Senior director, economic security california

IMPORTANT: This role can only be applied for via the Maneva Group website. Do not submit an application through this form or through other job board websites (e.g., LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.). Since its launch in 2024, ESCA has established itself as a leading voice for a fairer California economy — helping shape statewide fights to expand direct cash policies like guaranteed income and tax credits, and to curb the harms from corporate concentration, hold AI accountable — and has built a reputation as a strategic, credible, respected organization.

Building on a strong foundation, the Senior Director will expand Economic Security California's team, portfolio, and state footprint while setting its long-term strategic and fundraising trajectory. The role demands immediate credibility and strong relationships across California's political, philanthropic, and advocacy sectors. The Senior Director will oversee key campaigns to put cash in people's pockets through guaranteed income and refundable tax credits, while countering corporate concentration through antimonopoly action, AI regulation, and public options. Additionally, the Senior Director serves as the primary architect of ESCA's growth, driving an ambitious fundraising strategy and establishing a long-term vision for the organization's expansion and impact.

Responsibilities

Programmatic Strategy and Leadership (50%)

• Drive the development and execution of ESCA's state strategy across its three core strategies: provoke, legitimize, win.
• Set the strategic direction and oversee the development of ESCA's policy agenda to address the affordability crisis by advancing cash policies and countering corporate concentration, building on organizational expertise in the areas of expanding tax credits, guaranteed income and benefits access; and curbing corporate concentration, monopoly conduct, regulating tech and AI and encouraging public options.
• Direct ESCA’s and ESCA Action’s work in Sacramento, utilizing legislative advocacy, strategic communications, coalition-building, and public events to cultivate legislative champions and engage new constituencies.
• Implement a multi-year strategy to build political power in California, identifying and engaging regional and grassroots partners, evaluating campaign opportunities, and tracking long-term progress.
• Serve as ESCA's primary spokesperson to media and external stakeholders, leading a statewide narrative plan in partnership with ESP's communications team.
• Collaborate with and contribute to national ESP leadership on federal campaigns, directing California-based execution to support broader national goals.
• Direct external consultants, lobbyists, and strategic advisors to align deliverables, expand capacity, and execute high-impact advocacy campaigns.

Organizational Leadership, Operations, and Growth (50%)

• Execute an ambitious fundraising strategy to fund ESCA's annual budget, cultivating relationships with major donors, institutional funders, and prospective partners alongside ESP's development team.
• Set and drive a long-term growth vision for ESCA, expanding its geographic footprint, programmatic scope, annual budget, and operational capacity.
• Manage a sustainable budget for ESCA, overseeing financial forecasting, expense management, and operational systems to support smart growth.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain a diverse, high-performing team of staff, fellows, and consultants.
• Manage direct reports, establish clear workflows, and foster professional development as the team expands.
• Serve as an active member of ESP's Senior Leadership Team, modeling organizational values, breaking down departmental silos, and collaborating closely with national policy, communications, and operations leaders.
• Partner with ESP leadership staff to refine, scale, and strengthen the broader state affiliate model, positioning California as a blueprint for state-level economic justice work nationwide.

Location, Compensation, and Benefits

The Economic Security Project is a primarily virtual office with staff across the country. This position must be based in California with regular in person meetings with decision-makers and coalition partners, including maintaining a consistent presence in (with regular travel to) Sacramento. The salary range for this position is $160,000-$195,000, dependent on factors such as experience and location. This role includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Overview

The Economic Security Project (ESP) advocates for ideas that build economic power for all Americans. To expand what’s considered possible and turn bold ideas into reality, ESP legitimizes emerging concepts through cutting-edge research, elevating champions, and challenging conventional wisdom. Driven by a diverse team of academics, organizers, practitioners, and culture makers, the organization runs targeted issue campaigns, develops creative interventions, and convenes leaders to spur collective action. By winning concrete policy victories for communities in immediate need, ESP creates the conditions to actively shift the economic landscape. By convening thousands through strategic briefings and marquee events, ESP has set a bold agenda for a more just political economy. Their advocacy secured over $1 trillion in direct family relief during the pandemic—including a pivotal federal campaign for the expanded Child Tax Credit—and modernized tax codes in over seven states. These cash-based interventions famously "defied gravity" by reducing poverty in the midst of a recession. To address today's cost-of-living crisis, ESP’s Affordability Framework diagnosed broken markets and broken incomes as twin drivers. They backed this analysis with a live Affordability Dashboard to track real-time economic pressures and launched the Affordability Campaigns Collaborative to unite advocates across issues. Across federal and state levels, ESP continues to advance policies that tackle corporate concentration, ensure tech/AI delivers for workers, address housing, promote public options, ensure tax fairness, and expand benefits access. Beyond direct policy wins, ESP has fortified the field by investing over $25 million into groundbreaking research, grassroots coalitions, and narrative interventions that advance racial and economic justice. Through these combined efforts, they have moved once-radical ideas into the mainstream, championing a vision where individuals possess the agency to be the true authors of their own lives. The Economic Security Project fosters a high-performance, remote-first culture rooted in accountability and growth. Committed to diversity and inclusion, ESP ensures its policies are informed by diverse lived experiences while investing heavily in professional development. ESP supports employee well-being through flexible remote work, regular office closures, and a five-year sabbatical program, balancing rigorous strategic planning with in-person connection and a spirited office culture. Economic Security California (ESCA), an affiliate of the Economic Security Project, builds economic power for all Californians by fighting corporate consolidation and advancing cash policies so every resident has the freedom and stability to thrive. The organization has advanced a policy agenda that seeks to put money into the pockets of people who need it, through expanded tax credits and direct cash, while guarding against the forces trying to take money out, by curbing anticompetitive conduct by Big Tech and other concentrated corporate power. In Sacramento, Economic Security California Action, the sister organization to ESCA, has sponsored cutting edge legislation, including AB 325 to stop algorithmic price-fixing in housing and groceries, and SB 53 to require AI safety and security transparency and establish a public option for AI compute to prevent further market consolidation as AI reshapes the state's economy, and AB 1776 (the COMPETE Act), to prohibit monopoly abuse. Economic Security California believes in a state where every resident has the freedom and stability needed to thrive. California is the fourth-largest economy in the world and home to one in eight Americans, a state built on opportunity, innovation, and equity. However, too many Californians are locked out of that promise by corporate consolidation, an unfair tax system, and an economy that leaves working people behind. ESCA seeks to change that.

Job requirements

The ideal candidate will be outcome-oriented and bring a deep commitment to ESCA’s mission. While no single candidate will bring every competency, strong candidates will offer many of the following desired attributes:

• Solid track record in leading projects and developing colleagues, and readiness to take on formal management of a diverse team.
• Deep knowledge of California's policy landscape, and core issue areas, including cash policy, tax credits, antimonopoly and corporate concentration policy, tech/AI regulation, or public options.
• Extensive experience with the state legislative and budget process, demonstrated understanding of legislative strategy, and familiarity with California’s political landscape.
• Strong relationships across California's legislative, philanthropic, and advocacy sectors, with a track record of driving inside-outside advocacy campaigns.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, lead high-performing teams, and drive strategic vision collaboratively in a fast-moving, virtual environment.
• Demonstrated success securing and growing institutional funding and major gifts support.
• A builder's mindset, with experience scaling state affiliates or regional programs.
• Skilled organizational spokesperson with exceptional writing and public speaking abilities, anchored by a deep commitment to economic and racial justice.

How to Express Interest

To express your interest in this opportunity, please submit your resume and cover letter via the Maneva website (not the button below). All inquiries and discussions will be handled with the utmost confidentiality. This position is available immediately, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled. We look forward to connecting with you!

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