Manager, State Advocacy & Engagement

American Psychological Association•Washington, DC

1d•$76,500 - $118,000•Remote

About The Position

The Manager, State Advocacy & Engagement leads strategic engagement and advocacy support efforts with APA’s 60+ State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs). This role advances coordinated state-level advocacy initiatives, strengthens affiliate relationships, and ensures alignment between national and state priorities. The Manager supports key internal and external advocacy resources, and supports the operational and engagement needs of CESPPA—the Conference of Executive Directors of State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations. The Manager provides administrative oversight for SPTA grant programs, which includes the SPTA Advocacy Grant Program and the SPTA Operations Grant Program. This position is matrixed to the Deputy Chief of Public Policy & Engagement and plays a central role in fostering strong partnerships, facilitating collaboration across leadership groups, and driving consistent communication to advance shared advocacy goals. The Manager also provides staff support for the annual Practice and SPTA Leaders Conference (PSLC), helping to coordinate programming, logistics, and stakeholder engagement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Master’s degree is preferred (psychology, public health, political science, or public policy, or a related field, for example). In lieu of Master’s degree, a minimum of four years of progressively responsible experience is required.
Three to five years of experience in advocacy, project management, or in a scientific, research, or health-focused organization. Relevant experience acquired as part of academic programs will be considered.
Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and solutions-focused.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
High-level competency with virtual meeting technologies (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams).
Demonstrated expertise in utilizing artificial intelligence tools (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT) to support workflow optimization and strategic communications.

Nice To Haves

Experience with grant administration or program oversight preferred.

Responsibilities

In coordination with Deputy Chief of State Advocacy, support coordinated engagement efforts with SPTA leaders to strengthen advocacy capacity and partnership alignment.
Support relationship-building initiatives that promote collaboration, information-sharing, and strategic alignment across affiliates.
Facilitate communication between APA staff and SPTA leadership to ensure clarity, responsiveness, and shared understanding of advocacy priorities.
Provide administrative support for two SPTA grant programs, including application processes, review coordination, tracking, compliance, reporting, and evaluation.
Manage grant timelines, communications, and documentation to ensure transparency and accountability.
Manage advocacy-related projects and tools that support SPTAs, including resource hubs, dashboards, and tracking systems.
Oversee timelines, stakeholder input, implementation, improvement, and evaluation of engagement products.
Collaborate with internal teams to develop materials that enhance SPTA advocacy infrastructure and effectiveness.
Provide operational support for the annual Practice and SPTA Leaders Conference, and other Advocacy conferences as needed.
Provide staff support to the Deputy Chief of Public Policy and Engagement to manage CESPPA including Schedule CESPPA Executive Committee and bimonthly virtual meetings Respond to CESPPA member inquiries as needed