State Director of Public Affairs

The Opportunity

Educators for Excellence (E4E) is seeking a State Director of Public Affairs to serve as the senior political and strategic lead for our policy campaigns in Minnesota.

As a member of E4E’s national leadership team, this role is responsible for setting the political strategy, policy positioning, and developing and managing the relationships necessary to advance E4E’s national issue agenda at the state and local levels. The State Director of Public Affairs will be the public‑facing leader of E4E’s operations in Minnesota, engaging policymakers, state officials, coalition partners, local officials, funders, and the media to win educator‑driven issue advocacy campaigns.

• Set Political Strategy and Campaign Vision and Direction
  • Analyze the state and/or local political landscape to identify opportunities, assess constraints, and advise on viable pathways for teacher‑led policy change aligned with E4E’s national policy agenda.
  • Define the strategy and contextualized theory of change for state‑level or local issue advocacy campaigns, in partnership with the National Director of State Campaigns.
  • Right‑size campaigns based on political conditions, organizational capacity, and coalition alignment and/or capacity.
  • Lead assessment and recommendations on legislative pathways, timing, and decision‑making that lead to success.
• Anchor Campaigns in Educator Voice
  • Partner with the National Director of State Campaigns to develop strong teacher leader fellowships that meaningfully shape and drive issue advocacy campaigns in Minnesota.
  • Ensure educator voice and priorities shape issue advocacy campaign strategies and vision.
  • Support and develop issue advocacy skills and competencies in teacher leader fellowships, ensuring a strong bench of campaign surrogates who can partner with the State Director of Public Affairs to lead issue advocacy campaigns.
• Serve as the External Spokesperson of E4E in Minnesota
  • Represent E4E publicly with policymakers, state officials, media, local elected officials, and other key stakeholders and decision‑makers.
  • Build and maintain deep relationships with legislators, administration officials, coalition partners, and opinion leaders.
  • Serve as a spokesperson, shaping and delivering messages that reflect political realities while advancing E4E goals.
  • Position E4E as a credible, leading voice in shaping education policy across the state.
• Build and Lead Strategic Coalitions and Government Affairs
  • Build, lead, and sustain strategic coalitions aligned to campaign priorities and E4E’s issue agenda, leveraging existing relationships and cultivating new partnerships necessary to advance and win campaigns.
  • Develop and manage strong relationships with elected officials, policymakers, and other state and/or local stakeholders who influence or shape policy decisions.
  • Navigate complex political dynamics and opposition to maintain coalition alignment, build political capital, and advance viable pathways to campaign success.
  • Manage external lobbyists and government affairs partners, ensuring their work is strategically aligned to campaign goals and broader advocacy priorities.
• Drive Political Communications and Positioning
  • Inform messaging strategy, in collaboration with campaign communications staff, that ensures political context, alignment with our teacher leaders, and opposition.
  • Partner with SVP Campaigns and Public Affairs to ensure campaign messaging is strategic, disciplined, and effective.
  • Drive E4E’s public narrative and positioning in Minnesota, particularly in high‑stakes or politically sensitive moments, through earned, owned, and paid media collaboration with campaign communications staff.
• Contribute to Fundraising Strategy and Support Funder Relationships
  • In partnership with the national team, help represent local work with funders, foundations, and individual donors who are aligned with E4E policy campaign priorities.
  • Provide the national development team with campaign insights and strategy that support donor relationships and new prospects.
  • Advise on alignment between fundraising strategies, donor management, and campaign priorities.
  • Ensure timely execution of grant deliverables and…