Arena Careers

Turn member engagement into political action.

Help nurses turn their workplace experiences and patient-care concerns into meaningful political action. The Washington State Nurses Association seeks a Political Organizer to build member participation, develop nurse leaders, and advance electoral, legislative, and public policy priorities that support safe staffing, quality patient care, the nursing profession, and fair working conditions.

Working closely with leaders from WSNA’s government affairs, labor, communications, and member-facing departments, you will recruit and train advocates, grow voluntary participation in WSNA’s political action committee (WSNA PAC), and organize grassroots campaigns across Washington State. This role combines relationship-building, field organizing, leadership development, and campaign coordination.

What you’ll do:

Build member engagement and leadership.

• Develop and implement organizing plans that increase participation in electoral campaigns, legislative advocacy, candidate engagement, and WSNA PAC.
• Build trusted relationships with nurses, local unit leaders, and activists throughout Washington State.
• Recruit, train, and mobilize members for phone banks, canvassing, lobby days, legislative meetings, candidate forums, and rapid-response actions.
• Identify and support emerging nurse leaders, helping them become confident advocates, volunteer leaders, and spokespeople.
• Maintain a regular statewide field presence at member meetings, orientations, labor events, rallies, and other campaign activities.

Strengthen political and legislative advocacy.

• Educate members about the connections among political participation, public policy, patient care, and workplace priorities.
• Develop strategies to increase voluntary WSNA PAC participation.
• Support candidate interviews, endorsement processes, voter outreach, and electoral and issue-advocacy campaigns.
• Mobilize members for legislative testimony, meetings with elected officials, calls to action, and other advocacy opportunities.
• Coordinate with national affiliates, state labor partners, and coalitions while following applicable campaign finance, lobbying, public disclosure, and organizational requirements.

Collaborate, train, and track results.

• Partner with Labor staff and union organizers to connect bargaining and workplace campaigns with legislative and political opportunities.
• Develop practical advocacy tools, campaign materials, member communications, and training in collaboration with Government Affairs, Labor, and Communications.
• Deliver presentations and train-the-trainer programs on organizing, political engagement, PAC participation, and voter engagement.
• Use member databases, digital organizing tools, and spreadsheets to track outreach, volunteer participation, training, and campaign outcomes.
• Evaluate results and recommend improvements to strengthen future organizing efforts.

What you’ll bring:

• At least three years of progressively responsible experience in labor organizing, political organizing, grassroots advocacy, electoral campaigns, community organizing, or a closely related field.
• A bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, labor relations, communications, social sciences, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience.
• Demonstrated success recruiting, motivating, training, and mobilizing members, volunteers, or community stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of legislative processes, electoral campaigns, grassroots advocacy, and political engagement.
• Strong writing, public speaking, facilitation, and presentation skills, including the ability to make complex policy issues clear and actionable.
• The ability to build trust with people across diverse backgrounds, identities, regions, and professional roles.
• Strong organizational skills, sound judgment, initiative, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, and the ability to learn member databases and digital organizing platforms.
• A commitment to equity-centered practice, cultural humility, collaboration, and the interests of nurses, patients, and workers.

Experience that will help you stand out:

• Experience with a labor union, professional association, healthcare organization, or other membership-based organization.
• Experience organizing nurses, healthcare workers, public-sector employees, or other professional workforces.
• Experience with PAC education or fundraising, candidate endorsements, voter-contact programs, or electoral campaign operations.
• Knowledge of Washington State’s political, legislative, regulatory, and labor landscape.
• Experience with organizing or constituent-relations databases, digital organizing platforms, and voter-contact tools.
• Experience collaborating across political, legislative, labor relations, and communications teams.

Work location and schedule:

This is a hybrid, office-based position in Washington State with the opportunity to work remotely part-time. Regular statewide travel is required, along with periodic work in Olympia during the legislative session.

The position requires evening and weekend work as needed for electoral campaigns, legislative activities, member engagement, bargaining, and rapid response efforts. A valid Washington driver’s license and access to an operational, currently insured motor vehicle are required.

Equal opportunity and accessibility:

WSNA is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

WSNA provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and applicants who need assistance during the hiring process, consistent with applicable law.