Senior Director of Government Affairs

Who We Are

Arts Alliance Illinois champions arts resources and policies that benefit our members and all Illinois residents. As the only statewide, multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture, the Alliance takes on challenges that no single organization or artist can face alone.

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Government Affairs is a member of the Alliance’s senior leadership team, working closely with the Executive Director and a team of three other senior staff to manage long-term plans to engage members and build sustainable legislative wins for the creative sector. 

This position will be a leading advocate and voice of the creative community, fighting for a just and thriving creative sector in Illinois. They will supervise the Director of Community Organizing, co-supervise the Director of Communications, provide guidance to their respective teams, and develop core external partnerships to execute a rigorous calendar of advocacy and policy campaigns to advance short and long-term policy goals and organizational growth. The Senior Director of Government Affairs will also serve as senior political strategist and policy analyst, conducting analyses of policy developments, preparing and presenting legislative testimony, and engaging the Alliance’s growing network of partners and supporters.

We seek a highly ambitious and motivated strategic thinker with leadership qualities, experience working with diverse coalitions, a political or organizing background, and experience managing staff. This position reports to the Executive Director.

This position is approximately 75% remote, with a requirement to attend in-person events as needed. During the legislative session, the Senior Director of Government Affairs will be expected to travel to Springfield, IL to build relationships with lawmakers, engage with our contract lobbyist, etc. This also includes occasional meetings at the Chicago offices, annual staff retreats, and other Arts Alliance events. Due to the nature of our work, we require all employees to be full-time residents of Illinois during their term of employment with AAI.

Duties
Government Affairs (60%)

• Design and execute effective advocacy strategies around issues of importance to the Illinois creative sector, with a focus on promoting equity and access for BIPOC and rural arts practitioners and organizations.
• Build and maintain legislative relationships at local, state, and federal levels, especially with elected officials, civil servants, and their respective staff. 
• Manage Arts Alliance legislation from drafting phase, filing, and adding sponsors to passage.
• Ensure legislative and policy proposals relevant to the Alliance’s agenda and the creative sector are tracked and analyzed. Including, but not limited to, tracking legislation harmful to the sector and reaching out to sponsors on behalf of the Alliance. 
• Testifying on behalf of the Alliance on legislation that may be harmful or helpful to the sector.
• Partner with the Executive Director in communicating with and evaluating contract lobbyists.
• Represent the Alliance at public forums, meetings, with press and media, and at national and regional conferences and events as needed. 

Community Organizing (20%)

• In collaboration with the Director of Community Organizing, lead the development of Arts Alliance’s community-driven policy agenda and ensure that policy agenda is updated in line with the most critical concerns of the statewide creative sector. 
• Develop high-quality policy content and analysis including action alerts, talking points, issue briefs, letters, press statements, opinion editorials, and website updates, and work with the Director of Communications to ensure the development of effective messaging.
• Collaborate with the Director of Community Organizing and other relevant staff to meaningfully engage Alliance members and deepen the organizational bench of arts advocates across the state.
• Develop and maintain key partnerships with external collaborators of Arts Alliance Illinois, especially around policy and advocacy advancement, in concert with the Director of Community Organizing and Executive Director. 

Department Leadership (15%)

• Direct the growth of the Advocacy, Organizing, and Policy department.
• Manage Advocacy staff towards program success and professional growth, including holding staff accountable to goals, and providing consistent feedback and coaching.
• Develop a deep understanding of staff perspectives of our member's needs and priorities, as well as direct engagement with members around those same topics.
• Provide timely an