About Texas AFT

Texas AFT represents 66,000 members, including all non-administrative certified and classified public school employees in the state of Texas. We represent the interests of teachers, counselors, librarians, diagnosticians, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, nurses, teaching assistants, clerical employees, and the other employees who make our schools work. We also represent employees in universities, colleges, and community colleges.

Position Summary

The Director of Strategic Campaigns is Texas AFT’s senior architect for narrative, power-building, and electoral impact. This role oversees internal and external communications; designs and runs multi-channel campaigns that grow membership and win on issues and elections; and leads the union’s political strategy, including endorsements, member communications, and GOTV—always aligned with state and federal compliance.

Applicants should have a working knowledge of unions and a commitment to the labor movement.

Duties

Campaign Strategy and Planning:

• Design and direct integrated campaigns (organizing + comms + political + research) that grow membership, develop leaders, and win issue fights (e.g., wages/benefits, school funding, democracy protection, higher-ed rights).

• Establish campaign goals, power analyses, targets, metrics, and timelines; coordinate inter-department assignments and engagement; align narrative with field and digital.

• Create scalable member-engagement programs: new-member onboarding, peer-to-peer outreach, leader ladders, and committee structures that persist beyond a single election cycle.

• Digital, data, and analytics

• Oversee list growth, data hygiene, targeting, and testing across VAN/EveryAction (or equivalent), P2P texting, relational tools, and social platforms; standardize dashboards and KPI reviews.

• Integrate polling, message testing, and focus groups into strategy; translate insights into content and field scripts.

• Communications Leadership (Internal + External)

• Assist the president to set the organization’s communications strategy, messaging frames, and rapid-response posture across press, digital, email/SMS, and member communications. Manage media relations and serve as on-the-record spokesperson as needed.

• Lead the Communications team: supervise staff/contractors, manage calendars, content pipelines, and brand standards; coordinate strategy across departments and with local affiliates.

• Guide staff responsible for building and/or maintaining press lists; develop op-eds, LTEs, releases, toolkits, and message discipline for leaders and locals.

Political Strategy & Elections:

• Oversee the full political program: endorsement processes, candidate vetting, trainings, member-to-member communications, independent expenditures, and GOTV—statewide and in priority districts—aligned with Texas law and national AFT guidance.

• Manage staff who are responsible to: maintain political calendars and campaign plans for municipal, school board, legislative, regent/trustee, and statewide races; coordinate with locals and partners.

• Ensure PAC/COPE operations and voter contact programs comply with relevant 501(c)(5), PAC, and state election regulations; advise leadership on risk and compliance best practices.

• Partnerships, Coalitions, and Team Management

• Represent Texas AFT in coalitions (labor councils, community, education, voting-rights partners); negotiate joint plans and shared metrics; coordinate with AFT national.

• Recruit, coach, and evaluate a diverse team; manage budgets and vendor RFPs; maintain crisis-response protocols and message discipline.

Qualifications

Required knowledge and skills:

• We understand that some great candidates will not meet every qualification on this list. We encourage those interested in the position — particularly those from marginalized communities — to apply, even if you’re missing some of the items mentioned below.

• Proven track record of running successful campaigns – either representation, issue or electoral.

• 7+ years leading campaigns in labor, progressive politics, or advocacy; experience supervising multi-disciplinary teams (communications + political + field).

• Proven record running endorsement processes, member communications, and GOTV programs; familiarity with Texas political landscape and compliance.

• Advanced communications skills: press strategy, narrative development, rapid response, and digital content lifecycles.

• Fluency with campaign tech stacks (e.g., VAN/EveryAction, texting/relational tools, analytics dashboards) and data-driven decision-making.

• Commitment to union values, racial and social justice, and member-led decision-making.

Preferred but Not Required

• AFT/education-sector experience; background coordinating with national/state affiliates.

• Spanish proficiency; Texas media relationships.

If you have any of the following skills, be sure to mention it in your cover letter:

• Working knowledge of AP style

• Prior experience working with the media

• Experience with paid social media or other forms of digital advertising

• Awareness of digital accessibility best practices

Salary and Benefits:

This position is a management level position. Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

• Salary paid position

• Fully paid health and dental insurance for the employee and dependents

• Fully paid disability income insurance for the employee and $50,000 term life insurance

• Paid sick and vacation leave per year

• Generous retirement contribution (401k)