For over three decades, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute have helped to train, place, and elect thousands of openly LGBTQ+ public officials at every level of government. Our leaders have been catalysts for expanding legal rights for LGBTQ+ people across the country, and they have transformed our nation’s policies and shifted our political landscape towards equality, one election at a time. Today, over 1200 LGBTQ+ Americans are serving in elected office due to the work of Victory.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is immediately seeking a seasoned Vice President of Political Programs to continue to grow the Fund and achieve big wins for LGBT+ candidates up and down the ballot. A member of the senior leadership team, the Vice President of Political Programs charts and executes Victory’s political strategy, promotes and fundraises for Victory’s Spotlight candidates, manages campaign services to endorsed candidates, oversees the Victory Campaign Board, and boosts Victory’s political influence and effectiveness.
The ideal candidate will have broad campaign experience and be skilled at both political operations and political messaging and communications, as they will oversee the launch of Victory’s new War Room communications engine. They also will have some familiarity with candidate fundraising. Commitment to the mission is a must.
General Responsibilities
Charting and Executing Political Strategy
In conjunction with the President & CEO, the Vice President of Political Programs will create a long-term organizational strategy to boost Victory’s impact as the electoral leader in LGBTQ+ politics. The Vice President of Political Programs will identify strategies to grow the organization and our impact, target and prioritize key races, lead the endorsement process, manage Victory’s engagement in Spotlight races, and build a pipeline of candidates for 2025 races and beyond.
Candidate and Campaign Services
The Vice President of Political Programs is the primary person responsible for candidates and their campaigns – their interaction with Victory, their receipt of financial support and technical assistance, and participation in our programs. The Vice President oversees campaign services to our Spotlight candidates, primarily assisting candidates with fundraising, communications and messaging, earned media, and relationship building.
Marketing & Messaging Campaigns
The Vice President of Political Programs, in partnership with the Communications team, will also manage the operations of Victory’s War Room. The War Room is Victory Fund’s political communications engine and includes rapid response, blogs, newsletters, and research to promote our candidates and campaigns. The Vice President of Political Programs will oversee the War Room strategy, research and messaging; and will maintain a high standard of quality writing and informative content for the publication.
The Victory Campaign Board
The Victory Campaign Board (VCB) is the engine behind Victory Fund’s electoral success. This national group of community leaders is dedicated to electing more openly LGBTQ+ candidates by bundling funds for Spotlight campaigns to ensure their success and promoting the work of the Victory Fund in their own communities. The Vice President of Political Programs is responsible for overseeing the VCB Manager in their effort to growing and maximizing the contributions of the VCB.
Cultivating Relationships with Electoral Allies
The Vice President of Political Programs establishes and maintains relationships and partnerships with allied PACs, constituency organizations, interest groups, associations and other electoral organizations, as well as representing Victory’s interests at progressive tables, to strategically advance and broaden the base of political support for LGBTQ+ candidates and Victory Fund.
Organizational Development
As a member of the senior management team, the Vice President of Political Programs participates in developing and managing Victory’s annual strategy, operations, and budget priorities. The Director is responsible for both short-term wins and long-term organizational goals to ensure Victory’s influence and impact for years to come. The senior management team also looks to the Director for counsel, recommendations and suggestions to effectively integrate electoral goals and accomplishments with all fundraising and communications. It will be expected that the Vice President will be mission-driven, a team player, focused on internal capacity building as well as external campaigns, and be a strong leader and manager within the organization. The Vice President currently supervises the political team staff which currently includes five direct reports. As the Vice President and organization are successful in growing Victory’s base of support, additional staff are planned.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from four-year college or university, plus at least 8-10 years of significant campaign experience, ideally with some portion of that time spent at a large PAC, statewide organization, party committee, or national campaign; or equivalent combination of education and/or experience
- Wide range of electoral experience including campaign strategy, communications, fundraising, and staff management
- A track record of experience managing a team.
- Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills
- A strong track record as an implementer who thrives on managing a variety of key initiatives concurrently while building a long-term sustainable program
- Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”
- High energy, maturity, and collaborative leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force
- Sincere commitment to work collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and ally and partner organizations
- Self-starter, able to work independently when needed, and entrepreneurial
- Innate sense of creativity and the ability to see what the future can be and build a strategy and guide a team to get there
- Strong motivator: ability to manage teams, maximize productivity, and coach staff
The salary range for this position is $130,000 – $160,000. Please include salary requirements in your materials. Full-time staff are eligible for Victory’s comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, dental, health reimbursement account, medical flexible spending account, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, 401k, parental leave, and generous paid time off.
The position is based in Washington, DC.
To Apply:
Victory is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law. Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. Please send a cover letter including salary requirements and resume to jobs@victoryfund.org. No phone calls or walk-ins please.