Political Director

Political Director

Deadline to apply: Applications will be accepted internally for this position until Wednesday, November 4, 2026 and externally until Monday, November 16, 2026 at 9am ET.

Classification + Hours: Exempt employee, full time

Location: Remote

Start date: ASAP

Manager: Executive Director

Manages: Electoral Director, potential for expanded supervision

Travel: Frequent, likely 1-2 times per month for 5-15 days

Union Eligibility: This position is not eligible to participate in Sunrise’s CWA Labor Union.

Teams: Senior Leadership Team, Campaign Team

Compensation: $75,000-$95,000 annually depending on years of experience. In addition, Sunrise provides a special city allowance if hire resides in a metro/micro area.

Benefits: Sunrise offers a benefits package with 100% paid premiums for health care, dental, and vision. Along with unlimited paid vacation time, and other paid time off opportunities. Option to contribute to 401k and voluntary life insurance.

One Sentence Purpose:

The Political Director of Sunrise is responsible for working with the Executive Director, Campaigns Director, and other members of the campaigns team to set our strategy, and build the legislative, policy, and partner relationships needed to execute our strategy. This person will hold relationships with key partners, politicians, and political campaigns and work to ensure that Sunrise’s political strategy is powerful and helps us build support for the Green New Deal in the public, press and political class.

Responsibilities

• Serving on the Senior Leadership Team and the Campaign Team, to set strategy and steward organization at a high level

  • Setting political, partnership, and electoral strategy.

  • Managing our electoral work / leading on our coordinated electoral work.

• Set narrative direction and with our communications team

  • Press relationships

  • Join weekly communications syncs

  • Support with long form narrative content as needed

• Build out and execute electoral and legislative strategy

  • Build and maintain relationships with elected officials, campaign and office staff, and key partners.

  • Support the Executive Director, Campaign Director, Digital Director, and other senior level positions to build and maintain strong relationships with partner organizations, political offices and campaigns that engage in the various parts of our work.

  • Track partnerships and help devise partnership strategy with team members who are involved in that area of work (i.e electoral partners, legislative partners, etc).

  • Represent Sunrise in coalitions as needed.

  • Serve as a spokesperson to the movement, the public, and the press as needed.

• Management and administration

  • Personnel Management of the Electoral Director, with potential for expanded supervision

  • Working with other teams in the organization, particularly mobilizations, training, and communications.

  • Work with our operations team to ensure activities are compliant with electoral and non-profit law.

  • Lead budgeting process for political team.

• Build political alignment with our base

  • Hold relationships with political leads in Sunrise hubs

  • Navigate outside / inside pressure tactics in ways that build our movement

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Residence in, or is willing to relocate to, Washington DC

• 5+ years experience on issue-based campaigns, with a strong understanding of the government and legislative work, across both issue and electoral campaigning

  • At least one cycle of Congressional, Presidential, or competitive state/local electoral experience with a campaign or with an electoral campaigning organization and/or experience working in movement organizations with legislative or lobbying experience

• Project & personnel management experience

• Can manage relationships and represent Sunrise with electeds and partners

• Operations and compliance knowledge as it relates to elections and lobbying

• Strong belief in the power of base building and member-led organizations

• Coalition building prowess based on project need and not strictly ideology

Nice To Haves

• Relationships with elected officials and organizations in the progressive movement

• Experience working in a youth movement and/or youth-led organization

• Strong background in climate, energy, economic, and other policy fields