Legislative Director

The Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is an environmental justice organization with deep roots in California’s Asian immigrant and refugee communities. Since 1993, APEN has built a membership base of Laotian refugees in Richmond and Chinese immigrants in Oakland, and more recently, Asian Americans in South Bay LA. Together, we have fought and won campaigns to make our communities healthier and just places where all people have the resources we need to live full, dignified lives. We are growing our local roots and building power to make decisions at the state level that have real local impact. By building an organized movement, we’re leading a transition away from an extractive economy based on profit and pollution and toward local, healthy, and life-sustaining economies that benefit everyone.

Position Summary

The Legislative Director builds the power of Asian American immigrants and refugees by advancing APEN’s state policy and legislative agenda. The position requires the ability to develop a multi-pronged strategy across a number of environmental issue areas and working closely with other APEN staff to integrate policy with statewide and local basebuilding, leadership development, electoral engagement, and movement building. The position reports to the State Political Director.. 

Roles and Responsibilities

LEGISLATIVE STRATEGY & ADVOCACY

• Cohere, refine, and coordinate APEN’s state legislative and budget slate to meet overall organizational mission
• Develop and lead legislative strategy of APEN’s state agenda, including strategizing regularly with APEN’s state Political Director, to execute state level campaigns
• Maintain processes to evaluate legislative campaign outcomes and monitor the effectiveness of APEN’s strategies 
• Prepare briefs, fact sheets, reports, and presentations as needed

CAMPAIGNS & COALITION LEADERSHIP

• Engage and organize partner organizations across sectors in APEN’s legislative campaigns
• Create and advance campaigns for APEN’s state legislative, budget, and policy agenda, including working with APEN team members and allies to organize key constituencies
• Coordinate regularly with APEN’s Leads Team to align local, state, and regional strategy across component teams
• Hold strategic relationships with elected officials, administration, and legislative staff
• Attend relevant meetings, briefings, conferences, and relationship-building activities
• Represent APEN in key coalitions, stakeholder groups, and external meetings and shape them to center diverse immigrant and multiracial constituencies and alignment with our strategic priorities
• Conduct political assessments of the landscape with internal teams and partners
• Serve as point person with specified funders and coordinate with APEN’s development team to execute grant proposals and renewals

ORGANIZATION-WIDE

• Strategy and Planning: Contribute to overall organizational coordination and planning processes, including strategic planning, yearly workplan and budgeting, annual board + staff meeting, bi-weekly staff meetings and component meetings
• Organizational Culture: Contribute to the APEN culture of team-building, emotional intelligence, feminisms, and leadership development
• Basebuilding and Member Engagement:  Support organizing events with APEN members
• Fund Development: Engage in grassroots and/or foundation fundraising
• Communications:  Act as a spokesperson and engage with communications narrative framework
• Cross Component Support: Support various areas of organizational work, events, or campaigns as identified and participate in organizational committees and teams as needed
• Supervision: Supervise key policy staff, consultants, and/or interns as part of building a cohesive state policy agenda across diverse roles

Qualifications

• Successful track record of at least 5-8 years in policy, legislative, campaign, and/or organizing experience
• Expertise in state legislative advocacy and process