION member event annually (approx. 3 days)
• More travel as needed to fulfill job responsibilities

About LION

Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional journalism association for independent news publishers. While most of our 500+ members across the U.S. and Canada run local news businesses, we also have members who serve larger regions and specific identity-based communities across geographies. LION provides teaching, resources and community to independent news entrepreneurs as they build and develop sustainable businesses. One of our core values is being people-centered, and here are some ways we build that culture for our staff.

90 Day Introductory Period

The first 90 days of employment is a try-out time for the employee and the Company. During this introductory period, the Company will evaluate employees’ suitability for employment and employees can evaluate the Company as well. The purpose of the introductory period is to be intentional about setting clear goals for the employee to accomplish, prompting regular feedback and support from the employee’s manager, and providing structure for a candid conversation about whether either the employee or the manager believes there is a misalignment of the employee’s competencies with and interest in the role.