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Help us change what's possible for LGBTQ+ South Carolinians.

South Carolina is one of the hardest states in the country to be openly LGBTQ+, and one of the most important places to fight for change. At AFFA and AFFA Action, we're building the coalitions, the policy wins, and the next generation of leaders who will make our state safer, fairer, and more free.

We're looking for a Policy and Advocacy Manager to help lead that fight.

The Role

The Policy and Advocacy Manager is a central driver of AFFA Action's Policy Playbook and a key contributor to AFFA's coalition, education, and thought leadership work. Reporting to the Executive Director and working in close partnership with AFFA Action's contract lobbyist, the Policy and Advocacy Manager executes key components of the organization's strategic plan into a proactive, year-round legislative program that advances LGBTQ+ hate crime protections, anti-discrimination laws, and local ordinance expansion across South Carolina.

This role operationalizes the strategic plan by maintaining a rolling bill tracker, drafting the annual proactive legislative agenda, building the "Ordinance Expansion & New Wins" playbook, cultivating trusted-advisor relationships with state and local officials, and equipping a statewide pipeline of trained, ready-to-testify advocates. The Policy and Advocacy Manager also embeds policy expertise across AFFA's C3 education and coalition work,  informing the annual "State of LGBTQ+ People in SC" report, SC United coalition deliverables, and the Courageous Crowds advocacy training curriculum.

Who You Are

We're looking for a fighter and a bridge-builder. Someone who understands that advancing LGBTQ+ rights in South Carolina means showing up in rooms where the odds are stacked against us, and leaving those rooms with allies we didn't have when we walked in. The ideal candidate is a disciplined researcher, a persuasive writer, and a natural communicator who knows that policy wins are built on narrative as much as on legislative mechanics. They can translate a committee amendment into a talking point, a talking point into a testimony, and a testimony into a movement moment. They bring hands-on experience in state or local policy or government relations, the patience to collaborate with people who don't share their worldview, and the courage to inspire advocates, coalition partners, and lawmakers to act. They hold an unshakable, intersectional commitment to LGBTQ+ South Carolinians and the stamina to fight for them the long way. 

What You’ll Do

Run our legislative program, year-round

• Maintain a rolling bill tracker from pre-file through floor action and local ordinances

• Publish our annual proactive agenda and refresh positions mid-session

• Flag emerging threats early and identify openings for offense

• Track the wins that matter: co-sponsors gained, public statements secured, lawmakers picking up our talking points

Drive the “Local Ordinance" playbook

• Maintain a jurisdiction inventory of SC cities and counties; where protections exist, where the gaps are, where we can move

• Steward our library of model ordinance language and a "menu of upgrades" (employment protections, enforcement, protected classes, training, complaint pathways)

• Assemble repeatable local campaign toolkits: one-pagers, FAQs, sign-on letters, plain-language explainers

• Sit down with mayors, councilmembers, city managers, and municipal attorneys to walk the language through

Become a trusted advisor to legislators — including the ones who aren't with us yet

• Track a prioritized list of champions, persuadables, blockers, and committee chairs

• Show up consistently in their offices

• Host 1:1 meetings and caucus "lunch & learns" that feel less like lobbying and more like real education

• Operate in strict compliance with C3/C4 boundaries, nonprofit lobbying rules, and ethics requirements

Build and run a testimony pipeline

• Recruit, train, and maintain a statewide roster of "ready-to-testify" advocates

• Build hearing prep packets covering talking points, process, safety, and logistics

• Deploy advocates when hearings drop and coach first-time testifiers through their nerves

• Grow the bench year over year and track retention

Coordinate rapid response with national partners

• Activate 3–5 national policy allies when a hostile bill drops or a proactive opening appears

• Pull in research, comms amplification, and legal/policy backup

• Turn around memos and briefs in hours, not days

Turn policy into narrative

• Draft policy briefs, testimony, fact sheets, talking points, position statements, and op-eds (target: 2+ published per year)

• Contribute the policy backbone of AFFA's annual "State of LGBTQ+ People in South Carolina" report with our academic partner

• Partner with communications so every policy fight lands as a story South Carolinians can see themselves in

Feed the coalition and training ecosystem

• Bring policy substance to our quarterly Courageous Crowds advocacy trainings

• Help staff our annual LGBTQ+ Lobby Day

• Coordinate with SC United on testimony training and community briefings

What You Bring

Required:

• A Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Public Administration, Government, Law, Social Work, Communications, or a related field or equivalent professional experience in public policy

• 4+ years of experience in public policy, legislative affairs, government relations, advocacy, community organizing, or a closely related field

• A track record of working with elected officials, coalitions, or government agencies; analyzing legislation; drafting advocacy materials; and moving campaigns forward with multiple stakeholders

Bonus points for:

• Experience with the South Carolina legislative process (or another Southeast state)

• Local ordinance campaign experience

• Building volunteer testimony or advocate pipelines

• Working alongside a contract lobbyist or inside a state legislature, agency, or public affairs office

• Familiarity with C3/C4 structure and nonprofit lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics rules

• LGBTQ+, civil rights, health equity, racial justice, reproductive justice, or disability rights advocacy through an intersectional lens

The Details

• Salary: $58,000–$65,000, based on experience

• Benefits: Health insurance, paid time off and holidays, retirement, professional development, and flexible work arrangements

• Location: Primarily remote, based in the Columbia, SC metro area. Regular in-person presence required during the legislative session, plus meetings, hearings, coalition events, and travel across South Carolina

• Schedule: Full-time; expect legislative-session intensity January through May

APPLY HERE

Position Summary

The Data & Reporting Analyst will support the AFFA’s advocacy, electoral, and community-impact efforts through thoughtful research, data analysis, and reporting. Reporting to the Executive Director, this role will translate complex information into clear, actionable insights that help inform election strategy, demonstrate organizational impact, support donor and marketing efforts, and strengthen advocacy initiatives.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytical, curious, and comfortable working with data while understanding the importance of LGBTQ+ advocacy and community engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Election Research & Strategy: Research, analyze, and present relevant political, electoral, demographic, legislative, and community data to inform election strategy at the local and state levels.

• Statewide Data Collection: Assist with collecting, organizing, validating, and analyzing data from across the state for the annual State of the LGBTQ+ Community report.

• Data Presentation: Turn research and quantitative findings into easy-to-understand reports, presentations, charts, and other materials for internal and external audiences.

• Cross-Functional Support: Collaborate with staff and leadership teams to identify data needs and provide timely research and internal reporting support.

• CRM Reporting: Create reports and analyze CRM donor data to generate actionable insights that support organization funding and network engagement and expansion.  

• Impact & Success Reporting: Develop clear and compelling success and impact reports that highlight organizational accomplishments, outcomes, and community impact for use in marketing, communications, fundraising, and donor cultivation.

Professional Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in data analytics, political science, public policy, statistics, social sciences, communications, or a related field, or 2+ years professional experience in a similar role.

• Strong research, analytical, and critical-thinking skills.

• Experience working with Excel or Google  spreadsheets, CRM databases, survey data, or other data-management tools.

• Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and communicate findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize deadlines, and work independently and collaboratively.

• Interest in or familiarity with LGBTQ+ advocacy, public policy, elections, civic engagement, or nonprofit organizations.

Preferred

• Experience with data visualization and reporting tools (Canva, Bloomerang, Monday).

• Experience with Bloomerang or similar CRM tool

• Familiarity with legislative or election data, polling, demographic research, or advocacy metrics.

• Experience conducting survey-based research and reporting.

• Experience supporting nonprofit development, communications, or donor-reporting efforts.

• Comfort working with large or complex datasets and identifying meaningful trends and insights.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success means providing reliable, timely, and meaningful data that helps the organization make informed strategic decisions, demonstrate its impact, strengthen advocacy efforts, and tell a compelling story about the experiences and needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Compensation & Location

Salary

$50,000-$60,000 annually based on experience 

Benefits

The organization offers a competitive benefits package, including:

• Health insurance

• Paid time off and designated holidays

• Retirement benefits

• Professional development opportunities

• Flexible work arrangements consistent with organizational needs

Location Requirement

This is a full-time, primarily remote position. The successful candidate must reside in or relocate to the state of South Carolina. Occasional travel throughout South Carolina may be required.