Los Angeles Advocacy Strategist
Best Friends Animal Society

Location: Los Angeles, CA - this role will be primarily in Downtown LA, including going to City Hall multiple days per week, and include 1 day/week spent at the center in West LA.

Hiring Range: This position's hiring range is anticipated to be $72,000 to $82,000 annually, depending on experience, plus great benefits!

Interviews will occur weekly until the position is filled.

Position Summary: The Los Angeles Advocacy Strategist is responsible for the execution and management of Best Friends Animal Society's No Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) initiative which includes but is not limited to the relationships and work with and around LA city and county officials, appointed LA Animal Services (LAAS) Commission members, the NKLA Coalition and strategic LA stakeholders.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for building and maintaining city, county, coalition and strategic community stakeholder relationships in coordination of Best Friends' work and priorities in Los Angeles.
  
• Responsible for development and execution of strategy to regularly communicate with city and county officials, keeping them apprised of the work Best Friends is doing, lifesaving progress in the city, and relevant challenges within their purview.
  
• Directly responsible for representing Best Friends at city meetings and with city officials, as well as assigned city events and meetings.
  
• Build a plan and implement, with LA leadership, strong relationships and timely communication with the city, county, LAAS, NKLA organizations and key individuals for Best Friends' needs and work in L.A.
  
• Work with Best Friends Advocacy team to coordinate work with elected officials.
  
• Supervise, create, approve and review benchmarks and progress with Los Angeles outreach personnel to ensure adherence to the program's strategic plan and goals, including estimating resources.
  
• Ensure Best Friends Animal Society Los Angeles (BFLA) staff and coalition partners are working closely and productively with one another to achieve desired outcomes. In addition, deliver quality customer service including disseminating appropriate information as well as perform duties in a manner which encourages attainment of goals and contributions and business for Best Friends Animal Society, NKLA and its programs.
  
• Must be able to drive to and attend NKLA steering committee meetings, L.A. City Council Neighborhood and Community Enrichment Committee, L.A. City Council and LAAS Commission meetings, when requested, as well as occasional L.A. County Board of Supervisors meetings.
  
• Find opportunities to assist the coalition partners in their efforts to increase adoptions, build capacity, and apply best practice strategies.
  
• Track and report all lobbying activities in accordance with local, state, and federal laws as well as Best Friends' policies.
  
• Support for other teams (e.g. events, admissions, outcomes, adoptions) as needed.
  
• Other duties as assigned.
  

Skills and Experience:

• 3 + years of experience working in government politics, political campaigns, lobbying or local politics required: working for a humane organization a plus. Experience working with LA city policy makers strongly preferred.
  
• Experience with cultivating plans for political influence and impact.
  
• Experience reviewing statistical information to inform program direction.
  
• Familiarity and experience with the Los Angeles community and knowledge of the city is required.
  
• Strong communication skills - verbal as well as written.
  
• Engaging and friendly interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with the public and various media outlets on the organization's behalf.
  
• A team player, personable, professional, and able to get along with people from different backgrounds and beliefs, as well as the ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.
  
• Ability to professionally advocate Best Friends Animal Society positions on issues.
  
• Proficiency with computer tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, internet research, etc.
  
• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with well-developed organizational skills to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands.
  

Physical Requirements:

• Work at a computer for extended periods of time with repetitive typing, sitting, arm, and hand motion.
  
• Ability to frequently drive to meetings and events around LA on behalf of the organization. This role is expected to be onsite at city hall 3+ days/week and 1 day a week at our West LA Center. This is subject to change based on organizational needs.
  
• Non-local travel could be up to 10%.
  
• Must have a valid driver's license for at least 3 years, ability to qualify to be added to Best Friends insurance, ability to travel and/or drive on behalf of Best Friends, including overnight stays, when needed.
  
• Ability to work in the presence of both cats and dogs, including large numbers of cats and dogs as in a shelter setting.
  
• Daily hours and days of the week may vary according to the needs of the department, including weekends, evenings, holiday and on-call work.
  

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career at Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or domestic partner status.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.

Culture Statement and Responsibility

We value attitude over aptitude, and we treat kindness as a discipline because it is paramount in our culture along with our other guiding principles. Culture is how we talk to and treat ourselves and one another. It's how we generate and respond to change. It's how we plan and make decisions. It's how we do what we do.

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