Policy Associate

About San Diego

San Diego, with a population of nearly 1.5 million people, is the second largest city in California, and the eighth largest city in the country. Known for its beautiful year-round climate, miles of gorgeous beaches, and its small city vibe, San Diego is also in the midst of a dramatic political realignment, with increased opportunity for effecting meaningful change at the city, county, and through its representation at the state and federal level.

San Diego sits on the U.S. - Mexico Border just north of Tijuana, and the two cities comprise the world’s largest metropolitan, binational region. San Ysidro, one of three border crossings in the region, is consistently cited as the world’s busiest port of entry. San Diego is also the number one refugee resettlement site in California, with more than 86,000 thousand resettled from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa since 1975.

Refugee resettlement and the cross-border character of the region make San Diego a rich blend of racial/ethnic, linguistic, and country-of-birth diversity. The region presents unique opportunities to be on the front lines of the fight for human rights, and to be a part of a public interest community that is incubating cutting edge refugee and racial justice policy for the entire country.

About PANA

The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization fighting to advance the full economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugees in San Diego, throughout California, and across the country. PANA works at the intersection of African, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) refugee communities impacted by racial/ethnic profiling, religious bias, increased government surveillance and harassment, and poverty among the many issues affecting our refugee communities.

PANA advances significant policy reforms at the city, county, and state level to ensure newly resettled refugees have equal access to family sustaining jobs, quality and healthy homes, and meaningful education that translates to upskilling in the workforce. In addition to policy and legal advocacy, PANA uses an integrated voter engagement approach to build and leverage deep community networks, develop community leaders, and establish a civic engagement infrastructure to amplify the voice, visibility, and impact of our community.

Policy Associate Position

Responsibilities: 

  • Foster relationships with organizations working on advancing immigrants rights and refugee issues.

  • Advance statewide and county policies focused on protecting Black immigrants and California’s growing refugee and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities.

  • Work directly with refugee and AMEMSA communities to ensure their interests are protected and represented at statewide and County level conversations.

  • Lead a high level coalition working to protect the Black vote in San Diego and statewide.

  • Build and strengthen relationships with local lawmakers and organizational stakeholders.

  • Support the leadership development of community members and engage them in opportunities to represent and advance their own interests and priorities.

  • Responsible for managing and implementing the biennial House Meetings Leadership Program and publishing an updated San Diego Refugee Experiences report.

  • Work with Supervisor to develop policy campaigns and strategies and support execution of campaign plans with coalition partners in order to affect institutional and social change. 

  • Participate and lead reflection and evaluation of actions and campaign activities with staff and coalition partners.

  • Participate in monthly conversations with organizing staff to ensure goals and strategic priorities are defined and informed by PANA membership.


Qualifications and Skills Required:

  • Bachelor's degree in Community Development, Community Organizing, Social Work, Political Science, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Women’s Studies, Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Community Psychology, or related field required. 

  • Masters degree preferred; and/or a minimum of three to five years of experience in community organizing working with and managing coalitions in a collaborative context with formal training in either conflict organizing or consensus organizing theories.

  • Experience with policy advocacy, including campaign planning, research, analysis and report writing a plus.

  • Demonstrated experience organizing or engaging with refugee and/or immigrant communities.

  • Experience leading issue campaigns including ballot measures.

  • Demonstrated commitment to refugee and immigrant communities.

  • Excellent research, oral and written skills.

  • Extremely organized with close attention to detail and accuracy.

  • Ability to juggle multiple priorities effectively in a rapidly changing environment. 

  • Ability to speak Arabic, Karen, Urdu, Farsi, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, or Swahili strongly preferred. 

  • Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, and sophisticated use of technology.

Compensation

Competitive salary commensurate with experience and excellent benefits.

To Apply

Applicants should email a resume, two writing samples, and a cover letter to admin@panasd.org.