Executive Director

Wisconsin Progress is seeking an experienced Executive Director to lead a growing 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) that has become the backbone of Wisconsin’s progressive candidate infrastructure.

The ideal candidate will have excellent organizational management skills and be familiar with board and staff development strategies. They will be a proven fundraiser. They will have experience with state and local campaigns and be willing to develop an understanding of the state of Wisconsin and its geographic and demographic differences outside of Madison and Milwaukee. They will enjoy thinking strategically about long- and short-term goals. They will be energized by leading a seasoned, unionized team and have the resilience to navigate setbacks while always keeping an eye on future opportunities for success.

Who We Are: Wisconsin Progress is a state-based candidate recruitment organization that recruits, trains, elects, and develops candidates for local and state legislative office. We provide candidate support including campaign planning, fundraising, message development, and other technical assistance. The 501(c)(3) arm, Wisconsin Progress Institute, offers programming for elected officials on how to be effective leaders for their communities. Together, the two organizations form one of the most sophisticated state-based candidate and elected official training program in the country. 

What you’ll do: The Executive Director will oversee the day-to-day operations and fundraising of the organizations and manage staff based in Green Bay, Milwaukee, and La Crosse.

To be successful in this job you will excel in 4 areas:

Organizational fundraising: You think strategically about fundraising and have written and implemented plans that build towards sustainability. You understand progressive political campaigns and/or candidate and elected official training programs.

Staff management and development: You look forward to working with seasoned campaign professionals and have an ear for listening. Your work style is collaborative, and you understand how to help staff prioritize and take extraneous requests off their plates. You understand the mechanics of progressive political campaigns and/or candidate and elected official training programs.

Partner outreach and collaboration: You must be committed to and have a proven ability to build and maintain relationships with progressive elected officials and allied partner organizations. The heart of Wisconsin Progress is its relationships and as the Executive Director you would be the steward of this most precious resource.

Board development: You have experience building a pool of diverse and effective board members that support the programmatic goals of the organizations. You understand the role that 501(c)(3)s and 501(c)(4)s play in the progressive ecosystem and think creatively about leveraging the strengths of the two organizations.

If you were here today, you would be:

● Engaging with partners around the opportunity to identify candidates for state legislative seats under new maps for 2024.

● Identifying and engaging with prospective donors and funding organizations to raise budget and other programming expenses.

● Preparing donor briefings on Wisconsin Progress’s plans for 2024.

● Managing and supporting daily check-ins with Wisconsin Progress’s staff.

● Leading Advisory Council meetings with partners and listening to needs and concerns of trusted partners in the field.

● Supporting candidates and co-leading training(s) where needed.

● Overseeing conduit donations and disbursements.

● Working with the Board President to develop and implement a plan for board succession and expansion.

What else You Should Know: Wisconsin Progress is an equal opportunity employer, and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by regressive policies in WI. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, transgender and gender nonconforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.

The position is full-time and is flexible on location within Wisconsin. The role requires some statewide travel and occasional national travel.

The salary range for this position is: $100,000 - $120,000/year. We also offer excellent benefits such as a competitive health insurance stipend and PTO.

 Apply: To apply, submit your resume, cover letter, and references to board@wisconsinprogress.org. Applications are open until March 20th, 2024.