Political Director

Who We Are

COPAL, Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action, is a member-based organization established in 2018 to improve the quality of life of Latine families. Grounded in the Principles of Jemez, COPAL is committed to continue building meaningful relationships that transcend both identity and geographical boundaries. COPAL envisions a Minnesota where everyone lives with dignity and respect.

Why You'll Love Working Here

Our greatest asset is the dedication and commitment of our board, staff, members, and interns, as well as our valued volunteers, partners, coalition members, and leaders of the Latine community. With a clear mission and vision of a better future for all, we can mobilize people to bring about transformation and lead social, political, and economic change.

Wages

$80,000 - $85,000 annual salary range

Benefits

Generous Paid Time Off (PTO), plus nine paid holidays per year and two floating holidays; competitive health, dental, and vision insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA), and options for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). There is also employer-paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employees. The employer pays the premiums for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and long-term disability insurance. COPAL sponsors a retirement plan with 6% employer contribution after 90 days of service and immediate vesting.

Job Summary

COPAL is hiring a Political Director to lead COPAL's political, electoral, and public policy strategy, which includes overseeing advocacy and Somos the Future PAC, directing statewide campaigns and legislative efforts, managing key relationships, supervising staff and contractors, and guiding the agenda during non-electoral cycles.

Responsibilities

• Designing, leading, and executing COPAL's legislative and public policy campaigns, developing and managing the policy agenda, and overseeing issue advocacy strategies during non-electoral cycles.
• Utilizing community organizing tools including canvassing, one-to-one meetings, leadership development, and base-building to advance campaign goals.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with Latine community members, allies, elected officials, government staff, and coalition partners.
• Recruiting, training, and developing grassroots leaders in collaboration with the Organizing Director to strengthen campaign impact.
• Planning and leading organizing meetings, leadership trainings, statewide public actions, and representing COPAL in public advocacy spaces.
• Developing and implementing work plans aligned with organizational and programmatic priorities.
• Leading and managing COPAL's electoral engagement strategy, including voter education, mobilization, and accountability efforts in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Serving as lead staff for Somos the Future PAC, overseeing endorsements, electoral strategy, independent expenditures, compliance processes, and co-managing the political endorsement process.
• Ensuring legal and operational separation between organizational activities while managing related budgets and reporting to funders and the Campaign Finance Board.
• Supervising temporary, seasonal, and on-call elections staff and consultants, training organizers in electoral strategy, and connecting member-based committees to political goals.
• Leveraging accountability and data tools, including CRM systems, to track electoral progress and outcomes.
• Representing COPAL in national coalitions, coordinating participation in national campaigns, lobby days, and calls to action, and supporting member engagement in advocacy efforts.
• Evaluating program effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative data and preparing reports and recommendations for leadership and funders.
• Collaborating cross-departmentally to integrate School of Organizing outcomes into campaigns, civic engagement, and policy initiatives while exercising independent judgment in program and leadership strategy.
• Participating in fundraising activities, articulating COPAL's mission and Principles of Jemez, maintaining CRM proficiency, and supporting overall agency goals.

Who You Are

• You have at least three years of experience in community organizing, electoral politics, issue advocacy, or related fields.
• You have at least one year of supervisory or team leadership experience.
• You have previous experience engaging community members through relational organizing and leadership development.
• You have previous experience facilitating meetings, trainings, or collective actions that move people to action.
• You have experience developing and managing programmatic budgets.
• You have experience with overseeing budgets of $1.5 million or more.
• You are fluent in English.
• It is strongly preferred to be fluent in Spanish.
• You demonstrate a strong understanding of community organizing principles and campaign strategy.
• You demonstrate the ability to exercise independent judgment and manage competing priorities.
• You have a proven ability to meet deadlines and manage complex projects.
• You possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• You have experience working with databases and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
• You have the ability to build and maintain effective relationships across diverse communities, stakeholders, and coalitions.
• You possess strong time management skills, accountability, and consistent follow-through.
• You demonstrate a commitment to racial, economic, and gender justice.
• You are willing and able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed.
• You have a valid driver's license, access to reliable transportation, and the ability to meet COPAL's driving record requirements. Please note that if the license was not issued in the state of Minnesota, you have 60 days after becoming a Minnesota resident in which to apply for your Minnesota driver's license or permit (not applicable for new hires living out of state).

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of COPAL. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements. Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.