Job Opportunities: Marijuana Policy Project, Arizona and Washington, DC

LEGISLATIVE ANALYST

The Marijuana Policy Project is seeking a Legislative Analyst to work in its State Policies Department. This position is an excellent opportunity to play an integral role in a fast-paced, well-respected advocacy organization. The overarching goal of the Legislative Analyst is to help MPP pass state-level legislation to (a) permit the use of medical marijuana by patients whose doctors recommend its use or (b) decriminalize marijuana possession.

Candidates should have exceptional oral communication skills, flawless writing, and a professional appearance. Candidates should also be highly organized, self-motivated, and able to accomplish a defined and ambitious set of goals. Candidates who are lawyers are strongly preferred, as are candidates with experience working in public policy.

The Legislative Analyst is in charge of monitoring all marijuana-related bills -- and generating letters from the grassroots for or against the most important bills -- in approximately 18-21 states. To this end, the Legislative Analyst will: Act as the first point of contact and coordinate with grant recipients in each assigned state; Use an online legislative monitoring system to determine which bills are relevant to marijuana policy in each assigned state; Maintain each of MPP's state Web pages with updated legislative information, pre-written letters for constituents to send to legislators, "tell a friend" messages, pre-written letters-to-the-editor, and relevant news articles. (For example, see www.mpp.org/NY.) The Legislative Analyst is responsible for all of this writing; Write and e-mail legislative alerts to all MPP members and allies in a given state, asking them to visit their state's page on MPP's Web site to send pre-written letters to their state legislators; Assist the Director of State Policies with legislative research and analysis and any other functions to assist in the passage of state legislation, including by identifying and preparing witnesses for legislative testimony and advocacy, and communicating with legislators; and Prepare and file lobbying expense reports, and, if the candidate is an attorney, perform occasional legal work such as reviewing contracts, revising legislation, and legal research.

The Legislative Analyst reports to MPP's Director of State Policies, who in turn reports to MPP's Executive Director. The salary for the position is $35,000, plus full health insurance and a retirement plan.

ARIZONA CAMPAIGN MANAGER

MPP is also seeking a Campaign Manager for MPP's Arizona ballot initiative campaign to legalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for patients who have a doctor's recommendation. This position is based in Arizona and runs through November 2010.

The overarching goal of the Campaign Manager is to successfully implement the campaign strategy from the campaign's inception through Election Day and ensure that every possible measure is taken to win the campaign. All aspects of the campaign will be overseen by MPP's Director of State Campaigns, with the Campaign Manager playing a key supporting role to the Director of State Campaigns and the campaign consultants.

This position requires a minimum of two years of statewide campaign experience in a senior management position, though five or more years are preferred. The ideal candidate will be a goal-oriented, fastidious, hands-on manager. The Campaign Manager must be hardworking, get along well with people, and have excellent communication and management skills. Applicants who have ties to the Arizona political community will be given priority, although such ties are not a requirement.

The Campaign Manager will: Oversee and successfully complete the signature drive to place the initiative on the November 2010 statewide ballot; Oversee all day-to-day campaign operations; Act as first point of contact for the general public and the local activist community; Ensure that the local activist community is happy and engaged; Identify, train, and successfully manage/utilize regional volunteer spokespeople; Oversee the distribution of all written campaign materials, such as campaign literature, Web site updates, etc.; Work closely with the campaign's in-state consultants; Assist in-state, paid consultants with coalition-building efforts as requested, resulting in a substantial number of community leaders and organizations publicly backing the campaign; Have fundraising meetings with potentially major donors; Work closely with MPP's State Campaigns office in Las Vegas to ensure that the campaign complies with all applicable campaign laws and successfully files all campaign finance reports; and Assist the consultants with media operations, as requested.

The Campaign Manager reports to MPP's Director of State Campaigns, who is based in Las Vegas. The Campaign Manager's salary is $50,000 to $60,000, plus full health insurance and a modest retirement plan.

To apply for these positions, visit MPP's job application guidelines and follow the instructions there. Interviews are being conducted on a rolling basis, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

With 38 employees, 25,000 dues-paying members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit its use -- and believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment.