About Neighborhood Partnerships

Neighborhood Partnerships’ mission is to help create a better Oregon, one in which we all have access to opportunity, stability, and what we need to thrive. For us, this begins with financial well-being and a stable, affordable place to call home. Our work calls on us to engage all Oregonians: indigenous tribes; residents whose families have called Oregon home for generations; folks who arrived just recently—from elsewhere in the U.S. or the world. Whether we live in cities, small towns, or rural lands, we all need resources to build a better future for ourselves, our families and our communities.

We’re a team of diligent and dedicated leaders committed to building a more equitable Oregon. We work as policy advocates, coalition conveners, and program administrators to increase resources, improve public policy, and spark innovation and collaboration. We are always learning.

NP manages the Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative. We raise funds, collect data, and coordinate the IDA-related work of 10 non-profit direct service and network partners statewide. Through these networks, IDAs are available to Oregonians at over 75 non-profits statewide. With an IDA, Oregonians with low incomes have their savings for an education, home, small business or other investment matched by state funds. The partners within the Oregon IDA Initiative and NP staff work together to build a consensus legislative agenda. In the 2021 legislative session, the IDA Initiative will seek to advance policy and funding proposals to expand and continue the work of the Initiative.

Since 2004, NP has convened the statewide Oregon Housing Alliance, a legislative advocacy coalition of more than 90 organizations that share the belief that everyone needs a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. The Housing Alliance works to advance housing opportunity at our state capital in Salem, as well as at the federal level. Issue area workgroups lead the way to identifying potential policy solutions for the housing challenges currently facing our communities. In addition to convening the Housing Alliance, since 2018, NP staff have been organizing and supporting an advocacy group of residents of affordable housing, front line staff, and people in need of affordable housing. This network is called Residents Organizing for Change (ROC) and is a critical part of our work to engage people most impacted by policy change.

NP is a team of about a dozen employees, committed to building a more equitable Oregon. We are committed to devoting dedicated time and resources at every level of the organization to address disparities based on identity and to apply a racial equity lens to all decisions, programs, and policies.

Neighborhood Partnerships is currently undergoing a planned Executive Director transition. We anticipate having a new Director on board this fall 2020.

About this position

This position will play an important role in NP’s work in the State Legislature, by supporting legislative work for the 2021 legislative session to increase access to financial stability and housing opportunity. This position will work with people directly impacted by financial and housing instability to help ensure their voices are heard by policy makers, the Legislature, and the media. Someone who is successful in this position will value and uplift the voices of impacted communities in policy making. They will need to distill complex policy and political challenges for people who don’t regularly have access to engaging with the Legislature. This person will need to learn or understand the role of staff in supporting coalitions, and will have the patience needed to support coalition work. We are looking to hire someone who is an excellent communicator in person and in writing, and who will work well as part of a team.

Equity

Neighborhood Partnerships is a mission-driven organization committed to equity and inclusion. New hires participate in onboarding training in equity and inclusion, and all staff participate in ongoing professional and personal development related to equity and inclusion.

Job functions

Policy: Help to advance housing opportunity and asset building for Oregonians with low incomes

Under the direction of and in close coordination with the Policy & Communications Director, work with Housing Alliance workgroups and members to develop, refine, and prioritize a Housing Opportunity policy agenda

Work closely with NP’s Organizer to support policy engagement of people directly impacted by housing instability and homelessness

Under the direction of, and in close coordination with the Director of Economic Opportunity, work with the IDA Initiative, partners, and others to develop and advance an asset building policy agenda

Reflect the position of an advocacy coalition, and gather feedback from coalition members as policy proposals change during the legislative session

Develop and maintain strong working relationships with legislators and allies

Support the engagement of members and partners in advocacy

Support work to center those most impacted in policy development discussions

Manage logistics, take notes, and be willing to participate in the smaller tasks like setting up tables, cleaning up after a meeting, and thinking through the logistical details of a meeting

Track legislative activity and committee action

Support, help, plan, and execute lobby days, hearings, coalition meetings, and other events

Communications: Develop and maintain social media, newsletter, and other means of communicating with members, partners, and supporters

Write and edit newsletters, and other written legislative updates

Develop and publish social media content, with support from the team

Distill complex policy and political concepts and challenges into straightforward language

Skills and Experience Requirements

Core competencies:

The ideal candidate will:

Have experience in one of these key arenas:

working to advance a policy agenda

working as an organizer engaged in a policy change campaign

working as a staff member for an elected official, particularly in the Legislature

Be able to communicate complex ideas in a compelling and approachable manner via social media, newsletters, in person, and in multiple formats

Be able to clearly communicate with coworkers, supervisors, members, partners, and allies about what’s happening in the rapidly changing environment of the Legislature

Have patience with a collaborative coalition process

Be organized, detail oriented, and have a track record for follow through

Be able to motivate and support individuals from a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences as they build skills in advocacy and policy

Be excited by the opportunity to make change through legislative action

A plus, but not required:

Have lived experience with housing instability

Have experience working in coalition with a range of organizations and partners

Bi-lingual, bi-cultural experience, and/or experience working with people experiencing disabilities

­­Compensation

Full time position — 40 hours/week. $24.04 to $28.85/per hour ($50,000 to $60,000 per year), depending on experience and skill set. Health, vision, and dental insurance; annual 401K contributions; transit pass or parking; paid vacation and paid sick leave; paid holidays.

Neighborhood Partnerships is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from people of color, LGBTQ people, women, and people with disabilities.

Location and schedule

At this time, the entire NP staff is working remotely due to COVID-19. We anticipate this will continue until it is safe to work in an office again. During more normal times, the Legislative and Communications Advocate will work from our Portland office, with a great deal of time out of office at meetings and engaging in work statewide, which will require some travel. During the Legislative Session, this position must be able to work in Salem most days.

Candidates who reside outside of the Portland-metro area are welcome to apply. For the right candidate, NP would allow this position to work remotely outside of the legislative session, if they can demonstrate they will be able to work in Salem during the legislative session.

This position is primarily external-facing, working with partner organizations, coalition members, program participants, allies, board members, legislators, and decision makers, as well as supporting NP’s communications work. The position includes a significant portion of time in meetings with these partners, gathering input and feedback, and building consensus and support. This position will also participate in organizational work, including advancing our equity goals, participating in staff meetings, etc. Neighborhood Partnerships values work-life balance, but we recognize this may be difficult to maintain during legislative session.

Due to the nature of our work, we require a post-offer criminal background check.