Senior Director of Partnerships & Advocacy

Education Reform Now Advocacy

12h • $160,000 - $180,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and its partner organizations, Education Reform Now (ERN) and Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Partnerships and Advocacy to lead high-impact national and state-level initiatives that advance educational opportunity for families across the country—especially low-income families and families of color.
This is a leadership role designed to grow over time. The Senior Director of Partnerships & Advocacy will initially focus with urgency and full investment on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC)—a transformative and time-sensitive opportunity to expand available education dollars for families in states across the country. With 36 states holding gubernatorial elections in 2026, the window to build political will and secure FSTC opt-in commitments is immediate and consequential. Success in this phase will require rapid coalition building, deep government relations work, and sophisticated multi-state execution.
As the FSTC initiative matures, this role will evolve to lead other major organizational priorities adjacent to continued FSTC advocacy. These may include initiatives relevant to the 2028 presidential election cycle, emerging federal and state education policy opportunities, and other strategic initiatives where we seek to shape the national education landscape. The Senior Director of Partnerships & Advocacy will help define and build the organizational infrastructure for these future initiatives while executing on immediate priorities.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States and will be required to submit proof of eligibility. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Requirements

• Education Policy Knowledge — Significant knowledge of school choice, charter schools, and K–12 education reform policy is preferred. A commitment to educational equity and expanding opportunity for underserved families is non-negotiable.
• Political & Advocacy Expertise — Familiarity with political campaigns, government affairs, or advocacy, with a track record of winning complex legislative or executive-branch campaigns at the state or federal level.
• Deep Understanding of the Center-Left — Strong personal relationships with center-left governors, gubernatorial staff, presidential campaign alumni, or other executive-branch decision-makers are strongly preferred.
• Coalition Building — Demonstrated ability to build and manage complex, multi-stakeholder coalitions across diverse political and community partners.
• Strategic Communications — Ability to translate complex policy concepts into compelling narratives for policymakers, press, and the public; experience overseeing digital campaigns and earned media efforts.
• Project & Budget Management — Experience managing multi-faceted campaigns with multiple workstreams, contractors, and budgets simultaneously.
• Entrepreneurial Drive — Comfort operating in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment; ability to build systems and structures while executing on an ambitious timeline.
• Long-Term Strategic Vision — Ability to think beyond the immediate campaign cycle and contribute to building organizational capacity for future priorities, including the 2028 presidential cycle.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a comprehensive national and state strategy to build stakeholder support for FSTC opt-in across priority states, with an eye toward the 2026 gubernatorial election cycle.
• Develop and manage state-specific plans, working closely with in-state coalition partners and policymakers.
• Track gubernatorial and legislative developments in target states and adapt strategy in real time.
• Synthesize data and research provided by our policy team and partner organizations to develop state-specific messaging and advocacy materials, such as factsheets, webinar presentations and toolkits.
• Direct targeted multi-channel digital communications campaigns in 4–5 high-priority states to illustrate FSTC’s benefits for families.
• Present results of polling and public opinion research, including national polls and deep-dive state-level polling in target states.
• Cultivate and maintain high-level relationships with center-left governors, gubernatorial candidates, and their senior staff on both official and campaign sides.
• Build and sustain a structured coalition of national and state partners—including school choice and charter advocates, youth-serving organizations, and community groups—to ensure alignment and amplify advocacy efforts.
• Oversee budgets across 3 entities, ensuring resources are allocated effectively across communications, lobbying, polling, research, and coalition activities.
• Direct outside consultants and manage vendor relationships.
• Report to senior leadership and contribute to organizational fundraising by demonstrating campaign impact.
• Supporting organizational engagement in the 2028 presidential election cycle, including stakeholder outreach and voter-facing education advocacy.
• Identifying and launching new mission-aligned state and federal initiatives aligned.
• Building out organizational infrastructure—systems, processes, and partnerships—to support a growing multi-initiative operation.

Benefits

• health, vision, and dental coverage
• cell phone and internet reimbursement
• flexible spending plan
• life insurance
• short- and long-term disability insurance
• 401K plan with a match
• paid family leave
• paid time off (vacation, sick time, floating holidays, and all national holidays)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees