Sr. Campaign Manager - Economic Security Illinois

Organization Overview:
Economic Security Project – Economic Security Illinois (ESIL)

The Economic Security Project (ESP) is a national organization advancing ideas and campaigns that build economic power, stability, and dignity for working people. ESP operates at the intersection of research, advocacy, coalition-building, and narrative change, with a strong track record of moving ideas that were once considered fringe, such as guaranteed income and expanded cash supports, into the center of public policy.

Through issue campaigns, strategic grantmaking, and partnerships with organizers, policymakers, and researchers, ESP has helped secure major policy wins, including over $1 trillion in direct relief for families during the pandemic and state-level victories to modernize tax and cash assistance systems.

Economic Security Illinois (ESIL) is ESP’s Illinois-based advocacy and campaigns arm. Illinois is a pivotal state for ESP’s work. It is politically complex, fiscally constrained, and nationally influential. ESIL is engaged in some of the most consequential economic policy fights in the state, including advancing and defending cash-based policies, shaping state revenue debates, and building the coalition power required to win durable legislative victories.

ESIL works inside the Capitol and far beyond it by mobilizing partners across Illinois, coordinating with national allies, and engaging the public when pressure is required.

Over the next several years, ESIL’s work will unfold in a volatile environment shaped by rising costs of living, budget pressures, federal uncertainty, and intensified scrutiny of public spending. Winning in this context requires campaigns that are tightly run, coalitions that are disciplined, and leaders who can translate strategy into action with urgency and sound political judgment.

You can learn more by visiting their website at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./

The Illinois Coalition & Campaigns Senior Manager sits at the center of ESIL’s legislative and advocacy work. Reporting to the ESIL State Director and working in close partnership with the Illinois Research & Policy Director, this role is responsible for helping turn ESIL’s strategic priorities into winning campaigns. The Senior Manager helps run the day-to-day execution of legislative efforts that move money and power—inside the Capitol, with coalition partners across the state, and in the public arena when it matters.

This is a role with real responsibility and visibility. The Senior Manager helps operationalize ESIL’s priority campaigns by translating strategy into clear plans, timelines, and targets; coordinating legislative outreach and lobbying efforts; tracking fast-moving political dynamics; and ensuring follow-through across staff, lobbyists, and partners. They are a key point of coordination, helping keep complex work streams aligned and moving with urgency and discipline.

At the same time, the Senior Manager plays a central role in coalition leadership. They help strengthen ESIL-led coalitions by clarifying roles, securing commitments, and ensuring partners are prepared, mobilized, and moving in sync toward shared legislative goals. They represent ESIL in coalition spaces, legislative hearings, and partner meetings, building trust and alignment while navigating the realities of power, politics, and differing organizational incentives.

This role is well suited for a seasoned campaigner who understands how policy wins actually happen—through preparation, pressure, timing, and relentless execution. The Senior Manager must be comfortable making smart calls in fast-moving moments, surfacing risks and tradeoffs early, and bringing leaders clear options when decisions are needed. Above all, this role exists to help ESIL win: by turning strategy into action and action into concrete legislative victories.

The Illinois Coalition & Campaigns Senior Manager will be based in Illinois
. This role is fully remote
, with in-state residency required, and includes periodic in-person engagement with legislators, coalition partners, and stakeholders as legislative and campaign…