California Director

Local Progressand Local Progress Impact Lab are seeking a full-time California Director.

About Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab

Local Progress and the Local Progress Impact Lab work collectively to advance a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of government. Local Progress (LP) is a movement of nearly 1,800 local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. The Local Progress Impact Lab (the Impact Lab) brings together local leaders, partners, and experts to build the knowledge, skills, and leadership needed to advance racial and economic justice at the local level.

About the Position:

Local Progress and the Impact Lab are seeking a California Director with a track record of organizing, base and coalition building to support our ever-growing work in California, including training and facilitation, strategic campaigning, fundraising, staff management and supervision.

Working as part of a Membership and Organizing team, the California Director will be working in deep collaboration and coordination with the current California Coordinator to strengthen the organizing infrastructure in the state. Additionally, the California Director will also be responsible for envisioning and building out our statewide strategy, which involves membership recruitment and engagement, and identifying and cultivating relationships and buy-in from key allies, organizational partners and funders. The California Director will supervise and support the development of Membership and Organizing Team members.

The ideal candidate for this job is someone with a track record of relational organizing, developing leaders, and bringing people across diverse backgrounds and opinions together in coalition to shift the material conditions of our communities. We’re looking for a strategic thinker who also pays attention to details and knows how to build systems to reduce redundancies, and increase efficiency by creating tools to produce high quality work. Other key qualifications include strong supervision, fundraising and funder cultivation experience and a keen interest in transformational policy and organizing at the municipal level.

The California Director will report to the Organizing Director.

Location: This is a remote position with no in-office requirement. However the candidate must live in California, with a preference for Northern California.

Primary Responsibilities:

Support Local Progress and the Impact Lab’s work in maintaining the California State Chapter and lead the development of a Statewide strategy:

• Statewide Strategy: Spearhead the exploration, development and implementation of a statewide strategy, building an organizing and governance infrastructure to grow and strengthen membership, and support and mobilize local electeds across the state. Represent Local Progress, the Impact Lab, and the state chapter in statewide coalitions, campaigns, and other strategic tables. Work to embed Local Progress within the state's movement ecosystem so that it is recognized as a trusted, indispensable partner and one of the core pillars of progressive advocacy and organizing across the state.
• Membership recruitment, organizing and support. Expand and strengthen the Local Progress California-based membership, including creating and implementing a strategy to continue to both recruit new members and increase engagement of existing members across the state. Provide and facilitate policy, communications and campaigns support to Local Progress members.
• Partnerships & Collaborative Governance: Identify and cultivate deep, long-term relationships and buy-in from key allies, state and local partners, labor and funders in California to align on shared priorities and collaborate by establishing Local Progress as a trusted and strong coalition partner that helps strategize, launch and coordinate trans-local and statewide campaigns.
• Leadership Development: Collaborate across Local Progress teams to plan, design, and execute robust local and statewide leadership development initiatives that equip California members to govern effectively, lead with equity, and organize for impact.

Support Local Progress and the Impact Lab’s national work:

• Cross-team collaboration: Collaborate across Local Progress teams to support organizational activities and infrastructure including caucuses, state chapter activities, Collaborative Governance Academy, Collaborative Governance Labs, reports, convenings, web products, etc.
• Supervision: Supervise up to 3 members of the organizing team and help develop a culture of excellent supervision and staff development within Local Progress and the Impact Lab.
• Fundraising: Lead a fundraising portfolio with an assigned annual fundraising goal, cultivating new and maintaining existing relationships and identifying new funding opportunities.
• Policy & Program support: Supporting national projects (policy, organizing or campaign related).

Required Qualifications

• Must reside in California, with a preference for Northern California
• 7-10+ years of organizing, strategic campaigning, and/or advocacy experience.
• 3+ years of demonstrated success in supervising staff working across a breadth of issues and functions.
• 3-5 years of demonstrated history of success in fundraising
• Experience in relational organizing and an ability to relate to and move to action a diverse group of people from a variety of local contexts and backgrounds, including in a virtual setting.
• A background and skill set in designing membership-based and/or issue-based organizing strategies.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects, create and execute organizing work plans, anticipate obstacles and identify ways to navigate challenges, identify and involve stakeholders appropriately, and drive projects independently.
• A commitment to inside/outside strategy and movement governance that features deep partnership between “outside” organizing and “inside” elected officials.
• A demonstrated commitment to social, racial, and economic justice and a deep interest in local policy, politics, and government.
• Ambition, drive, energy, and the ability to work flexible, long hours when necessary and travel (approximately 1-2x per month up to 6 days a month).

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Experience in leading and managing multi-stakeholder coalitions.
• Previous experience working with elected officials.

Salary and Benefits:

Salary will be determined according to a salary scale which takes into account years of experience, job duties, and other factors, but is expected to be between $105,800 and $124,200.

We operate on a four day workweek with a default schedule of Monday through Thursday. We have a generous benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, five weeks of vacation per year, 20 sick days per year, paid holidays, and contributions to individuals’ 403(b) plans. The Local Progress office is closed between December 24 and January 1 annually.

This is a management position and will not be part of the Local Progress bargaining unit.

Timeline:

We encourage applicants to apply by October 9, 2026, for an anticipated start date of January 19, 2027. Applicants will be screened on a rolling basis so we encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible. If you have any time constraints, please indicate as much in your application.

How to apply:

Please submit your cover letter and resume through the JazzHR portal.

Local Progress Values

• Respect: We value people and treat each other with dignity. We strive to understand each other as full human beings, and give each other grace and room to grow.
• Honesty: We communicate directly with each other, are honest about our strengths and our shortcomings, and are transparent about who has what level of information and authority and why.
• Groundedness: We are authentic, and have high humility and low ego. We ground our work in the day-to-day reality and needs of our members.
• Mutual accountability: We do what we say we're going to do, follow through on our commitments to each other and to our members, and we hold each other to a high bar. We self-reflect and develop each other’s skills as leaders.
• Nuance: We understand that our work is complex and hold space for multiple viewpoints, contradictions, and tensions. We can hold many things as true while making decisions that advance our mission.
• Impact: We empower our team to make decisions to drive their work. We are focused on results, persistent in overcoming obstacles, and adapt to changing external conditions. We take pride in our work.
• Collaboration: We come together across different levels of power to advance shared interests. We center what’s best for the organization and are team players.
• Joy: We value playfulness, humor, and joy as ways to create community, connection, and goodwill that sustains us through the challenges inherent in our work.

Local Progress is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, womxn, individuals with disabilities, and members of the LGBTIQAA+ community.

Originally posted on Himalayas