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The HALO Trust’s Washington, D.C. office is seeking an enthusiastic professional to support HALO’s Congressional affairs arm. This individual will be responsible for leading grassroots advocacy efforts in coordination with the Head of Congressional Affairs & Strategic Engagement, to support legislative goals and build stronger ties between constituents passionate about addressing conflict issues and their Congressional representation.
This role is critical in ensuring that large volumes of constituents and community leaders are actively engaging Members of Congress in encouraging support for demining and related programs, and building HALO’s public profile as a premier advocacy organization.
This position will work closely with the Congressional Affairs, Communications (US and UK) and Philanthropy teams.
About The Halo Trust
The HALO Trust (USA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization specializing in the removal of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW), with projects in 25+ countries and territories employing over 12,000 people.
HALO’s Washington, D.C. office works with government partners, international agencies, foundations, and private donors to increase awareness of the impact of landmines and ERW on post-conflict communities and to raise funds to support HALO’s teams working overseas.
This is a remote/in-office hybrid post with two days required in the Washington office per week
Key responsibilities include:
General:
- To support the design and implementation of a strategy that aims to grow HALO’s grassroots advocacy network, enhance advocate engagement and steward advocates, while building HALO’s public image as a leading advocacy organization
- To input and manage advocacy contacts, groups, and listservs within HALO’s advocacy database, Quorum
- To identify the best mechanism for collecting key information from advocates, and to create and manage a sophisticated listserv system that ensures advocates receive customized content
- To map annual grassroots campaign plans, push legislative agenda in innovative ways and to manage the campaign calendar.
- To regularly draft campaign content (imagery and text), audiences, timelines, and communication
- To implement digital marketing strategies in coordination with the communications department, and to ensure the right campaigns reach the right audiences with the right messaging via email, text, social media, and other means.
- To support strategy in generating advocate support for HALO’s research & development partnership with the Department of Defense
- To work with the communications team to update the Advocacy section of the website
- To keep up with best grassroots and grasstops advocacy practices, adapting tactics as needed
- To coordinate with existing advocacy partners and HALO ambassadors to maximize advocate campaign engagement, and to develop new partnerships
- To conduct analysis and provide reports on campaign performance, and to provide recommendations for change
- To provide reports on actions to Congressional offices for use in direct advocacy efforts
- To provide input on the annual expense calendar for required paid services and needs.
- To represent HALO at events, as needed
- To work with the Communication team to identify gaps in digital and physical assets
Advocate and partner recruitment:
- To maintain current tactics and research, and to implement new tactics and platforms to significantly grow HALO’s grassroots advocacy network
- To regularly work with paid advocate recruitment services, such as CARE2, to draft campaign content and to input data into the database.
- To design and implement a student/young professional advocate engagement program
- To establish a program to engage volunteer leaders in regional based recruitment efforts
- To build partnerships, lead event planning and implementation, build awareness of issues and generate support with universities, community groups, veteran’s groups, affinity groups, etc.
- To liaise with the communications department to build strategies to recruit advocates across various digital platforms, and to identify areas for expansion
- To serve as a general cheerleader and public voice for getting people involved in advocacy for HALO.
Advocate engagement & stewardship:
- To review and build an email welcome series for new advocates and SOPs
- To draft aesthetically pleasing and impactful communications to educate advocates about issues, and keep them up to date on advocacy activities and opportunities
- To design thank you notes, banners, and other collateral as needed (in Canva or similar)
- To develop and implement an advocate stewardship program to support advocate retention
- To track and report advocate engagement and strategizing tactics to increase engagement
- To host fly-in days, webinars, and events locally and nationwide to build awareness, relationships, and further engage advocates.
Some travel (nationally) will be required for this position.
Essential Qualifications / Skills:
- Undergraduate degree in a relevant field
- 3+ years of experience in policy advocacy, communications, marketing, public relations, or similar
- Direct experience with mobilizing grassroots advocates.
- Strong attention to detail
- Must be extremely self-motivated and able to work autonomously
- Experience writing for a public audience
- Project management skills (to strategize, implement, and build out systems for this portfolio from scratch).
- Demonstratable problem solving skills
Ideal candidates will possess
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills
- Strong analytical and organizational skills
- The ability to think creatively, work collaboratively and be comfortable in a fast-paced environment.
- An outgoing and friendly personality when it comes to performing cold outreach to organizations/individuals and speaking to groups on behalf of HALO’s mission
- An exceptional work ethic and a positive, can-do attitude
- Proficiency in social media, Canva (or similar), and Quorum
- Understanding of Congressional affairs and the role of constituent outreach
- General knowledge of and interest in international affairs
- A keen understanding of writing styles appropriate for communicating to Congressional offices, grassroots advocates, stakeholders, and the general public
The HALO Trust USA employee benefits for full-time employees include:
Salary Range: $55,000-$65,000 depending on experience
Vacation Time: 25 days (5 weeks) paid vacation (PTO)
Sick Leave: 5 days paid Sick-Leave.
Holidays: HALO USA observes all USA Federal holidays and D.C. holidays.
Savings Plan: A 401(k) retirement savings plan is offered to our employees, but managed entirely through our Payroll provider, Insperity. HALO USA will ‘match’ up to 5% of an employee’s contributed monthly savings to their 401(k) account.
Travel: Some national travel, potential opportunity to see international HALO demining operation or travel to annual HALO internal conference
The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. The organization is committed to a culture that is both diverse and inclusive and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people form a diverse candidate pool.
How to apply
If you wish to apply please visit https://apply.workable.com/the-halo-trust/j/61F5DEF0AA/ to submit your resume and cover letter detailing your suitability for the role, and a brief (no more than 1 page) writing sample that demonstrates your ability to educate and motivate a public audience to take action on an issue.
Closing date for applications is October 30th, though applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If there is a sufficient caliber of applicants, we reserve the right to close the role earlier than the date noted.
This role must be held by a U.S. citizen.