Director of Public Policy

Northwest Harvest is a food justice organization in Washington state.

We build partnerships in communities across Washington to get food where it’s needed most. We provide an average of two million meals each month through our statewide network of more than 350 food banks, meal programs, schools, and community-based organizations. Part of a justice-centered movement, we advocate to change inequitable policies, practices, and institutions that perpetuate hunger and poverty. Together, we ensure communities across our state can access the nutritious food they want and need to thrive.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Public Policy is responsible for leading Northwest Harvest’s strategy to achieve a right to food in Washington. The position leads Northwest Harvest’s work in public policy advocacy, community organizing, and movement building and reports directly to the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives (SDSI).

Northwest Harvest has identified and committed to four key strategies that we believe if employed, will cut hunger rates in half in Washington state by 2028.

The Director of Public Policy position will work to achieve this goal through building political will to enact public policies that eliminate the root causes of hunger. Our four strategies include BIPOC Market Actor support, Food Access and Distribution, Mainstreaming the Narrative that hunger doesn’t result from individual choices but unjust systems, and a Right to Food. As a member of the Leadership Team (LT), the successful incumbent will hold primary accountability for the success of a Right to Food in Washington and its intersections with the three other strategies.

This Leadership Team (LT) position is also responsible for cultivating an organizational culture based on Northwest Harvest's values and the Purpose Driven, Anti-Racist, Connected, Interwoven (PACI) framework.

Schedule: This position may require you to work occasional off-shift hours as necessary for special events.

Travel: Be responsive and adaptive to opportunities throughout Washington (WA). This can include local and occasional travel to Eastern and Western WA.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Public Policy Advocacy

• Develops and works with relevant legislative body, city, county, and congressional staff as well as elected officials to implement a right to food and anti-hunger and food justice policies.
• Sets Northwest Harvest’s primary and support agendas with input and consultation from key stakeholders, including program participants, partner agencies, Northwest Harvest’s Board Advocacy Committee, and relevant staff, coalition partners, donors, and volunteers.
• Analyzes legislative landscapes, conducts research, and collaborates with stakeholders to provide recommendations that influence policy decisions.
• Builds relationships with key members of the state legislature, Washington’s Congressional delegation, and their staff, advocates with them, and works with them on relevant and emerging legislation. Implements Northwest Harvest’s legislative agendas by developing strategies, negotiating policy solutions, engaging in administrative advocacy to develop rules for implementation, and developing communications and outreach strategies.
• Responds to inquiries from media regarding public policy issues as required in coordination with the Director of Communications and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Network and Constituency Development & Coalition Building

• Serves as liaison with local, statewide, regional, and national anti-hunger programs and coalitions to assure views of Northwest Harvest are represented and that Northwest Harvest is kept informed of programs and efforts that affect Northwest Harvest's mission.
• Sets strategy, objectives, and milestones with the SDSI to recruit, train, and mobilize a diverse, statewide network of grassroots advocates. Priority communities include people of color, rural areas, growers, and people who have lived experience with hunger and poverty.
• Builds relationships with key community leaders, thought leaders, and activists to develop a grassroots network that can mobilize others on our legislative agenda.
• Joins, builds, and leads coalitions to inform the development of Northwest Harvest’s support agenda.
• Manages relevant policy and advocacy specific vendor relationships.
• Supervises the work of department contractors for lobbying services and staffing the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition.
• Supports the work of the CEO and SDSI in building the internal agency capacity and ownership of the right to food strategy.
• Participates in cross-function and organizational strategic workgroups as necessary to implement Northwest Harvest’s Theory of Change.

Performs other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Equity and Inclusion

• Demonstrate the initiative to learn and enhance skills that promote anti-racism, cultural competency, and an understanding of oppression and its impact.
• Participate in intentional learning efforts, including events relating to understanding and dismantling institutional racism and building cultural competency.

RELATIONSHIPS

Internal: Frequent contact with leadership and staff. Communicate daily to ask questions, receive, and provide information. Educate and disseminate information related to Northwest Harvest’s public policy agenda to leadership, staff, and Board of Directors.

External: Regular contact with stakeholders, including partner hunger relief organizations, policy and advocacy organizations, human services providers, state and federal lawmakers, administrative agency staff, and people with lived experiences of hunger and poverty.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A combination of the real-life experience, education, and training listed below which provides an equivalent background to perform the work of this position.

Successful completion of a background check is required.

Knowledge of:

• Working knowledge of
  • Public policy writing
  • Public policy advocacy, i.e., lobbying
  • Washington state and federal legislative process
  • Coalition building strategies
• Anti-poverty and social justice issue advocacy.
• Comprehensive knowledge with Microsoft Office applications; particularly Word, Excel, PPT, Outlook, Teams, and Zoom and ability to work efficiently and effectively with other organizational platforms such as ADP, SharePoint, Microsoft Dynamics NAV systems.

Ability To:

• Take initiative and think critically by identifying, analyzing, and solving problems.
• Project manage and multi-task successfully.
• Possess integrity, maturity, and ethical awareness.
• Handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality.
• Problem-solve in a collaborative, efficient, and effective manner.
• Analyze issues, synthesize information, make evidence-based decisions, and learn from mistakes.
• Cultivate and steward professional relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Leadership:
  • As an adaptive servant leader, practice collaborative, persuasive, and transformative leadership styles, and lead through influence rather than relying solely on direct-line authority.
  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff and leadership to ensure a high degree of mutual accountability.
  • Navigate and lead through ambiguity while keeping team members engaged and encouraged.
  • Ask questions to understand the merits of different approaches and shift strategies in response to the demands of a situation.
• Support Equity and Connectedness:
  • Adopt the PACI (purpose driven, anti-racist, connected and interwoven) model and practice the Six Agreements.
• Support equity and inclusion for members of historically marginalized groups including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ populations, and people living with disabilities.
• Communication:
  • Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
  • Listen and ask questions to understand.
  • Communicate complex finance concepts and issues and applicable legal requirements, policies and procedures to staff and leaders.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Bachelor's degree in public policy, Business, Law, Economics, Political Science, or another related field is a plus or an equal combination of education and relevant work experience with a personal orientation as a life-long learner.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of (7) + years of progressively responsible experience in policy and/or advocacy work. (3) + years of management experience.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Non-Profit experience is desired but not required.
• Ability to speak a second language is desired but not required.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Salary Range: $120,920.00 To $159,010.00 Annually.

Northwest Harvest offers a comprehensive benefits package this includes but is not limited to; medical/dental/ vision/ insurance, long-term disability insurance, Life/AD&D insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), 401(k) retirement plan, Vacation and Sick leave, 8 paid holidays; New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day, Floating holidays for you to use should you observe a holiday not outlined in Northwest Harvest's current observed holidays or at your discretion, and birthday holiday. Employees are eligible to participate in payroll deducted supplemental benefits i.e., Flexible Spending account-HRE and DCE, various AFLAC and New York Life plans.

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.