Director of Civic Engagement

Founded in 1981 in partnership with whistleblowers, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that works to expose waste, corruption, abuse of power, and other instances where the government fails to serve the public. POGO has an over $7 million annual budget that supports a staff of over 50 employees. Join us as we champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

POGO is looking for a Director of Civic Engagement to develop and lead the implementation of the organization’s civic engagement strategy. The Director will be part of the leadership team and supervise staff and contractors and collaborate across internal teams across the organization to build a stronger network of engaged external partners.

We are looking for someone to bring a community equity and justice-minded approach to how we build power and influence to create changes that positively impact those most affected in our priority areas of work. POGO primarily focuses on federal-level policy and is looking for someone who can mobilize folks to create change at a federal level.

Candidates well qualified for this role will be an exceptional people leader and have experience building diverse, cross-partisan relationships from the ground up, basic understanding of one or more of our priority areas, solid working knowledge of the federal legislative process, have a passion for changing what’s politically possible and a commitment to infusing equity and justice into their approach. A successful candidate will also be seasoned in training, coalition/network building, digital narrative change, leading community listening sessions, developing grasstops and/or grassroots strategies, writing op-eds, planning hill days, etc.

This position would be nested within POGO’s Policy and Government Affairs Division. This division is currently comprised of the Government Affairs team, the Civic Engagement team, and 3 policy teams (Center for Defense Information, The Constitution Project, and Effective & Accountable Government). See below for a snapshot of POGO’s current policy portfolio across each team:

• The Center for Defense Information (CDI) advocates for a more effective sensible defense budget and strategy, including the health and safety if service members, building a pentagon budget to make us safer and not line the pockets of defense contractors, and enhancing effective engagement of civilians on military issues.

• The Constitution Project (TCP) seeks to strengthen democratic institutions and protect individual rights when threatened by the government's national security and policing powers, including reining in government surveillance, holding federal law enforcement accountable, and building a Supreme Court worthy of the public's trust.

• The Effective and Accountable Government (EAG) team advocates for government transparency, accountability, and effectiveness, including protecting whistleblowers, strengthening Inspectors General, tracking federal spending (outside of pentagon spending), and strengthening merit based civil service.

• The Government Affairs (GA) team leads government affairs and lobbying efforts for the organization and cultivates relationships on the hill that connect teams to influential people on the hill (elected officials, staffers, those with insider knowledge). 

We encourage potential applicants to apply even if they only have experience or familiarity in some of the areas described below. We fully recognize that many great candidates will not have experience in all of the areas we list, or may have relevant experiences and skills that we have not listed or considered.

Responsibilities include:

• In collaboration w/ POGO’s policy/GA, digital, and communications teams (and other relevant teams across the org), lead the creation and implementation of a comprehensive annual and 5-year civic engagement strategy that clearly outlines a path for POGO to be better informed and in community with organizations and individuals who are impacted in our priority areas.

• Serve as an in-house civic engagement subject matter expert, advising policy teams on effective ways to better engage local communities.

• Identify civic engagement-related opportunities within the division and/or organization’s overall strategy.

• Build and maintain external strong relationships with individuals, organizations, and coalitions to strengthen the policy campaigns that POGO leads.

• Establish new partnerships on behalf of POGO.

• Represent POGO in external meetings and events.

• Collaborate with other Directors, general staff, and the Executive Team to develop a civic engagement strategy is aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

• Contribute as a member of the Leadership Team (directors + executive staff) to build cohesion, trust, and connectedness across the organization.

• Ensure that the Civic Engagement Team is informed, connected, and aligned with organizational shifts and changes.

• Integrate principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into POGO’s civic engagement strategy.

• Develop and maintain systems to monitor and evaluate civic engagement progress and outcomes.

• Supervise, inspire, and develop early career full-time staff on the Civic Engagement team

• Develop work plans for the civic engagement team that contribute to the organization’s civic engagement strategy.

• Contribute to grant proposals and communicate with foundations and funders.

• Prepare language for reports to the public (our annual impact report) or funders that communicates civic engagement’s impact and outcomes.

• Other duties as needed or required to advance POGO’s mission.

Qualifications include:

• Minimum 5 years experience playing a lead role in planning and executing federal grassroots and/or grasstops issue-based advocacy campaigns (preferably both).

• Solid working knowledge of the federal legislative policymaking process, lobbying/hill facing advocacy, and how it can intersect with community-level civic engagement.

• Track record of success in advocacy campaigns, political education curriculum design, coalition building, community engagement.

• Demonstrated experience integrating justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into campaigns and into their leadership style.

• Minimum 3 years directly supervising and leading full-time, permanent staff (especially early career staff) in a way that is inspirational, accountable, and supportive.

• Empathetic and self-aware leader who is effective at building trust, connecting across difference, and inspiring people to take action.

• Courageous leader who is unafraid to hold space for conversations around the connections between civic engagement and race, gender, ability, immigration status, class, etc.

• Clear, kind, and direct communication and conflict-resolution skills.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead with vision in a new and evolving role.

• Deals with confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgment.

• Effective at independently building and maintaining relationships and partnerships from the ground up (think cold calling).

• (+) Working knowledge of POGO’s work areas (including but not limited to Pentagon accountability, Customs and Border Protection, government surveillance, federal spending tracking, etc.) preferred but not required.

• (+) Experience with civic engagement software (e.g. Quorum Stakeholder) or other methods of tracking engagement preferred but not required.

Compensation, benefits, and other information:

This position is eligible for remote work from anywhere within the United States provided you are available during POGO’s work hours of 9AM-6PM in the Eastern Time Zone. Otherwise, the position and POGO are based in Washington, DC.

This is a full-time position and includes the listed benefits:

• Competitive nonprofit salary in the range of $92,000 - $112,000

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• 403(b) employee investment plan available, with employer retirement contribution once eligible

• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage

• Paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave

To Apply: Please submit a resume and cover letter specifically detailing your interests in working at POGO. No phone calls please.

Application Deadline: January 1st, 2025

 POGO is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We encourage all interested and qualified individuals to apply.