Policy Director

Tom Steyer is a Democrat running for Governor of California in 2026 to tackle the single biggest challenge we face as a state: the Californians who built this state and make it run can’t afford to live in California anymore. Tom Steyer has a long record of standing up to powerful corporations—and winning—and now he’s running for governor to hold the companies driving up prices accountable, make them pay their fair share, and make California affordable again. We are building a statewide movement focused on lowering costs, expanding access to housing, reducing energy bills, and strengthening public education. If you’re driven by economic justice, motivated by big fights that matter, and eager to help build a campaign that puts people—not corporations—at the center of California’s future, join us.

The Policy Director will lead the development, prioritization, and execution of the campaign’s policy agenda. This role requires equal parts substantive policy skill and strong management ability. The Policy Director will oversee the policy team, manage cross-department workflows, ensure internal alignment, and build systems that keep the campaign organized and moving. The ideal candidate is not only a sharp policy thinker, but also an experienced project manager who knows how to set priorities, delegate effectively, maintain quality control, and keep a complex statewide operation coordinated.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development of the campaign’s additional policy positions, ensuring proposals are clear, credible, and strategically aligned with the campaign’s message.
• Set policy priorities for the campaign, balancing political realities, public interest, and candidate goals.
• Establish internal processes for how policy decisions are made, reviewed, approved, and communicated.
  
  

Team Management & Internal Leadership

• Manage and support the policy team (staff, consultants), ensuring clarity of roles and timely execution.
• Oversee workload planning, deadlines, project timelines, and quality control for all policy products.
• Build internal systems that help the team stay organized, responsive, and aligned with campaign needs.
• Provide clear guidance and feedback to maintain consistency and high standards across the policy department.
  
  

Cross-Department Coordination

• Work closely with Communications, Political, Scheduling/Advance, and Digital, to ensure policy direction is integrated across the campaign.
• Serve as the central point of coordination for sharing policy updates, responding to cross-team requests, and aligning messaging.
• Partner with the Comms team on message development, with the Political team on stakeholder strategy, and with Scheduling/Advance on event prep.
• Flag emerging needs, anticipate conflicts, and proactively solve cross-functional issues.
  
  

Policy Development & Rapid Response

• Work with the policy manager to oversee and prepare policy memos, candidate questionnaires, briefing books, debate prep, talking points, and backgrounders for the candidate and senior staff.
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and economic developments across California; identify opportunities and risks.
• Provide rapid-response policy support for breaking news, editorial boards, public events, and press moments.
  
  

Stakeholder & Expert Engagement

• Develop and maintain relationships with subject-matter experts, academics, community leaders, labor partners, and coalition groups.
• Represent the campaign at policy-focused events, coalition meetings, or public forums as needed.
  
  

Qualifications, Knowledge, And Skills

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in public policy, government, legislative affairs, advocacy, or campaigns.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and complex projects — setting priorities, delegating, and holding people accountable.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to bring order to fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Exceptional research, analytical, and writing ability, with a track record of producing high-quality policy work.
• Deep understanding of California policy landscapes across housing, energy, affordability, etc
• Ability to navigate politically sensitive issues with judgment, discretion, and strategic insight.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, especially in cross-department coordination.
• Comfort working under tight deadlines and managing multiple simultaneous workstreams.
• Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace.
• Flexible schedule and willingness to travel in-state.
  
  

$150,000 - $190,000 a year

Annualized salary depending on experience and final scope of responsibilities.

• Benefits, structure, and additional details to be discussed further with finalists.
  
  

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.