Legislative / Legal Affairs & Policy Manager

For almost 50 years, the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) has supported North Carolina superintendents, principals, and other school leaders with services in communications, non-partisan advocacy, and professional development. The Raleigh-based non-profit is seeking a high-performing, full-time Legislative / Legal Affairs & Policy Manager to serve as a lobbyist representing the association in the General Assembly and among other policy-making entities affecting public schools and their personnel. The desired candidate will develop and implement strategies for assessing member stances on emerging political issues/legislation and respond to member inquiries about specific legislation. The ability to balance legislative responsibilities with member communications and outreach is crucial. The best candidate will be able to analyze legislation and research public education issues to develop and implement policy positions and effective legislative strategies while simultaneously creating related and relevant communications that are both thorough and efficient.

NCASA prefers to hire an attorney for this position so that individual can also provide legal expertise in supporting the overall work of the organization, but other candidates with previous lobbying and/or public policy experience will be considered.

The individual must be detail-oriented, flexible, and a driven team player with a deep commitment to public education and must demonstrate strong organizational and writing skills. The individual will be provided with a competitive salary commensurate with experience, an attractive benefits package, and the opportunity to perform some work remotely.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Represents K-12 public school administrators in nonpartisan advocacy efforts as a registered lobbyist during meetings with government entities that include the NC General Assembly, State Board of Education, Governor’s Education Cabinet, State Treasurer’s Office, and other policy-making entities affecting public schools.
• Develops legislative priorities and explanatory materials based on member feedback and organization goals.
• Collaborates with state and local elected officials, legislative staff, and stakeholders of diverse backgrounds to advance impactful changes to current education laws and policies in furtherance of legislative priorities.
• Interprets and summarizes complex new laws, bills, and other emerging issues affecting organization members and researches public education issues to develop and implement policy positions and effective legislative strategies.
• Responds to members’ inquiries concerning specific legislation and policies.
• Prepares and presents legislative updates for affiliate member groups, board meetings, and professional development events.
• Speaks to legislators one-on-one and through committee testimony to advocate association’s position on legislation of interest.
• Secures legislative sponsors for bills and amendments and helps draft those pieces of legislation.
• Negotiates public policy with members of the General Assembly and with other stakeholder groups to pass legislation or adopt policies that are in the best interest of the association’s membership.
• Monitors legislative committee meetings and floor sessions and the actions of other boards and commissions that affect public schools and their personnel (i.e., Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, State Health Plan, State Board of Education, etc.) to stay updated on policies and funding issues affecting N.C. public schools and their personnel.
• Drafts weekly legislative and related news articles for website and newsletter sent to 8,000+ members to keep them updated on actions and news affecting their work.
• Drafts legislative alerts, surveys, and other time-sensitive communications for grassroots engagement.
• Prepares and updates bill-tracking summaries that are maintained on website to keep the membership updated on the status of legislation.
• Manages membership advocacy center on website and legislative messaging software for member engagement in legislative and policy issues.
• Prepares or assists with the development of press releases, publications, reports and other materials as needed.

Additional Duties For Licensed Attorneys:

• Serves as the in-house attorney as needed for the organization and its board.
• Drafts and provides legal analysis of contractor agreements, venue contracts for conferences and events, corporate partner sponsorship contracts, and other legal matters.
• Conducts confidential one-on-one consultations with members regarding employment-related disputes and similar matters, providing guidance on professional rights and responsibilities.

Qualifications:

• Graduation from an accredited school of law and license to practice law in the State of North Carolina (or potential to be licensed within the year) is preferred but not required;
• Completion of a four-year program in a college or university with a major emphasis on public policy, government, or communications and two to five years of experience in policy research, lobbying, state or local government, public relations, or related industry is required;
• Previous experience in, or a strong understanding of, the state’s legislative process and public schools is preferred;
• Skilled in all programs in the Microsoft Office Suite, with strong proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Strong writing skills and general grammatical best practices;
• Preferred experience in social media apps, including Twitter/X;
• Ability to work both independently and in group settings, often under strict deadlines; and
• Exemplary attention to detail and accuracy, with impeccable organizational skills and a strong focus on customer service in supporting public school administrators.