Director of Government Affairs

About MCPSA

Founded in 2001, MCPSA is a membership organization representing 70 charter public schools (serving 46,000 students) across the state. MCPSA's work is guided by our Equity Vision and a deep belief that every child regardless of race, zip code, or family background deserves equal access to a high quality education. Collectively, Massachusetts charter public schools are widely recognized as one of the highest performing charter sectors in the country. MCPSA has an extensive history of supporting and advocating for charter public schools, with the mission of creating and protecting the conditions that will enable the charter sector to thrive, contributing toward the common goal of all children having equitable access to high-quality schools.

Position

Reporting to the Chief of Public Affairs, the Director of Government Affairs is responsible for developing and analyzing public policy, leading legislative strategy to advance MCPSA’s policy agenda, and managing relationships with key decision makers in various levels of state government to further the organization’s advocacy agenda and strengthen bipartisan elected support for charter public schools in Massachusetts. This is a highly collaborative position and must work closely with the Senior Political Director, the Senior Director of Communications and Advocacy, and the Director of Community Mobilization in order to successfully implement an integrated public affairs strategy.

Responsibilities

Policy Development and Analysis

• Lead the development of MCPSA’s advocacy agenda in collaboration with the Chief of Public Affairs, and develop and execute plans to advance the agenda.
• Develop recommendations for MCPSA’s response to and position on varied legislative issues, and develop and execute associated strategies and tactics.
• Maintain an active, working knowledge of charter public school laws and regulations. Monitor, analyze, and report on relevant state-level legislation affecting charter public schools.
• Manage the use of legislative tracking tools across the Public Affairs team.
• Draft, review, and analyze all legislative language relevant to MCPSA’s advocacy agenda, including bill and amendment proposals, fact sheets, calls to action, bill summaries and policy briefs, regulatory comments, analyses, and presentations.
• Liaise with national partners to monitor national legislation and develop MCPSA’s position and advocacy strategy, when appropriate.

Relationship Ownership and Management

• In partnership with the Senior Political Director, build and implement a strategy to increase legislative and political support for Massachusetts charter public schools.
• Develop and implement engagement strategies for key decision makers in both houses of the legislature and the Executive branch.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships, serving as MCPSA’s primary point of contact with key legislators, policymakers, and their staff.
• Develop, implement, and monitor a strategy to support individual school engagement with key legislators to ensure consistent engagement and ongoing collaboration.
• Manage MCPSA’s contract lobbyists.
• Build or participate in legislative coalitions as necessary to achieve policy outcomes.
• Represent MCPSA on policy working groups, task forces and working committees and at special events, as appropriate.

Stakeholder Engagement

• In partnership with the Director of Community Mobilization, identify and facilitate high-impact opportunities to engage charter public school stakeholders as advocates for key legislative priorities, including calls-to-action, lobbying days, and other events to build constituent relationships with individual legislators. Provide direct education and training for school stakeholders as needed to support their engagement in advocacy.
• Collaborate with other members of the Public Affairs team to lead the Charters SPEAK community of practice, providing education and training to school-based leaders in order to facilitate school participation in advocacy and legislator engagement.

Location and Schedule

MCPSA is a virtual organization with all team members working remotely. Residence within Massachusetts is required for this position. A significant amount of work will be in person at the State House in Boston, with some travel required throughout the state. A driver’s license and reliable access to a vehicle is required. This position may require occasional irregular hours.

Notice of Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are crucial to our mission and we are committed to cultivating a team that reflects the communities we serve. As an Equal Opportunity Employer MCPSA does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, accessibility needs, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. As such, MCPSA strongly encourages people from marginalized and oppressed communities to apply, recognizing and respecting that diverse perspectives and experiences are valuable to our team and essential to achieving our purpose.

To Apply

In addition to filling out this application, please also submit a brief cover letter stating why you are interested in working for MCPSA and why you are confident that you would be a great fit for this job. The position is available immediately.