Job Opportunities

About Maine Students Vote:
Maine Students Vote (MSV) encourages young people to become democratic leaders and life-long civic champions in their communities. Maine Students Vote is a network of student and civic leaders who are focused on increasing democratic engagement on college campuses and high schools in Maine. We support campuses and schools in developing voter education materials; organizational action planning; training, and mentoring civic captains; coordinating get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. We have been on the ground since 2015 and work collaboratively with other national and local youth voting organizations. This is a nonpartisan initiative that is focused on being a trusted resource for all Maine communities. Along with the League of Women Voters of Maine and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, we are a part of Democracy Maine. 

About Democracy Maine:
Democracy Maine began as an alliance between two nonpartisan organizations — the League of Women Voters of Maine and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections — that joined forces in 2018 to strengthen their advocacy and education efforts. As Democracy Maine, now including Maine Students Vote, we work together and with other partners to make government more equitable, inclusive, and accessible by improving elections, protecting and engaging voters, and reducing the influence of private money in politics. 

About the Role:
The MSV Director has the primary responsibility for developing and carrying out the work of MSV, including hiring and supervising fellows and organizers as needed. They will also support the LWVME Youth Council. As a part of the Democracy Maine alliance, the position reports directly to the Executive Director and has access to the shared administrative, communications, and programmatic resources of Democracy Maine. 

Core responsibilities:

• Develop and execute programming for colleges and high schools, including:
  • Coach schools on youth voter engagement best practices and support their action-planning efforts  
  • Assist volunteer leaders with outreach to priority high schools
  • Design and distribute youth-focused voter education and engagement materials
  • Recruit, train and supervise annual student fellows, organizers, and voting captains (Spring 2022-Fall 2022) at 10 ME campuses
  • Coordinate and support GOTV efforts for local, state, and federal elections
  • Support the Maine Student Voting Challenge and Awards Ceremony
  • Coordinate the Annual Student Voting Summit
• Facilitate LWVME Youth Council
  • Support a high school-aged youth-led organization within the League of Women Voters
  • Assist with recruiting members of the Youth Council 
  • Offer structural support, such as agendas, scheduling, zoom meetings, and other guidance to the Youth Council’s steering committee 
  • Help organize skill-building opportunities for the Youth Council 
  • Connect Youth Council and MSV programming
• Develop resources for Maine students and campuses
  • Support civics curricula and lesson plan development 
  • Support LWVME Speakers Bureau with campus/school-based opportunities
• Fundraising & Coalition Management
  • Build relationships with national and state partners and funders
  • Coordinate a newsletter, coalition and youth engagement calls, and meet regularly with MSV advisory committee 
  • Work collaboratively with the DM Executive Director to fundraise for youth work
• Provide additional expertise and project support to League Outreach and Education and Youth Engagement 
  • Participate in all-staff activities like retreats, major events, program planning, etc.

Essential Skills:

• Inclusive leadership and management: Brings a clear vision but also recognizes the value of divergent perspectives. Approaches leadership with a mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly includes others in planning and decision-making. Able to make and communicate difficult decisions in the best interest of the organization.
• Strong Project Management: Effectively juggle multiple projects and related tasks, balancing tasks effectively based on evidence-based practice about proven strategy and tactics.
• Attentive, empathetic leadership: Enthusiasm for meeting and engaging with people. Empathizes with the communities we serve. Able to put people at ease, especially when there are lines of difference. Listens closely to understand needs or concerns and takes steps based on that input. Gets back to people in a timely manner. Takes pride in providing clear, helpful information. 
• Proactive problem solving: Proactively develop solutions to challenges, including by constantly looking at big-picture progress on the programs team and by flagging any potential upcoming challenges in the organization overall.
• Flexibility: Ready to take advantage of unexpected opportunities; adapts quickly as things change.
• Collegiality: Proactively offers and asks for help from colleagues, seeks out opportunities for collaboration, keeps colleagues informed about successes and challenges.

Location, Compensation, and Start Date:
This is a full-time 40 hour a week position. The pay range is $48,000-55,000, depending on experience. Health, vision, dental, short-term disability, retirement, and earned time benefits are offered to all full-time employees. The position is remote, with access to shared office space in Portland as needed. We will consider applicants based anywhere in Maine, with a preference for applicants in the Lewiston-Auburn area. 

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to nadya@democracymaine.org with the subject line MSV Director. 
 

Democracy Maine is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate in employment against persons based on color, race, religion, age, ability, gender, familial status, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran or marital status. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.