Common Defense: Deputy Director of Campaigns and Mobilizations

LOCATION

SALARY

COMPANY

DEPARTMENT

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

JOB DESCRIPTION

**Position Overview: **The Deputy Director of Campaigns and Mobilizations is a dynamic leader who drives bold, member-powered national advocacy campaigns that drive legislative and policy change. This position works across teams and in coalition with partners to seize critical opportunities, amplify member voices, and advance the mission of fostering democracy and justice. The Deputy Director will play a key role in shaping the calls to action for Common Defense members on a continuous basis, identifying strategic opportunities to apply pressure to decision makers at every level. The Deputy Director of Campaigns and Mobilization thrives in fast-paced environments, is passionate about veterans issues and driving grassroots change.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Campaign Strategy and Execution

• Design and execute high-impact national advocacy campaigns and mobilization efforts, aligned with Common Defense’s mission, objectives and key results (OKRs) and strategic goals.

• Empowered to lead rapid-response initiatives to address emerging issues or legislative opportunities.

• Collaborate with the Political, Communications, and Climate teams to craft cohesive and compelling campaign messaging and strategies.

• Oversee the development of petitions, contact-your-representative campaigns, and other member-driven advocacy actions.

2. Digital Mobilization and Legislative Advocacy

• Develop innovative digital mobilization strategies, leveraging software tools to maximize member participation and campaign impact.

• Organize direct lobbying efforts, including meetings with legislators, and preparing testimony for hearings, and empowering members to lead.

• Work with the Political Director to set priorities for national-level legislative campaigns and track policy development.

• Track legislative developments and identify opportunities for impactful national campaigns.

• Drive timely and coordinated member activation to rapidly respond to breaking news and legislative opportunities especially off-hours in evenings and weekends.

3. Supervision and Team Development

• Lead and mentor a small team of campaign staff, and contractors as needed, fostering a collaborative, inclusive culture, by providing mentorship and performance feedback.

• Support professional growth through development opportunities to enhance team members’ skills and leadership aligned with organizational values and goals.

• Facilitate regular team meetings to ensure clarity and accountability across roles.

4. Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Partner with the Deputy Director of Member Engagement to integrate grassroots organizing with digital and advocacy campaigns.

• Collaborate with the Communications team to write campaign messaging and help edit press releases, media advisories, letters, and public statements.

• Foster alignment through conversations with Climate, Democracy, and other issue-focused campaign teams to build a unified organizational strategy.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Build robust systems to track and report on campaign metrics, including member participation, engagement rates, and policy outcomes.

• In collaboration with the Data Director, leverage data insights to refine strategies and improve effectiveness to maximize impact of campaigns and mobilizations.

• Report outcomes to leadership, highlighting successes as well as areas for growth and accountability for campaign outcomes and alignment with organizational OKRs.

6. External Partnerships and Representation

• Cultivate strong relationships with advocacy coalitions, Congressional offices, and other key stakeholders to advance campaign goals.

• Represent Common Defense at coalition meetings, public events, and media opportunities.

• Identify opportunities for joint mobilizations and collaborative advocacy efforts with partner organizations.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Minimum of 5 to 7 years of experience in advocacy campaigns, mobilization, or related fields.

• Proven success in designing and executing impactful campaigns, including rapid-response initiatives.

• Strong understanding of digital mobilization tools and strategies, with experience tracking and analyzing campaign metrics.

• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines under pressure.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams, fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture.

• Commitment to Common Defense’s mission and values, with a track record of member-driven advocacy.

Preferred:

• Proficiency with CRM tools, digital engagement platforms, such as EveryAction and ActionNetwork, as well as data analysis.

• Experience working with veteran communities or a deep understanding of military culture and issues.

• Familiarity with federal legislative processes and progressive policy areas.

• Strong communication skills, including public speaking and media engagement.

Why join us?

Common Defense is a grassroots, veteran-led organization that was founded in 2016 with nearly 40 staff and thousands of members across the country. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our country, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the leaders who truly share our values.