Associate Director for State Policy
Title: Associate Director for State Policy
Reports to: Policy Director
Direct reports: State and Local Policy Attorneys
Hours: full-time, exempt
Location: within the continental US
For more than three decades, we've been on the front lines of the movement to create a safer America. Our organization was forged in the aftermath of two horrific tragedies that redefined the fight for gun safety. In 1993, a mass shooting at a San Francisco law firm led to the creation of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's early, preeminent force for researching and defending gun safety laws. In 2016, the Law Center joined forces with Americans for Responsible Solutions, the political organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, to form a legal, federal, political, and state-based powerhouse. Our work depends on building wide, sometimes unlikely coalitions – working with everyone from frontline violence interrupters to moderate Republicans and gun owners.
Today, GIFFORDS addresses a crisis of epidemic proportions. With nearly 47,000 Americans dying from gun violence every year, this is a uniquely American problem that costs our economy an estimated $557 billion annually. But we know this cycle of violence is preventable. We fight for evidence-based solutions, including universal background checks, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and community violence intervention programs. We implement solutions that save lives – and it's working.
Built on a foundation of legal expertise and bold leadership, GIFFORDS stands as a courageous force for change. For more information, visit www.GIFFORDS.org.
Position Summary
GIFFORDS is seeking an Associate Director for State Policy to join our team. Our Policy team provides legislative and policy expertise to support GIFFORDS’ efforts to improve and implement laws and policies that will reduce gun violence across the country. We are seeking an experienced policy attorney to build out our work on state and local legislation and policy. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in the work to address America’s epidemic of gun violence and join a growing and high-profile national political movement.
This is a full-time position based in the contiguous US. This position requires the ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time, as well as interest and ability in staffing occasional weekend and evening events. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants, no phone calls or emails, please.
Duties + Responsibilities:
Legislative and Regulatory Work
- Work closely with the government affairs team, GIFFORDS’ consultants, and external allies to represent GIFFORDS’ interests in the legislative process by analyzing bills, researching, reviewing, and commenting on proposed legislative text, and evaluating GIFFORDS’ stance on particular bills
- Collaborate with the research, litigation, and community violence intervention teams when appropriate so that their knowledge and expertise can be brought to bear in our legislative advocacy
- Identify and track state bills affecting gun laws and policy using our bill tracking systems
- Identify, research, and describe opportunities for executive and regulatory actions to enhance gun safety and develop new policy solutions and advocacy
- Prepare and deliver written and oral testimony and public comments regarding specific legislative and regulatory proposals
- Draft internal and external memos, fact sheets, and letters of support regarding GIFFORDS’ state and local legislative priorities
Team leadership and management
- Supervise junior attorneys and other team members towards the achievement of team and individual goals
- Ensure high quality, mission-critical work within the state and local policy team
- Work closely with the Policy Director and the Chief of Staff to define strategic goals and long-term policy priorities and to strengthen internal systems
- Follow GIFFORDS’ best practices for management and support of a team
- Promote an inclusive, trauma-informed, and equity-centered team culture that values collaboration and learning
Public education and scholarship
- Develop and maintain accurate policy information available through GIFFORDS’ website, reports, and social media presence through supervision of junior attorneys and collaborations with the research, community violence intervention, and communications teams
- Oversee research of novel issues of firearms policy, including both fact gathering and statutory and regulatory analysis
Cross-team and external engagement
- Represent the organization and promote organizational priorities in legislative hearings, in meetings with public officials, in coalition spaces, and at conferences or convenings related to gun violence prevention and industry accountability
- Work closely with government affairs, research, community violence intervention, litigation, and communications teams to ensure policy is integrated into broader organizational strategies and advocacy work
- Partner with the development team on grant proposals, reports, and donor engagement related to policy work.
- Further the goals of the communications team by answering print, digital, radio, and television media inquiries about firearm-related laws, legislation, and policies
- Manage projects through organizational approval processes
- Support the implementation of new gun laws through outreach, trainings, collaboration with allies and partners, and publications
Required knowledge, skills + experience
- J.D. from a U.S. law school
- Admitted to practice law in DC, CA, NY, or another state with the ability to be admitted in one of those jurisdictions
- 7+ years of legal, policy, or legislative practice, with three or more years of experience analyzing bills and working with legislators or policy advocates on gun violence prevention strongly preferred
- Two or more years of experience supervising junior policy staff
- Exceptional attention to detail
- Exceptional writing and editing skills
- Strong management and supervisory skills
- Strong belief in and commitment to gun violence prevention
- Strong capacity to analyze, interpret, and describe legislative text and policy proposals for both legal and non-legal audiences
- Strong presentation and public-speaking skills
- Strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple projects involving multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment
- Spirit of collaboration and inclusiveness that provides opportunities for colleagues at all levels to contribute
- Strong ability to resolve disagreements with other co-workers amicably, professionally and with respect
- Strong commitment to trauma-informed practice, and working respectfully with survivors and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence
- Ability to collaborate effectively with diverse partners, including advocates, experts, survivors, and government entities
- Highly organized and solutions oriented; able to work independently and problem solve
- A commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism
- A flexible attitude and a growth mindset
Valued non-essential knowledge, skills, + experience
- Bilingual in Spanish and English.
- Experience working for a state or local legislator or government agency
- Knowledge about criminal justice reform or 3D printing technology
- Ability to decipher and explain public health research and data related to gun violence
- Experience speaking to the media, including phone, print, and on-camera interviews with reporters
- Ability to facilitate constructive discussion of difficult technical and operational issues
Salary + benefits
The salary range for this position is $128,720-$141,150 annually, with the exact salary depending on equivalent experience. Competitive benefits include employer-funded health, dental, and vision insurance; health, transit, and parking flexible spending accounts; 401k plan with 4% employer match; reimbursement for cell phone and monthly wifi stipend; 25 days of PTO annually plus paid week closure at the end of the calendar year; and 10 paid federal holidays.
Applying + the interview process
Submit your resume, and a brief cover letter (400 words maximum) that outlines three specific ways that you would be a good fit for this position. Our interview process for this position consists of a phone interview, a Zoom interview, a skills assessment exercise, final interview, reference checks, and a background check. To ensure an equitable application and interview process, we ask that all candidates refrain from using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or similar). Our hiring process is also free from AI use.
GIFFORDS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion. People of color, trans individuals, gender non-conforming individuals, women, people with differing abilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.