Political Director

Department: Mobilizing
Supervisor: President


Sojourners has an opening for a Political Director to develop and implement Sojourners’ policy strategy, positioning, framing, messaging, and advocacy for outreach and impact on Capitol Hill and the public sector. The Political Director works with the President, Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing, and other staff to maximize Sojourners’ influence in the policy arena and advance the organization’s mission and priorities.

This is a full-time position based in Sojourners’ Washington, D.C. office.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop and manage organization’s policy and advocacy agendas with public sector and government representatives, including Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, as well as state and mayoral representatives as needed.
  • Monitor relevant activity on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch, forecast policy trends, and identify opportunities for advocacy.
  • Conduct comprehensive legislative, regulatory, administrative, and legal research and analysis related to Sojourners' policy priorities and develop policy recommendations for both internal and external use.
  • Maintain and build relationships with external public sector partners and coalitions, including working with the Circle of Protection and guiding Sojourners’ anti-poverty portfolio.
  • Provide political and policy advice to organizational leadership.
  • Evaluate sign-on and endorsement opportunities.
  • Review organizational materials, including action alerts, press releases, statements, and fundraising proposals and letters, for policy consistency and 501(c)(3) compliance.
  • Pitch op-eds on relevant topics to Sojourners editorially independent print and online publications and external media.
  • In consultation with organizational leadership, identify and evaluate opportunities for influencing public narratives to advance organizational priorities.
  • Work with the Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing to research policy issues, track legislation, and develop an internal campaign strategy.
  • Mentor, equip, and support government relations of campaign leads to help them more effectively engage government entities.
  • Work in coordination with other mobilizing directors and relevant SojoAction team members to develop and implement grassroots/grasstops advocacy and mobilizing strategies to achieve programmatic goals, including FRAN.
  • Coordinate grassroots advocacy efforts with the Mobilizing Team, with the goal of educating and mobilizing partners to take action that can influence federal and state policy formation through online Action Alerts, curriculum development, and church network development.
  • Promote effective and clear communication within the mobilizing team and cross-organization teams.
  • Represent the organization externally, including through public speaking.

Qualifications:

  • Master's degree in public policy, public administration, social work, theology, or related field, or juris doctorate, plus five years’ experience with policy advocacy; OR a Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years’ experience with policy advocacy in one or more of Sojourners’ policy priority areas.
  • Capitol Hill familiarity and experience; established relationships with religious and secular public sector partners.
  • Excellent communications skills, including public speaking and writing.
  • Attention to detail and deadline-driven timelines, and a high standard of work product.
  • Knowledge in Sojourners issues, mission, non-profit status, and positioning in the faith-based mobilizing context.
  • Strength and experience in cross-team leadership and collaboration.

To Apply:

Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net with the subject line Political Director Search. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. This position will be based in the Washington, D.C. office with minimum in-office days required.

Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.

Starting annual salary for this position is $75-85,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick leave, 401(k) Plan, and a positive, faith-based work environment.

Managing Editor, sojo.net

Department: Online Editorial
Supervisor: Editor-in-Chief

 

Position summary:

Sojourners seeks a dynamic managing editor for online content and to lead the team that produces award-winning daily news, opinion, and culture coverage for sojo.net.

Our ideal candidate will be an experienced editor, skilled at managing both people and projects, who feels at home in a fast-paced digital media environment of a Christian nonprofit organization. We want someone who is creative, hands-on, and strategic: full of ideas for new stories and projects, but also eager to roll up their sleeves and test those ideas against engagement data, team feedback, and budget considerations. We’re looking for someone enthusiastic about Sojourners’ editorial mission as an independent, award-winning publication of faith, culture, and politics — someone who brings a nuanced understanding of Christian faith and social justice to the stories they publish, the way they manage a diverse team, and their navigation of an ever-changing media landscape.

Editorial responsibilities: 

  • Define clear editorial goals for sojo.net, develop new areas of growth, and assist with evaluating and improving content in collaboration with the Editor-in-Chief, online editors, Audience Engagement Manager, and Editor of Sojourners.  
  • Oversee all aspects of online editorial calendar and publication process, including story development, soliciting, assigning, editing, crafting headlines, selecting photos, and publication. 
  • Ensure all content on online publication conforms with Sojourners in-house style and editorial mission.
  • Monitor national and international news with an eye to developing coverage of religion, faith, politics, and social justice. 
  • Collaborate regularly with monthly print magazine editorial team and help shape editorial retreats alongside Editor of Sojourners print magazine and Editor-in-Chief.
  • Collaborate with online editorial team on three newsletters: SojoMail, Verse & Voice, and The Reconstruct.
  • Collaborate with Editor-in-Chief, Editor of Sojourners magazine, Audience Engagement Manager, Senior Marketing Director, and Advancement Team to develop grant-funded projects and track meaningful metrics.
  • Report and write articles for digital and print publications. 

 Leadership responsibilities:

  • Lead and supervise online editorial team (Senior Associate Opinion Editor, Senior Associate News Editor, and Senior Associate Culture Editor) and provide additional management support to those supervising fellows, cohort members, or contracted reporters.
  • Oversee online columnist and freelancer contracts and payment.
  • Represent online editorial team on Sojourners Management Team. 
  • Assume web-related duties of Editor-in-Chief in their absence.
  • Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Applicants based in D.C. or willing to relocate are preferred; if not local, applicants must be willing to travel to the DC office 2-3 times per year.
  • At least 6+ years of online journalism experience; experience in nonprofit journalism a plus.
  • Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communications skills.
  • Experience with web publishing, content management systems, and audience engagement metrics.
  • Proven success at managing both people and projects.
  • Nuanced understanding of Christian faith and diverse movements for racial and social justice.
  • Desire to work in a Christian workplace that strives to continually deepen its commitments to faith and social justice.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net or Managing Editor, sojo.net search, Sojourners, 408 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture.

Starting annual salary for this position is $70-80,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes fully paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, and a positive, faith-based work environment.

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Department: President’s Team
Supervisor: Sojourners’ President

Supervision: CFO, Senior Director of Marketing, VP and Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Advancement Officer
Collaborate: Executive Team members, Senior Advisor to the President
Liaise: Board of Directors Audit Committee, Independent Auditors, Legal Counsel 

Position Summary

The COO is responsible for leading the internal operations of Sojourners, enabling the President to better lead our external-facing work. The COO focuses on long-term planning and projects to ensure the growth and financial health of the organization, including implementation of efficient operations and systems to meet current and future needs; creating, implementing, and evaluating a sustainable business plan; and providing leadership support to senior staff. The COO will also support ongoing initiatives to strengthen publication revenue, brand, and audience growth.

Responsibilities

Leadership, Management, and Organizational Strategy

  • Work with the President to implement strategic, fiscal, and organizational planning.
  • In partnership with the Management Team, ensure equitable and effective management across Sojourners, leading to stronger trust in leaders, stronger retention on teams, and stronger employee engagement across the organization (42 employees, including yearlong fellows).
  • Assist the President in equipping and supporting staff to live fully into Sojourners’ racial justice, equity, inclusion, and belonging values and competencies.
  • Serve as a member of the Executive Team and in coordination with the Executive Team, convene and provide leadership to the Management Team.
  • Lead strategic cross-functional initiatives to completion and ensure clear ownership, efficiency, effectiveness, and values alignment.
  • In collaboration with Executive Team members, ensure departmental decisions and project plans align with the organization’s business plan and strategic plan. Review and approve cost-control reports, cost estimates, and staffing requirements for projects.
  • Supervise the VP and Chief Human Resources Officer, CFO, Chief Advancement Officer, and Senior Director of Marketing to accomplish their objectives.
  • Create and manage Sojourners’ dashboard.

Financial Oversight, Fundraising, and Operations

  • Work with the President and Executive and Management Teams to develop and manage Sojourners’ business plan.
  • Oversee business model of Sojourners nonprofit publishing mission as developed and implemented by Senior Directors of Marketing and Circulation, publishing consultant, Editor of Sojourners, Editor of sojo.net, and other experts in nonprofit journalism to maximize financial sustainability and audience reach.
  • Oversee the annual revenue and expense budget process, which is led by the CFO.
  • Support the annual independent audit.
  • Support the Chief Advancement Officer to ensure effective coordination between advancement and program and optimize our fundraising capacity, systems, etc.
  • Oversee fiscal and risk management, including banking, investment, accounting, budgeting, compensation, and insurance. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of external economic conditions, promising practices, and long-term financial needs impacting the sustainability of Sojourners.
  • Identify, recommend, and implement new processes, technologies, and systems to improve and streamline organizational operations as finances allow.
  • Ensure accurate and timely completion of required tax reports to external sources such as the IRS. Ensure all operations follow applicable rules and regulations for government compliance.
  • Oversee real estate assets, including tax exemptions.

Education and/or Experience

A minimum of 10 years of industry-related experience, with at least five years’ experience in an executive or senior leadership role, ideally in the faith or social sector. Master’s degree in business administration or nonprofit management is preferred along with an established commitment to social justice. Established understanding or experience with nonprofit journalism and/or faith-based advocacy is a plus.

Competencies

  • Working knowledge of strategic planning implementation, organizational structure, budgeting, administrative operations, and fundraising.
  • Ability to gather, analyze, and summarize data (especially financial) for reports and find solutions to business challenges.
  • Problem-solving skills with a track record of balancing fast-paced priorities with important, longer-term strategic efforts.
  • Superb communication and relational skills. Ability to articulate the views of others.
  • Ability to exercise good judgement, keep confidences, and demonstrate discretion with high ethical standards.
  • A self-directed individual who is organized and a team player.
  • Commitment to mentoring and investing in staff at all levels to achieve their highest potential and design pathways to advancement in their own leadership journeys.

Mindset and Approach

  • Desire to serve as an advocate and exemplar for the vision, values, and mission of Sojourners.
  • Nurture a high-performing, team-based, collaborative culture aligned with Sojourners values in service to its mission and vision.
  • Preference for and comfort within diverse, inclusive environments and organizations.
  • Model and inspire innovative thinking and help the organization adapt to change and face adversity.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and three professional reference contacts to jobs@sojo.net or Chief Operations Officer search, Sojourners, 408 C St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. This position will be based in the Washington, D.C. office with minimum in-office days required.

Sojourners is an equal opportunity employer that continually seeks to diversify its staff and create an inclusive and equitable culture. 

Starting annual salary for this position is $120,000 to $150,000, based on experience. Excellent benefits package includes fully paid health insurance, 20 days paid vacation, 12 days paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 401(k) plan with employer match, and a positive, faith-based work environment.