Legislative Director

Oregon Environmental Council is seeking a Legislative Director to lead our efforts to secure and defend public policies that align with our mission. The Legislative Director works to advocate for OEC’s policy agenda and increase our presence and effectiveness within the Oregon Legislature, administrative agencies, and executive branch, and occasionally works with Oregon’s congressional delegation and local elected officials. The role represents OEC full-time in Salem during legislative sessions and interim committee days, coordinating and providing strategic guidance on the work of our program directors on specific legislation.

Between sessions, the Legislative Director cultivates relationships with bipartisan legislators and candidates; designs and delivers legislative briefings around Oregon; and works with our program staff to promote OEC’s policy agenda through other venues. This position requires travel throughout Oregon. This role works under the supervision of the Executive Director and coordinates closely with the Director of Programs, but with a high level of autonomy.

You are politically savvy and are gifted at building relationships. You are a good storyteller who can quickly learn essential information and communicate in a compelling way. You have high integrity and are a credible source of information. You are able to manage multiple campaigns and have excellent follow through. You have a passion for making change and are able to work in coalition with both like-minded and unlikely allies.

Legislative Advocacy (~35%)

• Serves as OEC’s primary voice in the Oregon Legislature. This includes, tracking relevant legislation, coordinating testimony and other advocacy work, negotiating, providing rapid response information to decision-makers, and presenting testimony
• On an as-needed basis, supports other major policy campaigns which may involve advocating before regulatory and administrative agencies or before local or federal decision-makers
• Keeps OEC program staff, Director of Programs, Executive Director and Communications Director regularly informed of legislative issues and engages them at useful and necessary points
• Serves on statewide task forces

Relationship Building (~35%)

• Builds strong relationships with legislators and candidates of all parties from across Oregon and, to a lesser extent, with local and federal politicians
• Builds strong professional relationships with key individuals in Oregon’s executive branch to move OEC’s agenda forward
• Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with key interest groups and individuals, building broad support for OEC program goals and objectives and leveraging our strengths to support partner organizations’ work

Policy Analysis and Campaign Planning and Execution (~20%)

• Coordinates staff work to develop and finalize our legislative agenda
• Develops and leads legislative strategic approach for securing OEC’s priorities
• Assists in analyzing, investigating, and refining potential legislative proposals, with an equity and inclusion lens
• Reviews proposed ballot measure endorsements for relevancy to OEC’s mission and makes recommendations; supports ballot measure campaigns, as needed
• Engages OEC’s board for strategy, guidance, and advocacy

Other Responsibilities (~10%)

• Works with OEC staff to produce testimony, fact sheets, press releases, opinion pieces, and other documents as necessary
• Leads and develops trainings and shares tips on effective advocacy for OEC staff, emerging leaders board, and partners
• Supports OEC fundraising activities as requested, e.g., by presenting progress reports and meeting with potential donors
• Actively works to strengthen OEC’s public presence and visibility, both independently and in coordination with other staff members
• Responsible for tracking compliance with state and local lobbying disclosure requirements
• Other responsibilities as needed

Required Experience, Education and Certifications

• Minimum four years of professional experience in lobbying, advocacy, with at least one year of direct legislative work
• Proven ability to build broad-based support among elected…