Meso Solutions Hiring for stac labs – Director of Innovation & Program at Remote Full Time

At stac labs we work to make sure that progressives don’t just have the best data and technology, but that they also use it effectively. We know that having tools and support not only makes our customers’ work easier and more efficient, but directly contributes to the ability to win more campaigns and pursue the change we seek in the country.

By pooling data support staff and offering discounted tools, stac labs accelerates party, state and local campaigns’ analytical and technological capabilities. Through its data program co-management/advisory approach, stac labs tackles projects that states and campaigns often just don’t have the time for, including data integration, visualization and analysis. And through its bulk purchasing programs, stac labs lowers the cost to states and ultimately campaigns for cutting edge technology to help win. Stac labs is dedicated to the long term success of state parties and their data directors, offering them advanced skills training, professional development, and mentorship.

About the role:
We’re seeking a Director of Innovation & Program to lead our product development division. This critical role is part of our management team, reporting to the CEO, and ensuring that we have the tools and products necessary to conduct internal projects and support our long term support goals.

The key goals for the Director includes:
Management of the Innovation Department. The Director will be responsible for managing at least two staff people and potentially more as the team grows. There are often many moving parts at stac labs, and strong team guidance and management is a must. The Director will also provide operational support, as needed and within capacity, along with the Leadership team of stac labs.

Bulk Purchasing: Responsible for the conceptualization, negotiation, and execution of all bulk purchasing agreements for political data, organizing and technology tools on behalf of stac labs and its supported states. This includes:

Conducting research into various tools, their advantages and disadvantages, the feasibility of signing an agreement, value add to stac labs, implementation lift, and potential pricing

Creating a decision matrix or model to help determine company direction in purchasing tools and overarching bulk purchasing strategy

Leading the contract negotiation process and timing of the purchase, in consultation with senior staff and CEO

Managing the implementation of new agreements and the roll-out to supported states

Digital Program Development: The Director will lead a discovery process to expand our digital program support for state parties. We will be supporting state parties in building their digital programs, especially around fundraising and organizing. The Director will work with state parties to identify common digital needs and implement solutions, especially where needs and solutions are scalable and replicable across state parties. This may include individual cases of evaluating tools, consultants, proposals, etc.; assisting state parties in negotiating contracts or helping to craft collective agreements; or training or coaching staff or state party staff.

External Relationships and Customer Success: There are many critical relationships to maintain, including vendors, to determine how stac labs can have a greater impact in helping existing and new customers (state parties + other campaigns) achieve their goals. Understanding the importance of solving our customers’ data challenges is key, and finding creative ways to address those issues will help stac labs provide outstanding service.

We don’t expect every applicant to know or have worked in every scenario we’ve listed. We urge you to apply if you’re interested and believe you meet at least half of the qualifications.

Tech and product development or negotiation experience: Experience working with tech vendors, either on the purchaser or vendor side, and ability to lead through project and product development. State parties are inundated with new tech opportunities weekly and it will be stac labs’s job to help them connect, at an affordable price, with valuable tools. Must have a demonstrated track record of SAAS contract navigation and negotiation.

Digital experience: Familiarity with common digital platforms and program implementation, such as usage for digital fundraising, organizing, paid ads and more. You should be comfortable helping organizations translate their goals into concrete digital strategy; able to advise on both low-cost, scrappy tactics as well as big paid advertising campaigns; and a track record of helping organizations raise money, get volunteers, or bring in votes.

Experience with tools such as Action Network, NGP/EveryAction, ActBlue, Action Builder, Impactiv, Reach, Mobile Commons, GetThru, Hustle, BallotReady, etc. are of particular value.

High stakes relationship experience: Demonstrated ability to work within and develop complex relationships and networks, such as state Democratic parties, and demonstrate fluency in the work of progressive organizations and campaigns. Campaigns are very busy during election season, and we will be supporting the state parties in their work. An ability to develop thorough knowledge of what the state parties’ responsibilities are, their challenges, and how they interface with campaigns is important.

A positive attitude and the ability to work well under pressure: A proactive, creative, and solutions oriented person with experience working in busy/high-pressure situations. You are eager to work in a young company with a scrappy, start-up culture and have good instincts when it comes to anticipating and foreseeing challenges before they arise. You know how to manage a heavy workload and prioritize between competing needs while keeping things positive and moving things forward. You must be willing to occasionally work long hours during peak season (major election cycles), rolling up your sleeves and getting the work done, while also striving to continue creating a sustainable organization. The bottom line is you will find a solution that works.

Great communication and management skills: Demonstrated ability to translate needs from non-technical clients to staff and vice versa, both verbally and in writing. An aptitude for state party data and technology needs and an ability to effectively communicate those needs to tech vendors in clear, concise and actionable ways. Must also be able to communicate effectively with state party clients and internal staff to ensure alignment on timelines and deliverables.

Great collaboration skills: Ability to proactively seek solutions to state party needs in coordination with the stac labs team and outside vendors stac labs is working with. This includes the ability to re-prioritize tasks based on needs, offer timely input, and share feedback on work progress. It also includes the ability to contribute to and support the team’s culture and goals. The organization will be remote, so you have the ability to adapt to the best practices and challenges of working with a team located across the country. You believe that we are strongest when we work together. You want to help create an environment where best practices are shared, team members are valued for their impact, and people are given the support they need to be successful.

Ability to travel when it is safe to do so: State work with parties and vendors will involve travel, especially at critical times for campaign planning, debriefs, training and convenings. Estimated % of time spent traveling is dependent on the needs of member states and vendors but may be up to 25%. The team will all be remote, but you must have access to a major airport from which you can travel. We do not anticipate travel until it is safe to do so – we will continue to monitor COVID-19 conditions on an ongoing basis.

Additional Useful Experiences:Experience:
working at start-ups or at brand new organizations

working in a remote team

with business operations

working with political organizing applications

managing a digital team, specifically in a digital fundraising role

working to a budget

with agile project management software

as a product manager or with product management teams

The starting salary range for this position is $115,000 – $130,000 depending on experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package.

The application process includes conversations with the CEO, President, leadership team and staff representatives. This search is also being supported by Meso Solutions, a firm that supports equitable hiring practices in the progressive and Democratic space.

Please provide brief answers to the following questions in lieu of a cover letter. Your responses should be more than a few sentences

What interests you about this role?

What do you believe to be the role and function of State Parties, as well as their value within our larger Democratic ecosystem?

What do you see as the biggest barrier(s) to adoption of technology by complex organizations, such as campaigns and Democratic institutions like state parties?

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to diversity of staff and leadership. We actively encourage people of color, people with disabilities, women, non-binary candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates, people of all ages, and people from traditionally marginalized communities to apply. We are tracking diversity in our applications and our hiring processes to ensure we are holding ourselves accountable to our values. The diversity questions in the application form are completely optional and cannot be used to determine specific hiring decisions.