Democracy Alliance

Location: Remote
Commitment: Full-Time Staff Role
Reports to: President
Travel: Approximately 20 - 30%
Start Date: Immediate
Compensation: $175,000 - $195,000, commensurate with experience
About the Democracy Alliance
The Democracy Alliance (DA), founded in 2005, is a donor community of individual philanthropists, foundations, and labor unions committed to a just, thriving democracy and a shared progressive future. The DA invests in building progressive infrastructure in the United States by filling gaps, providing catalytic funding, and resourcing social change all in service of a multiracial, feminist democracy that works for all.
The DA recently completed a strategic planning process that defined a bold 10-year vision centered on racial, gender, and economic justice, as well as long-term movement infrastructure. As a convener, connector, and resource aggregator, the DA supports donors seeking long-term impact and helps them move critical resources to the field.
Position Overview
The Strategic Advisor and Chief of Staff to the President serves as a strategic partner, trusted advisor, and operational anchor to the President. This role supports the President in executing her leadership priorities, managing key relationships, including with the Board of Directors and other key stakeholders, and ensuring alignment between her work and the organization's broader goals. The Strategic Advisor and Chief of Staff to the President manages the Office of the President, including overseeing and managing the Executive Assistant to the President, ensuring strong coordination, clear communication, and effective systems that maximize the President's time and impact. Together, they form the core of the Office of the President, providing seamless administrative and strategic support. This person will work closely with senior organizational leaders of strategic and programmatic functions.
This is a highly visible and fast-paced role that requires exceptional organizational judgment, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence. The ideal candidate has a deep understanding of the progressive ecosystem, thrives on anticipating needs, connecting dots across teams, and building systems that enable the President to focus on the most important priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Support to the President

• Serve as the primary thought and operational partner to the President on her daily priorities, meetings, and external engagements. Make recommendations regarding the President's best use of time, including attendance and involvement in events.
• Support the President's relationships with partners, funders, grantees, and senior leaders across the progressive ecosystem including strong preparation and follow-up in collaboration with relevant team members.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including board members, partners, and donors, to advance DA's mission. This person also engages deeply with labor leaders.
• Develop systems to ensure that the President's activities are aligned with organizational strategy and priorities. Collaborate with the President and Senior Team to define and track daily, weekly, and long-term goals
• Ensure the President is appropriately briefed for meetings, events, and public appearances by coordinating preparation materials and background information from staff.
• Independently manage correspondence and advise on requests for meetings and engagements. Correspondence includes but is not limited to talking points; agenda framing; and email drafting on behalf of the President.
• Serve as an external point of contact on all events, meetings, and speaking engagements; Take lead in ensuring the coordination of logistics and material preparation.
• Proactively identify and resolve superfluous issues before they reach the President's purview
• Prioritize conflicting needs; manage organizational matters expeditiously, proactively, and follow through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.
• Attend meetings on behalf of the President as needed, representing the President and organization.
• Work with the Executive Assistant to manage the President's schedule, priorities, travel, and high-profile events, ensuring her time and engagements are strategically aligned with organizational goals and coordinated closely with the Partnerships team.

Organizational Strategy and Leadership

• In partnership with the other senior team members, set organizational strategy, priorities, and goals for the organization, in support of the needs of the progressive ecosystem.
• Contribute to organizational priority-setting and annual goal development by aligning the President's work with staff-wide goals and ensuring information and decisions flow to the appropriate teams.
• Work closely with senior leadership to ensure the President's initiatives and decisions are effectively communicated and implemented across the organization.

• Project manage strategic projects on behalf of the President; create detailed project plans, anticipate obstacles; keep trains running without President
• Anticipate relationship and communication needs, ensuring timely follow-up and strong stewardship of key connections.

Board Engagement and Management

• Partner with SeniorTeam on strategic leadership of the Board of Directors, including development and execution of high quality, consistent and generative Board engagement, including Board meetings, retreats and communications.
• Support President in Board cultivation, expansion, and development of individual Board relationships and the Board as a whole.

Requirements
Skills & Qualifications

• 8 -10+ years of professional experience, including at least 3 years of senior level leadership in a mission-driven, complex organization (with experience in politics, movement, philanthropy, advocacy, labor, or nonprofit preferred).
• Proven ability to build trust and manage relationships with senior leaders, partners, and staff at all levels. Experience with organized labor a plus.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Strong project management skills with acute attention to detail.
• Highly organized, proactive, and adaptable, with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and ability to handle confidential information.
• Ability to proactively identify problems, anticipate needs, and develop solutions.
• Experience developing and managing systems that promote efficiency, accountability, and clarity.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with senior executives, donors, Board members, and staff.
• Advanced proficiency with Outlook and Google Workspace.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize information, prioritize multiple projects, and maintain composure in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• Based in New York City a plus, with ability to travel up to 30% as needed.

Culture and Values Alignment:

• Demonstrates a deep commitment to social justice, including gender, racial, and economic justice.
• Awareness of and sensitivity to the power dynamics inherent in philanthropy; strives to minimize and mitigate those dynamics in their interactions.
• Able to receive and offer constructive criticism and learn from successes and failures.
• Exhibits cultural competency and can communicate effectively with people representing diverse interests, styles, and backgrounds.

Benefits
Democracy Alliance offers a competitive compensation and generous benefits package, including:

• Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and life insurance, with DA covering 80% of a base health plan and multiple high-quality plan options
• A 7% non-elective employer contribution to a 401(k) after six months, regardless of employee contributions
• Four weeks (20 days) of PTO, paid sick leave, paid holidays, and two floating holidays
• Two week-long office closures annually, plus Summer Fridays
• A $165 per person monthly work-from-home stipend to support remote work expenses

We believe that a diverse workplace is critical to achieving our goals. We strongly encourage applications from people with marginalized identities and lived experiences that align with the communities we seek to serve.
Frequently cited statistics show that applicants from structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. The Democracy Alliance encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application!