Position Summary
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is excited to announce an opening for an experienced leader with a background in advocacy, community organizing, or public policy.
The Director of Advocacy will build upon our successful history of advancing and winning support for bicycle safety and infrastructure, while also supporting us as we advance our mission with a deepening focus on equity and radical inclusion. Candidates will be excited to amplify our vision of a truly bicycle-friendly San Francisco by developing, implementing, and engaging staff, board, membership, and key community partners in advocacy and campaign activities that raise awareness and create public and political support for safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation options and infrastructure.
About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition was founded in 1971 by a group of activists representing a coalition of environmental and neighborhood groups and is one of the oldest bicycle advocacy groups in the nation. For over 50 years, the SF Bicycle Coalition has furthered its mission – to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation – through its grassroots political organizing and broadening civic engagement. With its dual 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) structure and $2.5 million annual budget, SF Bicycle Coalition has grown to add community-based programs to expand access to bicycles, education programs on safe biking practices, and partnerships with other mobility-focused organizations.
Key Responsibilities
The Director of Advocacy will report to the Executive Director and will oversee a talented team of community organizers, including one senior community organizer.
Our ideal candidate will be mission aligned, sharing our core values of transportation justice, sustainability, people power, and joy. They’ll be excited by the opportunity to engage with us in our work to center the voices and needs of those most harmed by inequitable transportation and infrastructure decisions.
Advocacy Activities and Strategy
- Lead and set strategy for advocacy activities, campaign development and management, and community and stakeholder engagement.
- Develop and execute a range of advocacy tools and approaches to advance priorities tied to our current and future strategic plan.
- Collaborate with our board of directors and agency leadership to strategically align and integrate our advocacy and policy campaign strategies for maximum impact.
- Ensure advocacy and policy campaigns are member-driven and center the voices and needs of those most often impacted and marginalized.
- Engage with and build new partnerships with grassroots communities who share our goal of equitable transportation infrastructure and access.
- Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, elected officials, board and commission members, and transportation-related alliances and coalitions.
- Organize advocacy-related actions and events, and mobilize turnout and support.
- Research and lead policy analysis for local, regional, state, and federal legislation relevant to the organization’s mission and strategic plan.
- Craft compelling written content including fact sheets, policy briefs, position statements, calls to action, blogs, and related messaging with support from our Director of Marketing and Communications.
- Represent the organization at press events, on panels, and in mutually beneficial spaces.
- Work with the Executive Director and board members to facilitate political endorsements for local elections.
- Track and report advocacy and lobbying activity as required to comply with 501(c)(4) regulations.
Staff and Team Management
- Oversee a team of talented community organizers and advocates through hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and personnel management.
- Invest in and nurture their individual development through thoughtful coaching and supervision; identify leadership and growth opportunities and support the coordination, development, and efficacy of their work and reach.
- Regularly check in with the team about their professional growth; encourage them to reflect on their work; create a culture of continuous learning and introduce new community organizing techniques/ideas/perspectives from the field.
- Ensure advocacy staff build and nurture relationships with a broad range of city stakeholders, including community-based organizations, civil rights groups, neighborhood associations, and merchants groups.
- Promote practices that support individual wellness and retention.
Agency-Wide Collaboration
- Provide regular updates to other internal teams; explore opportunities for collaboration in advancing advocacy goals and initiatives.
- Serve as a member of the Directors team; provide high-level input on organizational needs, challenges, and opportunities.
- Contribute to a culture of camaraderie and teamwork to ensure our collective sustainability and success.
Experience and Qualifications of Our Ideal Candidate. While no one person will embody every quality, our ideal candidate will bring many of the qualifications and attributes listed below:
- Commitment to the SF Bicycle Coalition’s mission and core values of transportation justice, sustainability, people power, and joy.
- Significant experience supporting and engaging grassroots communities in advocacy campaigns that center their voices and experience.
- Proven ability to build meaningful partnerships that center equity and accountability to those most impacted.
- Experience with advocacy and policy change tools and approaches.
- Knowledge of legislative and administrative processes.
- Knowledge or experience in transportation policy, urban planning, or related fields.
- Previous management and supervision experience.
- A team-builder able to thoughtfully engage, support, and develop people and teams of varied backgrounds and experience levels with grace and skill.
- Experience and success in building relationships with elected officials, local leaders, community organizations, and system stakeholders.
- Well-developed organizational skills with the ability to think creatively and flexibly.
- Commitment to contributing to a collaborative organizational culture that encourages healthy work-life balance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Willingness to travel locally, occasionally state-wide or nationally. Willingness to attend evening or weekend community events and/or meetings.
Commitment to Equity and Justice
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition acknowledges the harm biking culture and unequal access to transportation have inflicted upon underserved communities — especially people of color, people with disabilities, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. We believe that these communities must be centered as leaders in the work we do; therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities.
Compensation: The starting annual salary range for this exempt position is $85,000 – $95,000 annually depending upon relevancy of experience. Full-time benefits include medical, vision, and dental insurance; 10 days paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, and 3 weeks PTO annually, with PTO accruals increasing in subsequent years. Other benefits include a telecommuting stipend, a flexible work arrangement policy, and 100% match of an employee’s contribution to their 401K up to 3% of an employee’s annual salary.
Location: Hybrid — San Francisco Bay Area. Staff and their supervisors will work together to determine the appropriate work arrangement based on the nature of the individual’s role, and in alignment with organizational policies and departmental needs and activities. We strive to be as flexible and fair as possible while ensuring in-person accessibility when needed to interface with our volunteers, membership, community, and each other.
To apply, please submit a resume and a PDF with your response to the questions below. A formal cover letter is optional and welcomed, but not a replacement for completing the questions below. Please limit your responses (one to two paragraphs each):
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- What makes you excited to lead the advocacy team at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition?
- What does transportation justice mean to you?
- What community organizing, advocacy, policy, or campaign-related work are you most proud of and why?
- How have you actualized equity and justice values in your previous work?
