Associate Director / Director, U.S. Government Policy / Grassroots Mobilization – Health GAP – Washington, DC

This is an exciting position with a small, dynamic team working to achieve equitable access to treatment and care for people living with HIV around the world. As the Associate Director or Director of U.S. Government Policy & Grassroots Advocacy, you will coordinate Health GAP’s work to win increased resources for the global HIV response, to ensure opposition to trade policies that undermine access to affordable essential medicines around the world, and to ensure continued U.S. political will and leadership at a critical moment when science indicates that the end of the AIDS epidemic is within our reach.

You will provide bold and creative leadership to ensure synergy and coherence between direct U.S. government advocacy and all-important grassroots mobilization and pressure outside of Washington DC that helps us win bold, ambitious victories. When you’re not walking the halls of government agencies or Capitol Hill, working directly with decision-makers to achieve universal treatment for people living with HIV worldwide, you will be working alongside other Health GAP staff and partners to help mobilize and equip grassroots from a range of directly affected constituencies across the United States to hold their elected officials and other policymakers accountable.

We’re looking for a grassroots organizer, policy-wonk, and fierce social justice activist, with a deeply-rooted commitment to advancing the AIDS response and/or experience working on other social justice policy issues.

The candidate will be based in the Washington, DC metro area. This is a full-time position that will report to the Managing Director, based in New York.

Health GAP is an equal opportunity employer. People living with HIV, people living with disabilities, people of color, women and LGBT candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Vision

Win U.S. policies and resources to advance access to affordable treatment for people living with HIV around the world;
Build grassroots support to power advocacy targeting US government institutions, and individuals.

Responsibilities
Shaping US Government policy

Develop and oversee ongoing and new policy and campaign initiatives focusing on U.S. policy makers
Track U.S. government and policy developments across core campaigns
Contributing to overall advocacy strategy and campaign development
Build relationships with key members of congress and their staff
Conduct direct advocacy with US policy makers
Formulate policy recommendations, help draft regulations and legislation
Provide strategic policy analysis
Convene, coordinate and strengthen the networks of allies, in Washington DC and around the country, working to influence U.S. policy and action on global AIDS
Facilitate direct access to decision makers by local activists whenever possible;

Strengthening grassroots advocacy

Direct Health GAP’s national grassroots mobilization strategy to advance U.S. campaign goals
Provide on-going strategic and tactical support to grassroots groups, including groups of students, people living with HIV/AIDS, labor unions, and trade justice advocates, and religious groups
Develop and conduct skills-building workshops for grassroots teams, in collaboration with grassroots organizers
Working closely with staff and members of the Student Global AIDS Campaign—a student-led grassroots action project housed within Health GAP.
Manage interns (*both Director & Associate Director-level positions), and/or at least one full-time grassroots organizer (*Director-level position only)

Contributing to wider Health GAP organizational goals

Draft budgets and lead the development of organizational activity plans for US Policy Advocacy and Grassroots organizing work, in coordination with other staff
Produce policy briefs, action alerts, blog posts, opinion pieces, “Dear Colleague” letters, and other written materials
Create content for, and help update, social media feeds
Assist with fundraising efforts and represent Health GAP’s U.S. campaigns to donors and other stakeholders
Participate in weekly staff calls, regular in-person staff meetings and bi-annual organizational retreats
Actively engage Health GAP’s steering committee of volunteers in the work
Assist with large-scale mobilizations and solidarity efforts in collaboration with allies in the Global South when needed

Requirements

Experience developing, implementing and winning complex, multi nodal, ambitious advocacy campaigns with multiple partners
Experience in grassroots advocacy, community organizing, and social justice movement building
Experience working on campaigns focused on influencing the U.S. Legislature and Executive
Strong knowledge of the U.S. legislative and federal budgetary process
Previous experience as a grassroots organizer is strongly preferred
Experience working on U.S. trade policy is a plus
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Strong teamwork skills, comfortable in a highly collaborative team culture
Professionalism, efficiency and results-oriented delivery on short timelines
Proven track record of a commitment to global social justice.
Willingness to work remotely from Washington DC or the immediate environs, and to collaborate with a virtual team
Willingness to travel frequently, with periods averaging up to 60% travel and periods of less frequent travel (approximately 25% FTE), primarily within the United States
At least a Bachelors Degree and preferably a Masters in a relevant discipline (e.g. Political Science, Public Policy, International Development, or Public Health)
At least 8 years’ experience (Director-level) or 5 years’ experience (Associate Director-level), working to advance policy on HIV/AIDS or some related health rights

About us

The Health Global Access Project (Health GAP) is a dynamic, action-oriented advocacy group dedicated to achieving equitable access to treatment and care for people with AIDS in developing countries. Created in 1999 by a group of U.S.-based AIDS and human rights activists, public health experts, fair trade advocates, health professionals and other concerned individuals, Health GAP combines high-level policy analysis and advocacy with grassroots campaigning, to challenge and circumvent harmful or obstructionist policies and practices that frustrate efforts to address the AIDS pandemic and to mobilize the resources needed to scale up and sustain the global response to the epidemic. Health GAP currently has staff based in the New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae to jobs@healthgap.org by August 31, 2015. Please use the job title as the subject of your email, and indicate which level of position (Associate Director or Director) you hope to be considered for. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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