Deputy National Campaign Director

We strongly encourage people of color, transgender and non-binary people to apply. HRC is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone, including non-LGBTQ+ people, to join our team.

Position Summary:

HRC works to defend and advance pro-LGBTQ+ policies at all levels of government, hold elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elect pro-equality champions to office.  

The LGBTQ+ community has made tremendous strides in a short period of time with increasing support for equality throughout partisan, ideological, and demographic groups. This increasing support for equality means our movement is no longer limited to organizing and mobilizing self-identified LGBTQ+ people. A new rising “Equality Vote,” made up of self-identified LGBTQ+ individuals and their friends, family, and allies, has the potential to put equality issues at the center of electoral decision-making and activism, and pass legislation that ultimately achieves full legal equality for all LGBTQ+ individuals, including countless individuals who carry multiple marginalized identities.

In 2017, HRC launched its largest-ever grassroots expansion with robust investments in c3, c4, traditional PAC, and super PAC work that has enabled sustained engagement in battleground states and districts. Dozens of new HRC staff were hired to join existing staff in organizing volunteers, partnering with the campaigns of pro-equality candidates, and training thousands of volunteers to become leaders in the fight for equality. This investment in grassroots organizing contributed to the most expansive electoral victories in the organization’s 40-year history in 2018, 2019, and 2020.  

LGBTQ+ people are as diverse as the nation, and our fight for equality is interconnected with movements for social justice that intersect across our community.  The stakes for LGBTQ+ people—and all people—couldn’t be higher as we look ahead to 2022 and beyond.  Passing pro-LGBTQ+ federal legislation like the Equality Act becomes much more difficult if pro-equality majorities in the U.S. Senate or U.S. House are lost. After anti-LGBTQ+ state lawmakers enacted a record-breaking number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in 2021, it’s imperative that we elect as many pro-LGBTQ+ candidates as we can to governor’s mansions and state legislatures. Fortunately, HRC is uniquely positioned to mobilize millions of voters who care about LGBTQ+ equality, especially younger voters and voters of color who turned out for the first time in 2018 and 2020.

The Deputy National Campaign Director will ensure state-based organizing staff are equipped and empowered to develop proactive, strategic, and holistic campaign plans to win elections and legislative outcomes.  They will assist in strategic campaign planning with state-based organizing staff, and work in concert with leaders within the department and across the organization to provide guidance and support for electoral and legislative campaigns.  

The Deputy Director will be a critical thinker and strategist who grasps HRC’s long-term goals and the dynamics that shape our work in the electoral and legislative space, while understanding the day-to-day execution necessary to deliver on our mission. They will enjoy managing multiple staff and a variety of projects simultaneously and will have the organizational skills necessary to stay on top of a broad scope of work. They will thrive in a fast-paced, campaign-like environment and bring with them an inclination to solve problems creatively.

This position requires experience managing programs and staff, and plays a major role in management of electoral and legislative campaigns. The position will provide experienced leadership and strategic planning for HRC’s national political program. This position reports to the National Campaign Director.

Position Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic guidance to state-based organizing staff in the development, implementation, and evaluation of proactive electoral and legislative campaign plans, objectives, tactics, and strategies.
• Develop and maintain coalitions through the lens of equity, intersectionality, and allyship. HRC’s leadership in campaign, legislative, and advocacy spaces must include engagement and partnerships with LGBTQ+ communities, BIPOC communities, social and reproductive justice organizations, and organizations serving marginalized communities.
• Provide supervision and leadership to state-based staff, ensuring their integration into HRC operations, supporting their work to create lasting collaborative relationships with national, state and local partners, fostering peer-to-peer collaboration across states and regions, and providing mentorship to help them grow to their full potential.
• Identify resource needs for individual states and work within HRC or with other organizations to fill those needs.
• Provide day-to-day management and oversight of budget and expenses.
• Manage external relationships and partnerships as needed.
• Help lead an integrated process to strategically engage other HRC departments, communicate regarding campaign and organizing efforts and related progress, and ensure goals are met.  
• Develop and implement strategies to streamline resources to support in-state activity and to avoid duplicative work.
• Analyze and leverage existing assets of HRC to develop and track campaign metrics relating to field goals, communications, online organizing, membership growth, and civic engagement in order to ensure rigorous program evaluation and provide quality control; and formulate and implement corrective action as needed.  
• Manage employees including, when applicable, interviewing, hiring, training, conducting performance reviews, coaching, motivating, and disciplining employees.
• Work with leadership to establish accountability systems to ensure campaign and organizing goals are met, including the implementation of post-campaign debriefs and assessments.
• When requested, represent HRC and HRC's efforts through media interviews, presentations at major conferences, and participating in relevant coalitions, committees, and boards.
• Work closely with the office of the general counsel to ensure compliance with election and legislative lobbying laws.
• Travel as needed to HRC-sponsored events.
• Prepare and submit regular and ad hoc reports as requested.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Position Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience) preferred with a minimum of 7-10 years of electoral campaign, legislative campaign, and/or advocacy experience.  
• Direct management experience building and leading highly effective teams required.
• Experience with strategic planning, coalition building, project management, and implementation.
• Strong understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and experience with federal, state and local political and legislative processes.
• Unwavering commitment to centering diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of work, and a demonstrated ability to develop strategies and tactics to create equitable and inclusive outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including an ability to communicate with diverse groups of people with sensitivity and appreciation to cultural differences.
• Distinct attention to detail, superior multitasking and prioritization skills, and ability to identify and communicate items needing further attention.
• Ability to keep organizational strategy front and center and also understand what is needed for day-to-day execution of the work.
• Spanish-speakers and other bilingual applicants are encouraged 
• Natural, eager, and creative problem solver with a team-player attitude and a drive to find solutions and effectuate change rapidly.
• Ability to work in both a team atmosphere and independently; and to meet internal and external demands in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to travel on a regular basis as needed, and for extended periods.
• Proficient in campaign technology and tools such as VAN, Mobilize, Hustle, etc.
• Strong skills with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel) and Google Apps (Gmail, Google Docs and Drive).
• Flexibility with work schedule; this position requires evening and weekend work and travel.

All positions at the Human Rights Campaign may require travel on a regular basis or periodically. Where the need arises for business travel, appropriate compensation as outlined by the Fair Labor Standards Act will apply

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to queries about application status.