Senior State Advocacy Manager

About Equality Ohio 

Our Vision | An Ohio where people are welcome, affirmed, and flourishing.

Our Mission | Equality Ohio identifies and transforms systems and institutions so LGBTQ+ Ohioans can
fully access legal and lived equality.

With a combined board of 13 individuals and a staff of 18+, Equality Ohio Education Fund and Equality Ohio, are the premier statewide LGBTQ education and advocacy organizations dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ equality in the Buckeye State.

Equality Ohio was founded in 2005 by a group of 65 dedicated LGBT activists and allies from all corners of Ohio after voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage and civil unions. Over a decade later, Equality Ohio’s work is broad and focuses on multiple aspects of LGBTQ equality in Ohio.

Equality Ohio has and continues to change hearts, minds, and laws to create an Ohio where people are welcome, affirmed, and flourishing. In recent years, Ohio has seen an uptick in attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, putting Equality Ohio at the forefront of some of the highest-profile and highest-stakes legislative battles in the country. 

What We’re Looking For: Position Overview

IMPACT STATEMENT | How does this position advance our vision and mission?

Equality Ohio is looking for our next Senior State Advocacy Manager. This is a key member of our state advocacy team, which, as a trusted statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, leads statewide legislative engagement on issues related to LGBTQ+ rights by monitoring legislative activity, analyzing new and changing legislative language, convening and training community members to advocate directly to decision-makers, and educating community members about LGBTQ+ related bills. This work requires close collaboration with Ohio’s community leaders, social justice and LGBTQ+ organizations, faith communities, unions, and businesses, as well as elected officials across the political spectrum. 

The Senior State Advocacy Manager supports Equality Ohio’s legislative advocacy work, both at the state and federal level, by directly engaging with legislators, lobbyists, organizational partners, and other stakeholders. The Senior State Advocacy Manager is part of the State Advocacy team under the Director of Advocacy.

The Senior State Advocacy Manager seeks to expand Equality Ohio’s capacity to advocate for a broad range of issues impacting LGBTQ+ Ohioans by collaborating with staff members in various departments - particularly the communications and field teams - to find viable policy solutions to the hurdles that LGBTQ+ Ohioans face on a regular basis.

Equality Ohio and Equality Ohio Education Fund are dedicated to non-partisan advocacy and meeting elected officials wherever they are on their journey to supporting their LGBTQ+ constituents. A willingness and excitement to work with members of all political parties to achieve equality in Ohio is vital to success in this position. 

Legislative efforts the Senior State Advocacy Manager will educate about and advance include the Ohio Fairness Act, measures to protect youth from conversion therapy, measures impacting LGBTQ+ families, and other legislative opportunities as they arise. They also work to protect against legislation, such as attacks on transgender young people in accessing healthcare and extracurricular activities. 

Position Details

SUPERVISOR | Senior State Advocacy Manager

SALARY RANGE | $47,000-60,000

CLASSIFICATION | Non-Exempt / Bargaining Unit Position

LOCATION | Columbus, Ohio

This position will require consistent presence at the statehouse; the frequency varies based on the legislative and state advocacy work and could be as often as weekly.

START DATE | February/March 2025

Bargaining Unit

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United. Specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to negotiations for a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

DUTIES | What are this position's activities, responsibilities, and deliverables?

The overarching objectives of the Sr. State Advocacy Manager include the following:

• Policy & State Advocacy Priorities & Activities
• Advance legal and lived equality in Ohio by helping to pass positive legislation for LGBTQ+ Ohioans, including but not limited to the Ohio Fairness Act, bills to protect youth against the harms of “conversion therapy,” and more
• Prevent and coordinate responses to attacks on legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ Ohioans by monitoring Statehouse legislation for bills that would negatively impact LGBTQ+ Ohioans, including but not limited to bills restricting support to LGBTQ+ youth, Pastor Protection Acts, and more
• Assist the state advocacy team in responding to events that may occur in the LGBTQ+ policy sphere (e.g., a major court decision or introduction of harmful legislation)
• Educate federal legislators and members of their staffs on the importance of nondiscrimination protections at the federal level

• Statehouse Engagement
• Track and monitor statehouse activities, public statements, and political context that impacts LGBTQ+ and intersectional policy issues, including but not limited to:
• Elected officials’ actions on various legislation in order to issue an accurate and fair Scorecard grade at least once per General Assembly session
• Introduction of legislation and providing an initial assessment on the impact to LGBTQ+ Ohioans
• Bill status changes and movement
• Lawmaker, agency, and governmental social media accounts
• Build relationships with legislative staff & statehouse lobbyists
• Recruit and connect constituents with their state and federal elected officials through meetings, calls, and emails
• Write and submit testimony on bills that impact LGBTQ+ Ohioans on behalf of Equality Ohio
• Analyze legislation, administrative rules, and other policies and their potential impact on LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities

• Convene Stakeholders
• Connect and coordinate with community partners on intersectional advocacy, policy, and legislative work to advance social justice broadly within Ohio 
• Expand and mobilize Ohio Business Competes, the coalition of over 1,000 businesses, organizations, unions, and universities supporting nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Ohioans
• Participate in the bi-weekly trans, gender non-conforming, intersex (TGNCI) workgroup 
• Provide planning and preparation support for town halls and other public events supporting policy priorities

• Public Engagement
• Speaking and presenting at conferences, coalition meetings, partner events, trainings, and more (average 3-6 per month)
• Serving as an occasional media spokesperson in coordination with the Director of Advocacy and Communications Team (during busy season the EO team may deploy multiple spokespeople to respond to 10+ media interview requests per week) 
• Providing social media support, including making TikToks, executing communications requests to provide social content (e.g. pictures, videos, etc.), and consulting on messaging to maximize political and narrative impact 

• Administrative Tasks
• Utilizing EO’s Every Action database to ensure tracking of:
• Relationships and engagement (i.e. coalition partners, lawmakers, etc.)
• Grant deliverables (i.e. # of testimonies, constituent contacts generated, etc.)
• Writing and editing handouts, presentations, and other educational materials
• Ensuring statehouse tracking activities are documented appropriately and easily accessible internally

• Shared Organization Responsibilities - Expectations for all EO Team Members
• Upholding and advancing Equality Ohio’s vision, mission, and values. 
• Participation in internal staff meetings, including weekly TouchPoints, monthly staff meetings, equity trainings, and period retreats and strategic planning sessions
• Adapting to and utilizing internal communications and document retention protocols and platforms 
• Providing content and expertise to inform grant proposals and reports and funder communications as needed

Who We’re Looking For: Qualifications, Skills, Profile, & Work Environment

QUALIFICATIONS | What backgrounds, skills, and experiences are we looking for?

Candidates are required to be/have:

• Unwavering commitment to addressing the needs of LGBTQ+ Ohioans
• Awareness of the issue priorities, policy battles, and experiences of LGBTQ+ Ohioans
• Minimum three (3) years of professional or volunteer experience in/in a combination of community organizing, project management, volunteer management, legislative work, and/or electoral work
• Demonstrated experience in grassroots and grasstops organizing and advocacy strategies 
• Ability and availability to have a consistent presence at the statehouse, often weekly depending on the legislative, advocacy and policy efforts
• Experience working on political campaigns
• Comfortable communicating and collaborating with policymakers and staff of all political parties
• Competency in working with diverse groups in an intersectional manner and across all levels of organizations with a commitment to building positive collaboration
• Strong technical and persuasive writing skills 
• Able to digest and translate complicated and detailed policy analyses for multiple audiences
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.), Google Drive
• Adept at navigating social media platforms

We prefer but do not require the following qualifications and skills:

• A strong understanding of Ohio state politics and its major players
• Direct experience working at an LGBTQ+ or trans-focused movement organization
• Bachelor's degree in political science, public administration, or related field 
• An understanding that the process of changing hearts and minds is not overnight or immediate, which is a core element of our theory of change
• Experience leading and managing others
• Experience delivering training content, presentations, slide shows, etc.
• Experience designing training curriculum
• Ability to draft and/or recite talking points and press materials
• Familiarity with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system and experience with Every Action in particular
• Spanish speaker
• Facilitation skills

PROFILE | What are the characteristics of a successful candidate for this position?

Successful candidates should be/have:

• Commitment to Equality Ohio’s vision, mission, and values, with a particular focus on racial justice.
• Passionate about LGBTQ+ equality broadly and public policy and advocacy work specifically.
• A collaborative team player with an appreciation for diverse approaches to the work.
• The flexibility, humor, and humility to thrive in a fast-paced hybrid remote and in-person environment.
• Resourceful, adaptable, patient, and flexible to navigate complex situations in real-time.
• Charismatic and diplomatic to cultivate, nurture, and maintain relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders and navigate statehouse and coalition dynamics.
• Willing and excited to work across the political spectrum.
• Willing to serve as a public face of EO when needed, including in media interviews, as a social media influencer, and more.
• Attention to detail, exceptional writing skills, and the ability to track, lead, and/or implement multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Have excellent written, verbal, and listening communication skills, along with effective public speaking and presentation skills.
• Be able to effectively manage competing priorities and re-prioritize as needed. 
• Self-motivated and able to work independently without constant direct staff contact.

Work Environment

Schedule

Equality Ohio’s regular business hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Non-exempt employees shall be permitted a 30-minute paid lunch each day. All employees shall be entitled to a fifteen (15) minute break for each four (4) hour period worked. The default regular work week shall consist of forty (40) hours per week.

Due to the nature of the work of Equality Ohio - and this position in particular -  employees may have to work weeknights and weekends. Employees may be permitted to balance time to equalize their workload and account for the flexibility needed to accomplish the above-mentioned work. To provide opportunities for internal meetings, employees are generally expected to establish a schedule such that they are typically available for work meetings during the hours between 9:00am and 4:00pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, recognizing that circumstances may at times require a meeting to take place outside of this timeframe. As an organization, we expressly strive to limit the number of meetings on Fridays after 12:00 noon.

Travel

Candidates should be able to travel independently across the state, sometimes overnight. In-state travel outside of Columbus is estimated at approximately two (2) times per month. Out-of-state travel may occur up to three (3) times per year. 

Travel will be reimbursed or paid for directly per EO’s internal policies. Mileage is reimbursed at the standard IRS rate. Per diems are provided and vary based on in-state or out-of-state travel.  

Physical Demands

The nature of this position requires nearly constant sedentary positions, including significant work at a computer (e.g. typing, document creation, database management, reading, tracking, video conferences, phone calls, etc.) and participation in meetings, legislative hearings, and more. There may be the occasional need to lift and move furniture, tables, etc. at events. Additionally, as this position requires one to be in the statehouse and attend various public events, there may be instances where the person encounters weather and outdoor elements, temperature fluctuations, enclosed spaces, and noisy environments. Accommodations can and will be made for candidates who may not be able to meet some of the physical demands outlined.

Salary & Benefits

• Salary Range: $47,000-60,000
• Benefits, including:
• Generous time off package, including paid vacation after six months of employment, 10 paid holidays, 15 days of paid organizational shutdown breaks, 2 weeks of paid sick leave per year, paid family and medical leave, and more.
• Health and vision insurance with minimal employee contribution ($105 per month + $105 per month for optional family coverage)
• Employee-paid dental insurance
• Paid Family Leave and sabbatical opportunities based on length of service 
• FSA with employer $25 per month contribution
• Employer-paid life insurance 
• Access to optional employee-paid insurance coverage, including long-term disability coverage.
• 403-B plan with employer matching
• Digital security services. 
• Multiple stipend opportunities, including Bring Your Own Device, cell phone, internet, and professional development stipends. 
• Access to a Bodily Autonomy Assistance Fund 

Equity Commitment

Studies have shown that women, non-binary folks, and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay. We would strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

People of color, LGBTQ+ people, and those with gender-expansive identities are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Equality Ohio does not discriminate on any basis, including sex, age, class, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, ancestry, military status, genetic information, marital status, physical or mental ability or disability, race, religion, sexual orientation; access to public benefits and/or housing voucher assistance; other sources of income that do not conflict with the fundamental values or needs of the organization; veteran status; criminal record provided the past convictions do not impact funding, the organization’s values and mission, the employee’s ability to perform their core job duties, and licensing requirements; or any other characteristic protected by law.