Associate State Director, Advocacy & Community Engagement

Overview

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name.

As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest-circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin.

AARP’s Community, State and National Affairs (CSN) Group includes Government Relations, Programs, Volunteer Engagement, Community Outreach and direct Advocacy at the local, state and federal levels. CSN delivers on AARP’s social mission by educating and engaging people 50-plus and their families, strengthening communities, and championing issues that help give people financial and health security.

• Identifies issues of public policy and organizational importance, and develops and implements advocacy strategies at the local, state, and federal levels, collaborating with cross-functional teams, as well as internal and external partners to achieve the organization’s legislative goals.
• Collaborates with internal/external partners on advocacy campaign communication strategy development. Utilizes direct action organizing tactics and implements grassroots advocacy tools to build constituent support for the organization’s legislative priorities.
• Works with staff, volunteers, members, and other cross-organization teams to achieve the organization’s community engagement goals at the state and local levels. Establishes a presence for the organization in targeted communities by engaging multicultural audiences, developing community partnerships, building volunteer capacity, and designing and executing engaging community programs and events.
• Represents the organization and its interests to federal, state, local government agencies and media outlets. Builds and maintains relationships with governmental representatives, with the goal of advancing and promoting the organization's goals. Develops and manages relationships with elected officials at all levels.
• Establishes strategic community partnerships and leverages internal/external resources to raise the visibility of the organization within communities.
• Develops and communicates persuasive narratives aligned with the organization’s priorities to diverse audiences. Confidently represents the organization in public facing settings to the media, the public, and members.
• Serves as a subject-matter-expert on the state office’s advocacy issues, utilizing data and input from diverse stakeholders. Produces written reports and/or convenes public meetings to disseminate findings, share best practices, and advance solutions through relevant communication channels.
• Recruits, trains, develops, and deploys volunteers in accordance with organizational goals. Aligns volunteers’ interests with organizational priorities. Supports volunteer needs and designs opportunities to maximize volunteer engagement. Ensures inclusion of volunteer perspectives in strategic planning.

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year institution of higher education and a minimum of 5+ years of related experience, including direct lobbying, relationship building with elected officials, grassroots organizing, and mobilization. Community engagement and coalition-building experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute nonpartisan strategies.
• Experience developing and executing strategies that address issues related to AARP’s social mission.
• Experience with recruiting, training, engaging, and managing volunteer activists.
• Ability to lead and manage multiple projects and issues, including developing both short- and long-term strategies and tactical plans to achieve success in both advocacy and grassroots organizing.
• Solid interpersonal skills with the ability to work in a highly matrixed…