Advocacy Manager
Full-time, salaried position
Salary range: $75,000-$85,000
(pdf version here)
About Alliance for Girls
Alliance for Girls (AFG) is a powerful, community-driven alliance made up of over 120 girl and gender-expansive youth-serving organizations and leaders all working to advance gender equity and ensuring every girl and gender-expansive youth in California, especially those of color, can thrive. AFG creates communities where girls and gender-expansive youth of color and the organizations that serve them are valued, respected, and safe.
AFG works to shift systems, narratives, and structures that serve as barriers to girls and gender-expansive youth of color’s ability to live the lives they want. In accordance with AFG’s 2024-2029 strategic plan, our model includes youth-led research, storytelling, community building, and systems change advocacy.
Position Overview
The Advocacy Manager leads Alliance for Girls’ (AFG) advocacy programming and activities, working closely with AFG’s youth research and community engagement teams to uplift policy and program recommendations grounded in data on girl and gender-expansive youth. This role manages and implements AFG’s collective advocacy strategies and programs in collaboration with member organizations and their girls and gender-expansive youth to shift systems, narratives, and structures at the institutional, local, district, county, and sometimes state level. The Advocacy Manager is supervised by the Director of Community Engagement.
We're seeking an experienced advocate and organizer who shares AFG's commitment to centering youth voice, building collective power, and creating sustainable change. We know there are many paths to developing advocacy expertise—through formal employment, grassroots organizing, lived experience navigating systems, or community leadership.
Key Responsibilities:
Advocacy Program Development, Management, and Implementation
Develop, lead, and execute youth-informed advocacy projects to advance the rights of girls and gender-expansive youth, especially those of color, at the institutional, local, and state levels. For more information about AFG’s advocacy approach, please refer to AFG’s Advocacy Theory of Action
Manage and implement AFG’s school-based project, Reclaiming Safety: Changing School Culture to Prevent Gender-Based Violence, at Skyline High School and Madison Park Academy in collaboration with The Unity Council’s Latinx Mentoring and Achievement Program.
Identify, join, and sometimes build strategic advocacy coalitions with AFG’s member organizations and youth leaders, employing community organizing, coalition building, and cultural/narrative strategy approaches, to advance systemic change in alignment with youth-driven policy recommendations.
Play a lead role in designing AFG’s advocacy strategies each year, drawing from lessons learned and feedback from the AFG community, youth, and the team.
Foster intergenerational and youth-centered organizing and advocacy spaces where girls and gender-expansive youth of color feel belonging and safe enough to share their stories, ideas, and solutions.
Track and monitor key legislation and public budgets affecting girls, gender-expansive youth, organizations, and policymakers who AFG and its members could engage and collaborate with to help center the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth of color in the policymaking process.
Youth and Member Engagement
Use participatory processes to organize community events and town halls in collaboration with AFG’s Programs team and youth researchers to engage girls, gender-expansive youth, member organizations, and interested community members in developing data-driven recommendations and solutions to issues that matter most to them.
Develop and maintain strong relationships and collaborate closely with AFG member organizations, girls and gender-expansive youth, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) school staff and administration, government officials, community coalitions, and institutional partners.
Identify and uplift public speaking opportunities for girls and gender-expansive youth of color to share their solutions directly with key decision-makers.
Train youth and members in advocacy, community engagement, storytelling, and advocacy strategy development, as needed.
Communications
Prepare compelling advocacy materials, including advocacy alerts, testimony, briefing papers, and social media content to inform and mobilize supporters.
Track, uplift, support, and share updates about initiatives by AFG and/or its member organizations and their youth with the rest of the AFG team and larger AFG community.
Represent AFG at key events, media engagements, and coalition spaces as needed.
Share and uplift updates on AFG’s advocacy work with the communications team to be shared on AFG’s social media, website, and through earned media, where possible.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Work collaboratively with AFG's Evaluation Manager to document advocacy activities and outcomes, including tracking participation, collecting feedback from youth and partners, and contributing to impact reports that inform future strategy.
What We’re Looking For
The experiences below give a sense of what has prepared others to succeed in this role, but if your path looks different and you believe you can do this work, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Core Expertise
The strongest candidates typically bring:
Advocacy and organizing experience: 3+ years of community organizing, advocacy, coalition-building, or systems change work (this could be through formal employment, volunteer leadership, grassroots organizing, or lived experience advocating for yourself or your communities)
Youth-centered practice: Proven ability to work alongside and center youth of color, particularly girls and gender-expansive youth, as experts and decision-makers rather than beneficiaries
Strategic versatility: Deep expertise in at least two of these areas: community organizing, coalition building, cultural/narrative strategy, youth engagement, or policy advocacy
Lived expertise: Ability to translate personal experience navigating systems into meaningful strategies for systemic change
Ability to travel to multiple sites across the San Francisco Bay Area for activities like school visits, member organization meetings, coalition convenings, and community events (mileage/transit reimbursed)
Skills That Matter Here
Relationship-building across difference: Strong ability to build authentic relationships with diverse stakeholders—youth, community organizations, school administrators, government officials, coalition partners
Facilitation for belonging: Skill in creating safe, intergenerational spaces where youth of color feel they belong and can lead
Communication for impact: Strong public speaking and writing skills for advocacy materials, testimony, and stakeholder engagement
Managing complexity: Comfort managing multiple projects with competing timelines while maintaining quality and relationships
Sustainable work practices: Able to work independently and bring creative problem-solving to challenges while seeking collaboration when needed; commitment to pacing that honors both urgency and the need for rest and care
Values Alignment
Equity as practice: Dedication to intersectional, anti-racist, and gender justice approaches rooted in humility and collective learning—you approach equity work with openness to growth and feedback rather than judgment or expectations of perfection
Comfort with tools: Familiarity with G-Suite, Slack, SurveyMonkey, and social media platforms (or willingness to learn quickly)
Experiences That Would Be Especially Valuable (but not required)
Experience working with Oakland Unified School District administration or schools
Deep understanding of the gender equity advocacy landscape in the San Francisco Bay Area and/or California
Understanding of or experience addressing gender-based violence, particularly in youth or school-based settings
Experience working in or with alliance organizations or coalitions
Reporting Structure & Start Date
The Advocacy Manager reports to AFG’s Director of Community Engagement. Anticipated start date: April 20, 2026.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: $75,000-$85,000, commensurate with experience. AFG offers a competitive benefits package including:
Medical, dental, and vision insurance with 100% coverage of premiums for employees
4.5 work weeks, with half-day Fridays where we typically close by noon
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) in addition to national holidays and two weeks off for the Winter Holiday
A flexible work schedule and hybrid work model
3% annual employer contribution to 401(k) retirement plan, no employee match required
$50 wellness stipend per month
$50 cell phone and internet stipend per month
Professional development budget of $500 annually for conferences, training, or membership in advocacy/organizing networks
Mileage reimbursement for community-based work (school visits, member meetings, coalition events)
One-time $600 office setup stipend to use as needed (home workspace, technology, equipment, etc.).
Childcare offering at AFG-hosted in-person events, whenever possible
Location
This position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with preference for Oakland-based candidates. AFG offers a flexible hybrid work arrangement with in-person presence required for school partnerships, youth organizing, and member engagement.
How to Apply
Please submit your application through the Google Form here. You’ll be asked to upload the following:
A cover letter speaking to your experience in community organizing and/or advocacy and why you feel you are the best candidate for this position
A resume or CV, ideally no longer than 2 pages
Applications received before or on March 15th will be reviewed first in the application screening process. For help with submitting an application, please email cimone@alliance4girls.org.
Application Process
Our hiring process includes an initial application and up to 2 interviews. Candidates who participate in an interview will receive a stipend of $75 each. We are committed to respecting applicants' time and maintaining transparency throughout the process, and will do our best to communicate with potential candidates at each stage of the process.
Our Commitment to Equitable Hiring
AFG is committed to equitable hiring practices and actively seeks candidates from communities most impacted by the systems we're working to change. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those with lived experience in the issues affecting girls and gender-expansive youth.
We know traditional hiring practices often exclude the most qualified candidates. If you have the skills, values, and commitment to do this work but your resume doesn't look 'traditional,' please apply anyway and help us understand your path.
Alliance for Girls is an equal opportunity employer committed to an equitable and inclusive recruitment process. We actively work to attract diverse candidates by:
Posting openings across multiple platforms and sharing through our member and partner networks
Keeping positions open until we have qualified finalists who reflect the communities we serve and the skills required for the position
Engaging a range of team members in the interview process
Valuing lived experience with the ability to translate experience into meaningful systems change on par with professional employment and education
If you need accommodations during the application process, interviews, or while performing this role, please let us know how we can support you.
Please note: AFG is unable to provide relocation assistance or sponsor work visas at this time.