Social & Community ServicesCommunity Outreach & Programs
About the job
Requirements
At least 5 years of experience in civic engagement, advocacy, campaigns, organizing, or coalition leadership, including experience managing teams.
Demonstrated success leading field programs and digital mobilization at a statewide or similarly complex scale, including direct political campaign management.
Experience building alumni, family, supporter, or community networks and converting engagement into measurable action.
Experience designing and delivering leadership development, civic education, or candidate training programs.
Strong project and operational management skills, including managing scopes, timelines, budgets, vendors, and multiple workstreams.
Ability to brief executives, coach staff, build alignment, and engage diverse audiences.
Working knowledge of the legal and operational distinctions between 501(c)(3) and C4 activity, including practical compliance controls.
Fluency with CRM systems, spreadsheets, dashboards, email and SMS platforms, social media scheduling tools, survey and form tools, project management platforms, and basic design or video tools.
Ability to travel regularly throughout Connecticut and work occasional evenings and weekends.
A valid driver's license is required if operating a vehicle on behalf of ACCS.
Responsibilities
Design and execute a statewide engagement and mobilization strategy aligned with LEAD priorities.
Develop annual and quarterly plans with clear goals, budgets, staffing models, and implementation timelines.
Lead and develop a small team of organizers and fellows through goal-setting, coaching, and performance management.
Manage vendors, consultants, and external partners.
Define key performance indicators and produce regular dashboards and progress updates.
Use data and feedback loops to improve recruitment, engagement, conversion, and retention across field, digital, and campaign work.
Ensure activities follow organizational brand, financial, legal, and risk-management policies.
Build and activate a statewide network of charter school graduates, families, and supporters.
Develop regional leadership teams and facilitate regular meetups, trainings, and rapid-response actions.
Cultivate relationships with parent leaders, faith and community groups, charter school leaders, small businesses, civic organizations, and other partners.
Coordinate joint events, statements, and advocacy efforts, aligning partners around shared messaging and goals.
Maintain a reliable CRM to support recruitment, segmentation, engagement, and re-engagement.
Train staff and partners on relevant compliance requirements and participation guidelines.
Plan and execute canvassing, phone and text banks, community events, and coalition activations.
Lead digital engagement across email, SMS, and social media, including content calendars, creative briefs, audience growth, and rapid response.
Organize testimony opportunities, lobby days, rallies, and other public actions.
Manage logistics, materials, staffing, approvals, and run-of-show for field and community engagement activities.
Lead the LEAD the Way candidate training program, including curriculum development, cohort recruitment and selection, faculty scheduling, workshops, and capstones.
Build partnerships with training organizations and issue experts to strengthen the program and expand the leadership pipeline.
Connect graduates to boards, commissions, campaigns, and other community leadership opportunities.
Track participant engagement, placement, and outcomes.
Plan and manage political campaign activity consistent with C4 requirements, including targeting, messaging, field and digital programs, volunteer recruitment, voter contact, earned media support, and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Hire and supervise campaign staff and consultants and manage campaign budgets, reporting, and implementation.
Use dashboards, testing, and performance data to improve engagement and turnout.
Coordinate with allied committees and coalitions while maintaining required organizational separation and documentation.
Maintain appropriate separation between C4 and 501(c)(3) resources, communications, data, and staff time.
Coordinate legal and compliance review and maintain clear controls, approvals, and time-tracking.
Desired Qualifications
Connecticut experience is strongly preferred.
Spanish-English bilingual proficiency is a plus.
Director of Civic Engagement
Leaders for Educational Advocacy and Diversity (LEAD)/EmpowerCT
Location: Connecticut/hybrid
Type: Full-time/Exempt
Who We Are
LEAD (Leaders for Educational Advocacy and Diversity) is a statewide organization dedicated to empowering families and communities through education, service, and advocacy. LEAD’s work is grounded in five foundational pillars that support the holistic growth and wellbeing of communities: Educational Options, Civic Engagement, Financial Literacy, Universal History, and Health & Wellbeing. As part of this work, LEAD supports and organizes around high-quality public charter schools that reflect community voice, equity, and excellence. Through programs, events, and campaigns, LEAD advocates for fair funding, stronger representation, and greater opportunity for Latino and immigrant communities across Connecticut.
Position Summary
The Director of Civic Engagement will manage LEAD’s statewide civic engagement and mobilization strategy through its C4 entity (EmpowerCT), building the people power needed to advance charter-friendly policies, support unfunded schools, and strengthen public and political support for high-quality public charter schools in Connecticut. This is a high-impact role for a mission-aligned leader who can operate strategically, organize quickly, and translate policy and political priorities into disciplined, measurable action.
The individual in this role is responsible for building and activating networks of alumni, families, educators, community champions, partners, and other supporters; leading field and digital mobilization; overseeing civic education and training, including the organization’s LEAD the Way candidate training program; and, when needed, managing campaign operations, including planning, staffing, field and digital programs, and efforts to get out the vote. The Director will also ensure clear compliance boundaries between C4 activities and any 501(c)(3) work.
This Connecticut-based hybrid role includes weekly (1 day/week) in-person team time in Danbury and regular (2 days/week) work from LEAD sites across the state and/or the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Hartford, with the flexibility to work from home 2 days/week. The role requires regular travel throughout Connecticut, occasional out-of-state travel, and some evening and weekend availability to support events, mobilization efforts, and campaign cycles. Additional in-person requirements apply during the legislative session. The role reports to the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer.
How You’ll Help
The Director of Civic Engagement will drive impact across several core areas:
Strategy, Leadership, and Performance
Design and execute a statewide engagement and mobilization strategy aligned with LEAD priorities
Develop annual and quarterly plans with clear goals, budgets, staffing models, and implementation timelines
Lead and develop a small team of organizers and fellows through goal-setting, coaching, and performance management
Manage vendors, consultants, and external partners
Define key performance indicators and produce regular dashboards and progress updates
Use data and feedback loops to improve recruitment, engagement, conversion, and retention across field, digital, and campaign work
Ensure activities follow organizational brand, financial, legal, and risk-management policies
Coalitions, Partnerships, and Alumni Engagement
Build and activate a statewide network of charter school graduates, families, and supporters
Develop regional leadership teams and facilitate regular meetups, trainings, and rapid-response actions
Cultivate relationships with parent leaders, faith and community groups, charter school leaders, small businesses, civic organizations, and other partners
Coordinate joint events, statements, and advocacy efforts, aligning partners around shared messaging and goals
Maintain a reliable CRM to support recruitment, segmentation, engagement, and re-engagement
Train staff and partners on relevant compliance requirements and participation guidelines
Field, Digital, and Mobilization
Plan and execute canvassing, phone and text banks, community events, and coalition activations
Lead digital engagement across email, SMS, and social media, including content calendars, creative briefs, audience growth, and rapid response
Organize testimony opportunities, lobby days, rallies, and other public actions
Manage logistics, materials, staffing, approvals, and run-of-show for field and community engagement activities
LEAD the Way Candidate Training
Lead the organization's LEAD the Way candidate training program, including curriculum development, cohort recruitment and selection, faculty scheduling, workshops, and capstones
Build partnerships with training organizations and issue experts to strengthen the program and expand the leadership pipeline
Connect graduates to boards, commissions, campaigns, and other community leadership opportunities
Track participant engagement, placement, and outcomes
Campaign Operations (C4)
Plan and manage political campaign activity consistent with C4 requirements, including targeting, messaging, field and digital programs, volunteer recruitment, voter contact, earned media support, and efforts to get out the vote
Hire and supervise campaign staff and consultants and manage campaign budgets, reporting, and implementation
Use dashboards, testing, and performance data to improve engagement and turnout
Coordinate with allied committees and coalitions while maintaining required organizational separation and documentation
Maintain appropriate separation between C4 and 501(c)(3) resources, communications, data, and staff time
Coordinate legal and compliance review and maintain clear controls, approvals, and time-tracking
Preferred Qualifications
5+ years of experience in civic engagement, advocacy, campaigns, organizing, or coalition leadership, including experience managing teams
Demonstrated success leading field programs and digital mobilization at a statewide or similarly complex scale including direct political campaign management
Experience building alumni, family, supporter, or community networks and converting engagement into measurable action
Experience designing and delivering leadership development, civic education, or candidate training programs
Strong project and operational management skills, including managing scopes, timelines, budgets, vendors, and multiple workstreams
Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to brief executives, coach staff, build alignment, and engage diverse audiences
Working knowledge of the legal and operational distinctions between 501(c)(3) and C4 activity, including practical compliance controls
Fluency with CRM systems, spreadsheets, dashboards, email and SMS platforms, social media scheduling tools, survey and form tools, project management platforms, and basic design or video tools
Connecticut experience strongly preferred
Spanish-English bilingual proficiency a plus
Ability to travel regularly throughout Connecticut and work occasional evenings and weekends; a valid driver’s license is required if operating a vehicle on behalf of ACCS
Salary and Benefits
The salary range for this role is $130,000-$160,000 annually. LEAD offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health care, a 401(k) with 5% employer matching, and generous paid time off.
Application
Interested and qualified applicants should apply here. Note: the application deadline for this position is October 9, 2026. We do not guarantee review of applications submitted after this date.
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging. We actively seek to build a diverse team and strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.