Common Defense: Deputy Director of Voter Engagement

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Full job description

**Reports to: **Director of Data and Analytics

**Location: **Remote (U.S.-based), with occasional travel as needed

Type: Full-time, Exempt

Compensation: $80,000 to $100,000 per year, plus benefits including healthcare, unlimited PTO, and access to a retirement plan.

Position Overview

The Deputy Director of Voter Engagement is responsible for building and leading Common Defense’s field-scale direct outreach operations. Reporting to the Director of Data and Analytics, this position builds and manages the systems, tools, and workflows that power high-volume contact programs—including phone banking, peer-to-peer texting, relational organizing, and other distributed outreach tactics.

This role ensures that Common Defense can consistently and effectively reach priority audiences—veteran and military family members, prospective members, and voters—through targeted and scalable outbound campaigns. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in organizing programs that combine strategic targeting, data infrastructure, and staff/volunteer execution to mobilize people at scale for electoral, legislative, or issue-based campaigns.

What We’re Looking For

This is a role for someone who can lead outreach strategy and build the systems to power it—someone who knows that data and technology are only as good as the people they empower. You’re a strong program builder, a sharp technical thinker, and an organizer at heart. You see the power in a veteran volunteer making their first phone call and understand how the national voter file can be used to unlock that power at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership: Voter Outreach and Direct Contact

• Design and manage systems for staff and members to conduct large-scale direct outreach through phone banking, peer-to-peer texting, relational outreach, and other methods.

• Lead the planning and execution of voter contact and outreach campaigns—including GOTV, issue mobilizations, and member recruitment—that advance organizational strategy and OKRs, in coordination with Campaign Directors and Deputies.

• Collaborate with campaign staff to define outreach universes, cut and assign turf, and deploy lists for voter contact and engagement programs.

• Develop and oversee infrastructure to scale outreach programs, ensuring staff and volunteers have the tools, data, and training needed for effective execution.

• Build systems that activate members as outreach leaders and support their participation in campaigns that advance organizational OKRs.

• Track individual and team outreach performance and adjust programs based on progress toward campaign objectives and key organizational results.

Data Infrastructure & Technical Leadership

• Oversee the setup, maintenance, and optimization of voter engagement platforms, including Action Network, Action Builder, VAN/Votebuilder, and other organizing tools.

• Translate campaign goals into actionable workflows, including targeting, segmentation, list creation, turf cutting, and performance tracking.

• Create and enforce data hygiene protocols to ensure accurate collection, reporting, and cross-departmental integration.

• Generate regular reports and analysis on outreach performance, member engagement, and voter contact metrics to inform strategy and measure progress toward organizational OKRs.

• Develop and maintain documentation for outreach systems, workflows, and data practices to ensure consistency and scalability.

• Establish quality control processes to monitor contact rates, data accuracy, and overall program integrity.

• Evaluate and recommend new tools or platforms to improve outreach capacity and integration with existing systems.

• Support the Director of Data and Analytics in resource planning, budgeting, and vendor evaluation related to outreach infrastructure.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration & Support

• Serve as a central coordinator across campaign departments to align outreach priorities, messaging, and timelines for direct outreach.

• Train and support staff, volunteers, and member leaders in outreach tools and best practices.

• Design onboarding processes and training materials to equip new staff, fellows, and members to participate in direct contact programs.

• Collaborate with campaign leaders to integrate voter contact strategies with broader organizing and leadership development efforts.

• Provide strategic input into campaign planning to ensure outreach systems and capacity are aligned with organizational objectives and key results.

Compliance

• Ensure all outreach programs comply with federal and state regulations regarding voter contact, data usage, and member communication.

• Work with legal and compliance teams to maintain appropriate protocols for use of tools and data across 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and PAC entities.

Qualifications

Required Skills & Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in field organizing, civic engagement, or campaign programs, including experience leading voter outreach efforts and/or member mobilization programs.

• Proficiency in Action Network, Action Builder, VAN/Votebuilder, and related CRM or outreach tools.

• Demonstrated ability to build and lead integrated programs involving both staff and volunteers.

• Experience managing voter file targeting, cutting and assigning turf, segmenting outreach audiences, and analyzing field performance metrics.

• Ability to synthesize organizational goals into actionable outreach strategies and technical systems.

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, especially across diverse teams and work styles.

• Deep commitment to equity, justice, and inclusion in organizing, leadership development, and civic engagement.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with additional outreach tools (e.g., ThruTalk, Spoke, Impactive, Civis).

• Experience in veteran or progressive movement spaces; direct experience organizing or engaging veteran communities is a plus.

• Python and SQL experience

• Technical experience with relational databases, list management, or custom reporting.

• Bilingual or multilingual candidates encouraged to apply.

About Us

At Common Defense, we believe veterans and the military community are a powerful source of grassroots energy that can drive transformational change. Guided by our commitment to service, sacrifice, and equality, we’re fighting to make America a place where liberty and justice truly exist for all people.

We are not your average “veterans organization.” We are a multiracial, multigenerational grassroots movement doing real organizing to win change for our country and our communities. From expanding voting access to ending forever wars to building a clean energy workforce, we’re fighting for bold solutions that protect working families and preserve our rights. Together, we’re proving that the same commitment we brought to our military service can transform the future of our nation.

Our Team & Culture

We are a results-driven organization where strategy, collaboration, and impact go hand in hand with equity, inclusion, and a deep sense of collective responsibility. We believe that when we invest in our people, we strengthen our ability to win big fights. We take care of each other, celebrate victories big and small, and make space for everyone to grow.

If you’re ready to bring your skills to an ambitious, growing movement, we’d love to have you on our team.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

Common Defense is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the values we fight for every day. We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities to apply.

As a majority-veteran organization, we strongly encourage veterans and military family members to apply. We recognize the unique perspectives and experiences that come from military service and believe they are critical to our work. However, we also welcome applicants from all backgrounds who are passionate about our mission, regardless of prior military experience.