Political Director
Deadline to apply: Applications will be accepted internally for this position until Wednesday, November 4, 2026 and externally until Monday, November 16, 2026 at 9am ET.
Classification + Hours: Exempt employee, full time
Location: Remote
Start date: ASAP
Manager: Executive Director
Manages: Electoral Director, potential for expanded supervision
Travel: Frequent, likely 1-2 times per month for 5-15 days
Union Eligibility: This position is not eligible to participate in Sunrise’s CWA Labor Union.
Teams: Senior Leadership Team, Campaign Team
Compensation: $75,000-$95,000 annually depending on years of experience. In addition, Sunrise provides a special city allowance if hire resides in a metro/micro area.
Benefits: Sunrise offers a benefits package with 100% paid premiums for health care, dental, and vision. Along with unlimited paid vacation time, and other paid time off opportunities. Option to contribute to 401k and voluntary life insurance.
Top 3 Skills
Ability to set national campaign, political, and electoral strategy, including tracking changing political conditions and adapting strategy as needed
Coordination and project management across multiple streams of work
Relationship management across movement members, electeds, partners, and staff
Top 2 Skills re: Multiracial Cross Class Movement Building
Design campaigns meant to resonate with working class, Black, and brown members of the public
Build and maintain relationships with key partners of racial and economic justice groups
One Sentence Purpose:
The Political Director of Sunrise is responsible for working with the Executive Director, Campaigns Director, and other members of the campaigns team to set our strategy, and build the legislative, policy, and partner relationships needed to execute our strategy. This person will hold relationships with key partners, politicians, and political campaigns and work to ensure that Sunrise’s political strategy is powerful and helps us build support for the Green New Deal in the public, press and political class.
Responsibilities
Serving on the Senior Leadership Team and the Campaign Team, to set strategy and steward organization at a high level
Setting political, partnership, and electoral strategy.
Managing our electoral work / leading on our coordinated electoral work.
Set narrative direction and with our communications team
Press relationships
Join weekly communications syncs
Support with long form narrative content as needed
Build out and execute electoral and legislative strategy
Build and maintain relationships with elected officials, campaign and office staff, and key partners.
Support the Executive Director, Campaign Director, Digital Director, and other senior level positions to build and maintain strong relationships with partner organizations, political offices and campaigns that engage in the various parts of our work.
Track partnerships and help devise partnership strategy with team members who are involved in that area of work (i.e electoral partners, legislative partners, etc).
Represent Sunrise in coalitions as needed.
Serve as a spokesperson to the movement, the public, and the press as needed.
Management and administration
Personnel Management of the Electoral Director, with potential for expanded supervision
Working with other teams in the organization, particularly mobilizations, training, and communications.
Work with our operations team to ensure activities are compliant with electoral and non-profit law.
Lead budgeting process for political team.
Build political alignment with our base
Hold relationships with political leads in Sunrise hubs
Navigate outside / inside pressure tactics in ways that build our movement
Qualifications
Must Haves
Residence in, or is willing to relocate to, Washington DC
5+ years experience on issue-based campaigns, with a strong understanding of the government and legislative work, across both issue and electoral campaigning
At least one cycle of Congressional, Presidential, or competitive state/local electoral experience with a campaign or with an electoral campaigning organization and/or experience working in movement organizations with legislative or lobbying experience
Project & personnel management experience
Can manage relationships and represent Sunrise with electeds and partners
Operations and compliance knowledge as it relates to elections and lobbying
Strong belief in the power of base building and member-led organizations
Coalition building prowess based on project need and not strictly ideology
Nice To Haves
Relationships with elected officials and organizations in the progressive movement
Experience working in a youth movement and/or youth-led organization
Strong background in climate, energy, economic, and other policy fields
Skills Required
- Residence in or willingness to relocate to Washington, DC
- 5+ years of experience on issue-based campaigns
- Strong understanding of government and legislative work across issue and electoral campaigning
- At least one cycle of Congressional, Presidential, or competitive state/local electoral experience, or legislative/lobbying experience in a movement organization
- Project management experience
- Personnel management experience
- Ability to manage relationships and represent Sunrise with elected officials and partners
- Operations and compliance knowledge related to elections and lobbying
- Strong belief in base building and member-led organizations
- Coalition-building ability based on project needs
- Relationships with elected officials and progressive movement organizations
- Experience working in a youth movement or youth-led organization
- Strong background in climate, energy, economic, or other policy fields
What We Do
Sunrise Movement Education Fund builds a generation of young climate leaders by investing in mass organizing, training, and civic education. It equips young people with community, skills, and organizing tools to raise awareness, hold decision-makers accountable, and demand effective climate action and systemic change. Its work supports a youth-led movement seeking a more just, livable future and advances climate progress while challenging corporate power.
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