Political Research Director

Categories

Americans for Prosperity

Location

Arlington, Virginia

Job Description

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the premier grassroots organization focused on advocating solutions to the country’s greatest challenges. We recognize that tens of millions of Americans are frustrated with the extreme partisanship in government that keeps common-sense reforms from being passed, and instead seek to stand with policy leaders who are committed to finding a better way.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the premier grassroots organization focused on advocating solutions to the country’s greatest challenges. We recognize that tens of millions of Americans are frustrated with the extreme partisanship in government that keeps common-sense reforms from being passed, and instead seek to stand with policy leaders who are committed to finding a better way. The Electoral Strategy team is an integral part of this work, forging a path forward by engaging in elections to build broad-based policy coalitions by recruiting and supporting candidates for office.
 
Partnering closely with the Executive Vice President, the Political Research Director will lead a team responsible for evaluating and researching the policy positions of potential and current political candidates for races at multiple levels of government, including gubernatorial, state legislative, congressional, and senate races. This role will partner with internal teams to collaboratively develop vetting strategies to elect policy champions who will advance Americans for Prosperity’s policy priorities that are in line with vision. The research team will also develop products to inform other key strategies for the organization.

Your Responsibilities Include

  • Supervise and lead the research team, connecting them to vision and developing talent
  • Develop and refine the candidate vetting strategy and tools used to assess political candidates for policy alignment and reputational risk
  • Oversee the research team’s work products and make recommendations to organization leaders regarding political candidates under consideration
  • Drive collaboration across stakeholders within the grassroots capability including but not limited to Government Affairs, Policy, State Chapters, etc.

Knowledge and Skills You Bring to the Organization

  • 5+ years of research experience related to the political/electoral field (including local, state, or federal campaigns, political committees, Super PACs, or consulting)
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple projects at once in fast-paced environment with a high sense of urgency
  • Proactive communication and demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate toward greater results
  • Strong commitment to the Americans for Prosperity vision and approach to political engagement

Standout Candidates May Also Bring

  • Experience supervising a team of staff

Americans for Prosperity is driving long-term solutions to the country's biggest problems through broad-based grassroots outreach. Our activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit. We have an on-the-ground infrastructure in 36 states that recruits and unites citizens behind a common goal of advancing policies that help people improve their lives. 
 
Americans for Prosperity Foundation is dedicated to educating and training citizens to be courageous advocates for the ideas, principles, and policies in a society of mutual benefit--knowing that leads to the greatest prosperity and well-being for all. Our educational programs break barriers standing in the way of people realizing their potential. By eliminating these obstacles to opportunity, in areas like occupational licensing, free speech, K-12 education, and free trade, we are supporting and working to lift up the lives of individuals and local communities. 
 
We believe that diversity in experiences, perspectives, knowledge and ideas fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, respect and sensitivity. We welcome all qualified applicants regardless of color, race, religion, religious creed, sex, gender or gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, ancestry, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (including medical needs which may arise from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), military and veteran status, genetic information, marital or familial status, political affiliation, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.