Position: Associate/Coordinator, Policy & Sector-Building
Location: Remote (Denver, CO; or Washington, D.C. preferred) (all candidates should reside within the United States)
Employment Type: Full-time, Hourly, Nonexempt
Compensation Range: $26.50/hour - $31.25/hour DOE
Level: Associate II / Coordinator I
Reports To: Manager, Policy & Sector-Building
Manages: None
Supported By: Manager, Policy & Sector-Building, Coordinator, Policy & Sector-Building
Education/Experience Preferences: Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred
Start Date: ASAP, open until filled
We Are DigDeep
The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) organization serving the 2 million + people in the U.S. who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home.
DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. We run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. We won the 2018 US Water Prize for our Navajo Water Project, which has brought clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water Project in 2020, in McDowell County, WV. It has since brought clean, sustainable running water to hundreds of families in Southern West Virginia through public - private partnerships with the McDowell County and East Logan PSD's in Wyoming County. In addition to clean running water, the project is installing septic systems and connecting households to centralized sewer. The AWP is now expanding into neighboring states of Kentucky and Virginia to continue its quest of clean water for every Appalachian family. Our water projects expanded in 2022 when we launched our Colonias Water Project. This project works to bring clean, running water to the residents living in communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas colonias are largely unincorporated, low-income communities that fall just outside city limits and often lack basic infrastructure. Our work began in Cochran colonia near El Paso. DigDeep partnered with residents, housing nonprofits, and county officials to innovate a new model for public-private-partnership that brings these basic services to families for the first time. Now we're getting the water flowing in 5 more communities.
The Opportunity
DigDeep is looking for a collaborative, organized, and detail-oriented person to join our growing Policy, Sector-Building, and External Relations team as Associate/Coordinator, Policy & Sector-Building. Reporting to the Manager of Policy & Sector-Building, the Policy & Government Affairs Associate will support DigDeep’s work on policy initiatives, including Congressional and federal agency priorities, as well as state and Tribal policy issues. The work is tactical, visionary, detail-oriented, and requires flexibility, forward-thinking, creativity, humility, patience, a discerning-eye, and efficiency. Since this is a role focused on policy change, as-needed travel is an expectation in this position. A love of writing, researching, and synthesizing information, as well as relationship-building, analyzing and researching policy and government affairs is a must! Experience analyzing policy issues in a professional or educational setting required.
Key Responsibilities
This is what you’ll do once you join the team:
- Support DigDeep’s work on Congressional, regulatory, state, Tribal, and other policy priorities.
- Assist the monitoring, tracking, researching, and reporting on legislative issues and actions for state, Tribal, and federal government affairs initiatives through review of BGov, testimony, hearings, floor debates, and bills on the state and federal levels, where reports effectively synthesize information across all spheres by connecting issues, drawing conclusions, and presenting actions items when and where appropriate.
- Assist in managing relationships with key officials, policy organizations, think tanks, foundations, and civil society organizations on DigDeep’s behalf.
- Conduct outreach to policymakers in state legislatures or Congress and/or state or federal agencies.
- Draft fact sheets, briefing memos, policy analysis, and other materials as requested.
- Attend webinars, conferences, government information sessions, and other events on water access, wastewater issues, and other policy priorities.
- Assist with ad-hoc projects and support other tasks/duties as assigned.
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. As the organization continues to evolve, duties or tasks may change without impacting the overall job description.
Competencies
- Analytical Thinking: Collates and reports information. Identifies related trends, patterns, and inconsistencies. With guidance, investigates to define problems more accurately. With guidance, determines importance and priorities for action. Identifies relationships and links between components. Identifies causes and effects of problems. Identifies a workable solution for any problems and inconsistencies. Recognizes when issues are non-routine and collaborate with management on solutions.
- Collaborative Working: Shares information and advice on how to get things done and who to involve. Displays an open, curious, non-judgmental approach regarding differences of opinion. Always remains respectful in communications and approach where disagreement exists. Learns how to create reports, documentation, and other written information to be used cross-functionally. Receptive of constructive criticism and integrates feedback into future approach.
- Initiative: Taking initiative through asking questions and learning. Identifies who can provide support and procures their input. Identifies problems/challenges and brings them to supervisor to address. Volunteers to undertake tasks that stretch capability.
- Innovation: Offers suggestions to improve the ways things are done. Displays open-mindedness and is willing to try new approaches Adapts readily to changes and needs. Is able to shift attention and priorities in own work in response to needs of their work.
- Judgement & Decision-Making: Makes and implements relatively simple and "safe" decisions where necessary information is readily available and the reasoning leading to the decision is routine or straightforward. Tackles a problem by using a logical, involving frequent supervisor support. Is able to analyze problems and propose solutions. Should be able to implement relatively simple solutions independently, and collaborates on more complex solutions.
- Professional Communication: Strong written and verbal communications skills, with the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively in conversations and interactions with others (both internal and external). Converses and writes in ways that support both transactional and administrative activities. Seeks and shares information and opinions. Explains the immediate context of the situation, asks questions for follow-up, and solicits advice prior to taking action. Ability to creatively plan and deliver written and visual communications, utilizing graphics, statistics, presentations, and language.
- Technical Expertise: Has demonstrated ability and depth of knowledge with the technology in the desired technical area. Effectively uses and applies technical knowledge, and uses knowledge to identify solutions to existing problems. Basic understanding of data security best practices.
Skills and Qualifications
We want to hear from you if you have:
- Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred
- At least 2-3 years of applicable professional experience in policy, government affairs, and/or government work required; experience in the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sector preferred
- Broad knowledge base of topics including, but not limited to, water poverty in the United States and internationally, and the WASH sector preferred
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite, Google Workspace required
- Experience with Slack, Asana, Zoom, Expensify preferred
- High computer literacy, and tech savviness required
- Able to focus in the face of pressure, deliver against timelines and not be intimidated by tasks/time limitations
- Organized, trustworthy, dependable, and detail oriented
- Comfortable with autonomy, able to work independently and complete assigned tasks within established time frames required
- Experience/Willingness to work across various cultural contexts and communicating across cultural differences
- Willingness to travel, including but not limited to: Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas, DigDeep HQ, and additional locations as needed
- Understanding of data security best practices preferred
