Director, Advocacy and Policy

About Living Streets Alliance

Living Streets Alliance (LSA), is a nonprofit organization working at the intersection of social justice, climate change, public health, and community development, that utilizes streets and advocacy for multi-module transportation to foster a just, sustainable, and vibrant city. We envision streets as living public spaces that connect people to places and to each other and work to bring this vision to life through programs like Cyclovia Tucson and Safe Routes to School, advocating for policies like Complete Streets, partnering with neighborhoods and communities to transform streets and intersections into colorful, inviting, and traffic-calmed spaces for all ages to enjoy, and more.

Who You Are:

The ideal candidate will prioritize building relationships internally, recognize the value of divergent perspectives, be a good listener, be skilled in receiving and delivering constructive feedback, have high emotional intelligence, exercise accountability, and approach their role with the mindset of coaching, learning, supporting staff success and reinforcing collective growth.

• Are passionate about walking, biking, and transit and you re-imagine streets and public spaces that promote livable and equitable communities
• Have a strategist’s mind, are politically savvy, and can grasp and navigate complex policy issues and political landscapes as an effective changemaker
• Are a relationship builder and value working in partnerships and coalitions
• Approach leadership with a mindset of “power with” rather than “power over”
• Work well in a collaborative environment, and value co-creation and shared-leadership
• Share a strong desire and ability to learn quickly and grow with the organization
• Are highly organized, detail-oriented, resourceful, and proactive
• Are an experienced and effective team leader who can manage projects, manage staff and delegate skillfully while building accountability, inspiring and motivating team members, and fostering collaborative working relationships
• Can respond and adapt quickly to external shifts in opportunities and timelines to maximize impact and are curious and can comfortably navigate ambiguous and complex situations

What You Will Get:

Full-time position at $60,000-$75,000 annual salary

Creative, collaborative, and mission-driven environment within an organization that has tremendous local impact 

Close-knit team who are passionate about the work and dedicated to learning together  

Flexible work schedule, open PTO, and a focus on work-life balance 

Group Health Insurance 

What You Will Do:

This is a dynamic position that, on any given day, might be facilitating a coalition meeting, testifying at a Mayor and Council meeting, speaking to the media about an urgent policy issue, working on a policy brief, supporting the organization by speaking with a donor about a current campaign, attending a key LSA event to talk with participants about an advocacy topic, and meeting with a team member to brainstorm about adding a layer of advocacy into an outreach event.

• Lead, develop, and implement advocacy activities including advocacy campaigns, advocacy strategy and tactics, and organizing
• Monitor the political landscape for strategic opportunities to advance LSA’s advocacy priorities and advocacy goals identified in the strategic plan
• Organize advocacy-related actions and events, and mobilize community members to take action on advocacy issues via petitions, action alerts, and other more creative means
• Maintain substantial knowledge of transportation policy at the city, county, state & federal levels of government and track legislative processes, including local, regional, and [occasionally] state-wide policy agendas
• Attend all Tucson Mayor & Council meetings, with an eye toward our strategic plan and objectives and synthesize meeting discussions in relation to our advocacy efforts
• Conduct research and analysis, as needed, to support the advocacy work and craft compelling written content including fact sheets, policy briefs, position statements, reports, and memos
• Oversee the development of LSA’s formal response on local and regional policies, plans, and transportation infrastructure projects, and provide written or oral testimony before boards, commissions, committees, and elected bodies, as needed
• Track the implementation of key local and regional policies and plans that intersect with LSA’s work and develop strategies for advocacy intervention if needed
• Collaborate with the Communications and Development Manager on strategic communications and messaging including action alerts, blogs, and social media posts
• Represent LSA at conferences, panels, public meetings, and in the press, as needed
• In the runup to key elections, conduct candidate questionnaires or other means of informing the electorate about candidate views on transportation and mobility
• Ensure Living Streets Alliance’s compliance with lobbying laws, as well as activity tracking and reporting requirements required at the state and federal level; Track and report advocacy and lobbying activity as required to comply with 501(c)(3) regulations

• Build, grow, and maintain strong working relationships with elected officials and their staff as well as government agency leaders and staff to inform, collaborate, and garner support for LSA’s policy advocacy efforts
• Build, grow, and maintain partnerships with a variety of individuals and entities including board and commission members, other organizations advancing similar policy issues, transportation-related alliances and coalitions, grassroots groups, and grass tops stakeholders, and bring in allies as coalition partners, as needed
• Represent Living Streets Alliance in meetings with elected officials and associated staff, partners, stakeholders, funders, and the general public as well as on coalitions, advisory committees, and other similar bodies
• Advise internal leadership, staff, and organizational partners on relevant policy implications and provide logical, well-informed recommendations that can lead to direct actions
• Ensure advocacy and policy campaigns center the voices and needs of those most often impacted and marginalized

• Provide thought leadership, expertise, and overall direction to the organization to ensure that advocacy is inextricably linked to LSA’s other activities including programs, grant-making, and communications
• Support the team in moving forward with program or service-specific initiatives; help plan for and staff events as needed
• Follow trends and best practices related to LSA’s mission and vision
• Engage regularly in thought work with the team around intersectional issues and project-/program-specific reflection and problem-solving
• Support fundraising efforts as needed; assist in the development of grant and project proposals as necessary
• Partner and work with LSA’s Board of Directors and leverage LSA’s Advocacy Committee (example: attend board meetings on occasion, act as the primary staff liaison to the board Advocacy Committee work with the Chair to develop agendas and provide regular policy and advocacy updates, etc.)

• A deep connection to the mission, vision, and values of Living Streets Alliance
• A proven track record and moderate to significant professional experience in providing strategic direction and visioning
• A proven track record and moderate to significant professional experience in direct advocacy, advancing policy priorities, and building and maintaining relationships with elected and appointed officials, local leaders, community organizations, and other stakeholders
• A proven track record and moderate to significant professional experience in community organizing, government affairs, policy, advocacy campaigns, and strategic communications
• A proven track record and moderate to significant experience as a project manager and timely completion of deliverables
• Knowledge of urban transportation policy, urban planning, or related fields and a strong grasp on how transportation intersects with related issues like social justice, racism, housing policy, and climate action
• Strong understanding of and commitment to antiracism, transportation equity, and mobility justice principles, and at least moderate experience in operationalizing these principles through day-to-day work
• A proven track record and moderate to significant professional experience in
• A proven track record and at least moderate experience in managing staff
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to distill complex policy issues into accessible language and effectively communicate with broader audiences; experience in strategic messaging development
• Excellent research skills
• Flexibility to work outside of regular business hours
• Being a regular user of different modes of transportation 
• Residence in or willingness to relocate to Tucson
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, and other back-office support systems

• Transportation advocacy experience
• Familiarity with managing budgets and financial reporting
• Intermediate Spanish proficiency
• Understanding of 501c3 lobbying compliance