National Program Coordinator, Diverse Elders Coalition

National Program Coordinator

Posted on: April 8, 2013
Application deadline: April 12, 2013
Posted by: Diverse Elders Coalition

DESCRIPTION

The Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) is an advocacy and education coalition made up of five national organizations representing millions of elders of color and LGBT elders around the country. The DEC focuses on strengthening policies and programs to enhance the health and well-being of diverse elders, educating and connecting our older people and their loved ones to key policy debates on aging, and increasing public support for issues that affect our communities. The coalition includes: the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, the National Hispanic Council on Aging, the National Indian Council on Aging, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.

Since its founding in 2010, the DEC has garnered considerable attention nationwide and moved key policy wins at the federal level. In its first years, the coalition has focused on key areas of shared interest, including strengthening Social Security; increasing funding for programs aimed at more marginalized elders (largely through health care reform implementation); and ensuring that the Older Americans Act (OAA), through reauthorization, directs more of its sizable resources to marginalized older adults around the country. In the summer of 2012, the DEC released a landmark report on the economic security issues facing our communities, as well as a news blog that features regular commentaries on diverse elder issues. In the years ahead, the coalition is poised to substantially increase its visibility and reach, and to achieve key policy improvements.

The Diverse Elders Coalition is searching for a full-time National Program Coordinator to manage the advocacy and education strategies and priorities of the coalition, as well as to build online awareness of the many issues facing elders of color and LGBT elders. The National Program Coordinator will largely focus on two areas: coordinating joint policy advocacy (at the federal and state levels) and overseeing strategic communications, primarily through online and social media. The National Program Coordinator will work very closely with members of the Diverse Elders Coalition, including the Coalition's Core Working Group, facilitating regular communications among the coalition's members to arrive at decisions and concrete results. This position will focus exclusively on the work of the Diverse Elders Coalition; it will be supervised by one member of the coalition.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• In partnership with members of the Diverse Elders Coalition, craft and drive the coalition's national strategies related to its key policy priorities, including, but not limited to, reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, health reform advocacy at the federal and state level, strengthening Social Security, and increasing federal support for programs that reach elders of color and LGBT elders.
• Monitor activities by the Executive Branch and Congress that could impact elders of color and LGBT older people, in order to alert the coalition to emerging opportunities;
• Prepare news releases, fact sheets, talking points and media bulletins to promote DEC activities and programs;
• Manage the online media of the Diverse Elders Coalition, which includes authoring and coordinating content for its main web site (diverseelders.org) and Facebook page, as well as devising social media strategies to drive traffic to these sites. Other primary activities include scheduling blog postings from regular and guest authors, writing blog posts, and updating the blog through a customized content management system;
• Develop original articles, blog postings and multimedia resources for select ethnic media, LGBT media, alternative/independent media and original media outlets among the DEC organizations;
• Work closely with members of the Diverse Elders Coalition to facilitate effective communications about the DEC's priorities with their chapters, affiliates and constituents around the country, helping them learn more about the policy concerns of elders of color and LGBT elders;
• Monitor coverage of diverse elder communities—including LGBT elders and elders of color—in mainstream media and pitch media stories about LGBT elders/elders of color relevant to key policy discussions;
• Prepare regular written and oral reports on the DEC activities and outcomes for members of the coalition, funders and other key stakeholders, as needed;
• Work with members of the Diverse Elders Coalition to manage relationships with key funders of the Coalition, which includes grant reporting, budget preparation, regular updates, and identifying other potential funders for this work;
• Supervise the Coalition's part-time administrative coordinator;

Job Location: Flexible

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates should have the following minimum requirements: At least 3-5 years of professional experience in the aging field, and at least 2-4 years of experience in media relations and communications in the nonprofit field; experience in public policy and/or government affairs work; track record of success in managing policy or communications initiatives; strong leadership skills; strong analytic, written and verbal communications skills; excellent news sense and political savvy, and a proven ability to develop and pitch news and feature stories; high level of thoughtful and independent judgment; self-starter/self-motivator, as well as ability to work well as part of a team; excellent people skills including ability to work well in coalition with various types of organizations; and, commitment to the issues, constituencies and values of the Diverse Elders Coalition. This position is ideal for a highly motivated individual with an entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to achieve results in short periods of time.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preferred qualifications for the position include: Bachelor's and/or Master's degree in public policy, communications, journalism or equivalent degree in pertinent areas; positions of increasing responsibility; bilingual or multi-lingual; ability to juggle multiple projects and prioritize activities; a focus on delivering results under tight deadlines; working knowledge of history and issues regarding more marginalized older adults, as well as a demonstrated capacity to continually learn concepts quickly and competently; cultural and linguistic competency in regards to age, ability, sexuality, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, class and other characteristics that affect the lives of diverse older adults and shape the nature of the DEC's endeavors; and willingness to implement and monitoring metrics of success to evaluate the impact and the effectiveness of the coalition's advocacy efforts.

COMPENSATION

Salary commensurate with experience. Good employer-paid benefits package, generous vacation.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications by April 12, 2013, though applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Please send cover letter, resume and 2-3 applicable writing samples by email to:

Patrick Aitcheson, Coordinator, Diverse Elders Coalition diverse.elders.coalition@gmail.com

NO PHONE CALLS

For more information about the Diverse Elders Coalition, including its advocacy successes over the last few years, please visit diverseelders.org

The Diverse Elders Coalition believes in equal opportunity in employment. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, citizenship status, marital status, HIV serostatus, sexual orientation, veteran status, height, weight, or disability. Women, older adults, people of color, transgender and gender non-conforming people, poor and low-income people, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.