Job Title: Director of State
Policies
Organization: Marijuana Policy Project
Location:
Salary: competitive
FT Regular
Job Description:
The Marijuana
Policy Project, a fast-paced, well-respected lobbying
organization, is
seeking a seasoned professional to fill the position of
Director of State
Policies in MPPs headquarters in
Director of State Policies manages
MPP's grassroots and direct lobbying
efforts in all
state legislatures.
QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates should have strong
political instincts and solid political or
government relations experience
and should be results-oriented, an
outstanding and hands-on manager, and able
to persuasively promote MPPs
policy goals. Candidates should also have the
vision and the energy to
proactively plan and execute aggressive lobbying and
grassroots activism
campaigns in a number of states simultaneously -- often
in the face of
adversity and ennui on the part of government
officials.
Expertise in
analyzing and drafting legislation is a bonus but not required.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The overarching goal of the position
is to pass state-level medical
marijuana legislation and/or legislation to
reform marijuana laws with an
ultimate goal of taxing and regulating adult
marijuana use in a manner
similar to alcohol, while preventing bad bills from
being enacted.
Specifically, the Director of State Policies responsibilities
are as
follows:
1. Advise
the Executive Director on legislative strategy, including:
* Tactics for
moving bills forward and fighting bad bills, such as committee
and floor
strategy, targeted mailings to voters in key legislative
districts,
generating phone calls from voters to their elected officials,
and commissioning public opinion polls; and
* An
analysis of the states MPP should focus its resources on year-to-year.
2. Oversee and effectively manage an
Assistant Director of State Policies,
two
Legislative Analysts, and one Legislative Assistant. These staffers
are
responsible for:
*
Monitoring marijuana-related bills in all 50 states and the District
of
Columbia;
* Conducting legislative research and analysis;
* Working
with state legislators to maximize the number of good bills
introduced;
*
Training witnesses for committee hearings;
* Building coalitions of opinion
leaders and prestigious organizations in a
handful of key states;
*
Working with activists in keys states to generate media coverage
and
grassroots pressure;
* Occasionally submitting written testimony for
committee hearings on
marijuana-related bills;
* Writing and sending
legislative alerts to MPP's e-mail subscribers in
a
given state; and
* Maintaining MPP's 51 state
Web pages with updated legislative information.
The Director of State Policies
oversees these staffers work, provides
guidance and training, and manages
and evaluates performance.
3. Manage professional lobbyists (on
retainer) in a handful of state
capitals, including:
* Hiring (and, if
necessary, firing) lobbyists;
* Advising MPP's
Assistant Director of State Policies and two Legislative
Analysts on their
communications with MPP's lobbyists; and
* Engaging
in direct strategy discussions with the lobbyists.
The Director of State Policies
reports to MPP's Executive Director.
COMPENSATION
In addition to a competitive salary,
the position includes full health
insurance and an optional retirement
package.
ABOUT MPP
With 36 employees, 24,000 members and
180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide,
MPP is the
largest marijuana policy reform organization in the
States
consumption of
marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit its use
-- and believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana
is
imprisonment.
How to Apply:
To apply, please see MPP's
application guidelines at
http://www.mpp.org/jobs/process.html and follow the
instructions there.
Interviews are being conducted on a rolling basis, so
interested candidates
are encouraged to apply as soon as
possible.
Organization Web Site: www.mpp.org/jobs
Email replies to:
resumes@mpp.org