Position: Policy Advocate
Reports to: Policy Manager
Supervising Duties: No
Position Type: Full Time
FLSA status: Non-Exempt
Location: Hybrid (must be in Bay Area for in-person work events)
Salary range: $65,000-$77,500 per year, dependent on relevant experience and internal equity considerations.

Apply here!

About Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
Chinese for Affirmative Action was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice. 

At the grassroots level, our community building work nurtures the ability of immigrants to participate fully in civic life. These activities include direct services, leadership development, and civic engagement with limited-English proficient newcomers and immigrants on issues that impact our community. At the systemic level, CAA leads advocacy, communications, and movement building work to improve public policy and shape public discourse. We produce community-based research, publish policy analyses and recommendations, influence opinion through media, organize to engage elected and government officials, and nurture a range of progressive coalitions.

In 2014, CAA helped to launch the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE) network that focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans committed to social justice. Including CAA, there are currently 11 partnering member groups with unique strengths.  Fiscal sponsorship, administrative, and operational support is provided centrally for all of these groups so they can focus on their core programs. 

In 2020, CAA was one of the founding organizations of Stop AAPI Hate (SAH), a U.S.-based coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAs & PIs). SAH strives to advance the multiracial movement for equity and justice by building power for our communities, working in solidarity with other communities of color, and advocating for comprehensive solutions that tackle the root causes of race-based hate.

We are committed to supporting our employees to thrive in service of our mission by providing generous benefits, which include 100% health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employee coverage and 65% for dependent coverage; employer-funded health reimbursement account; paid time off; and professional development stipend.

Position Overview 
The Policy Advocate plays a vital role in supporting the Policy Team at CAA, which is responsible for advancing the organization’s policy portfolio in language access, immigrant rights, community safety and justice, economic justice, and education equity. This position supports the Policy Team through research, collaborating with CAA staff, and participating in local advocacy efforts in San Francisco. The Policy Advocate is a policy generalist with an understanding of CAA’s policy positions and is responsible for executing discrete projects as assigned.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Advocacy

• Research and prepare policy analyses, reports, and recommendations on CAA’s core issue areas
• Develop and adapt policy content for community education and external communications purposes
• Collaborate with staff to help draft local legislation and public policies and to develop community-based advocacy strategies to implement them
• Support the implementation of local advocacy campaigns, including attending and developing talking points for meetings, rallies, and/or hearings with community members and government agencies or officials
• Support community engagement initiatives including participating in local coalitions and collaboratives
• Support the Policy Manager in maintaining and updating CAA’s comprehensive tracker on support/opposition positions
• Execute on internal and external policy-related projects as determined by the Policy Manager
• Represent CAA in external communications, including community meetings, public hearings, in traditional and digital media, and other spaces 

Grant, Contract and Financial Management

• Support administration of contracts/grants, including tracking assisting with the preparation of reports for compliance purposes

Organizational Support

• Support the planning, coordination, and staffing of CAA events, cross-program and organization-wide, such as community workshops, outreach opportunities, leadership development training meetings, and CAA-wide events
• Contribute to fundraising and development activities for the organization as needed

• Perform other duties as assigned to support the overall mission of the organization
• Contribute to positive work environment in alignment with organizational values

Qualifications

• Commitment to the mission, values, aspirations of CAA
• Ability to represent CAA’s values, positions and framing on policy issues 
• Experience working on local policy issues impacting AAPI communities in San Francisco and/or the Bay Area.
• Experience with policy writing and policy analysis
• Superb written and oral communications skills
• Strong organizational and analytical skills 
• Ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously in a timely manner
• Proactive, self-motivated problem solver who can exercise sound judgment
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to work effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Quick learner who is flexible and adaptable to diverse tasks and environments
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency with Google suite