Deputy State Policy Director

Reports to: Policy Director Direct reports: None Hours: Full-time, exempt Location: Remote from the West Coast or Southwestern United States Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, GIFFORDS is a nonprofit organization whose team is on a mission to save lives from gun violence.
GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion.
People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.
GIFFORDS is seeking a Deputy State Policy Director to join our team.
The Deputy State Policy Director will provide policy guidance and expertise for our state-level legislative, regulatory, and advocacy work, including a focus on this work in California.
The Deputy State Policy Director will report to the Policy Director and join a team of four other experts on the policy team.
About GIFFORDS Law Center For over 25 years, the experts at GIFFORDS Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence have been fighting for a safer America by researching, drafting, and defending the laws, policies, and programs proven to save lives from gun violence.
Founded in the wake of a 1993 mass shooting in San Francisco, GIFFORDS Law Center joined forces in 2016 with former Congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabrielle Giffords to form a courageous new force for gun safety that stretches coast to coast, with offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York.
We seek a motivated Deputy State Policy Director to join our policy team, primarily focusing on legislative work, policy analysis, research, and writing projects to advance our mission.
This is a wonderful opportunity to grow your skills while doing meaningful work to address America’s epidemic of gun violence and join a growing and high-profile national political movement.
This full-time remote position is based on the West Coast or the Southwest United States (California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas).
This position requires the ability and willingness to travel occasionally to Sacramento, as well as interest and ability in staffing occasional weekend and evening events.
GIFFORDS employees are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus with limited exemptions as required by federal and state law.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Due to the high volume of applicants, no phone calls or emails, please.
Duties + responsibilities Work alongside other GIFFORDS’ staff to support our legislative and regulatory work through activities such as: Identifying and tracking state bills affecting gun laws and policy using our bill tracking systems; Bill analysis, including researching, reviewing, and commenting on proposed legislative text and evaluating GIFFORDS’ stance on particular bills, with a particular focus on California; Identifying, researching, and describing opportunities for executive and regulatory actions to enhance gun safety and developing new policy solutions and advocacy; Drafting legislation; Participating in conversations with legislators, legislative staff, and coalition members about specific policy proposals; Gathering input on legislative proposals from staff, allies, and other stakeholders; Anticipating and responding to opposition arguments; and Preparing and delivering written and oral testimony and public comments regarding specific legislative and regulatory proposals; Support public education and scholarship regarding gun policies by: Drafting written products, including internal and external memos, fact sheets, white papers, letters of support, and research reports on various gun safety topics; Answering print, digital, radio, and television media inquiries about firearm-related laws, legislation, and policies; Researching novel issues of firearms policy, including both fact gathering and statutory and regulatory analysis; Supporting the implementation of new gun laws through outreach, trainings, collaboration with allies and partners, and publications; Support GIFFORDS’ internal inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism (IDEA) work; and Other duties as assigned.
The position’s specific job responsibilities will vary according to project deadlines and the fast-moving pace of GIFFORDS Law Center’s work.
Required knowledge, skills, and experience 5-7 years of full or part-time experience analyzing bills and working with legislators or policy advocates on legislation or regulations Prior experience working with the California State Legislature Exceptional attention to detail Exceptional writing and editing skills Strong familiarity with the legislative process, especially in California Strong belief in and commitment to gun violence prevention Strong capacity to analyze, interpret, and describe legislative text and policy proposals for both legal and non-legal audiences Strong presentation and public-speaking skills Highly organized; able to work independently and problem solve Strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment Strong interpersonal skills, sense of humor, and ability to work well on a team A commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism, especially as it relates to policy and legislation A flexible attitude and a growth mindset Valued non-essential knowledge, skills, + experience Ability to anticipate opposition arguments and prepare substantive responses Experience building relationships with coalition allies and key stakeholders Ability to speak to the media, including phone, print, and on-camera interviews with reporters An advanced policy or law degree is highly preferred Bilingual in Spanish and English Salary + benefits The salary range for this role is $93,000-$113,000 and varies within that range commensurate with experience.
For all full-time employees, competitive benefits include employer funded health, dental, and vision insurance; health, transit, and parking flexible spending accounts; 401k plan with 4% employer match; 25 days of paid time off (PTO) annually plus paid week closure at the end of the year; and ten paid holidays.
Applying + the interview process Submit your resume, and a brief cover letter (400 words maximum) outlining three specific ways you would be a good fit for this position, and upload one writing sample of no more than 5 pages.
Our interview process for this position consists of a phone interview, a panel interview, a final interview, and reference checks.
GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.
People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.