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About Voices for Virginia’s Children

Voices for Virginia’s Children works to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to thrive. We champion public policies and legislation that create positive, equitable outcomes for children and families across the Commonwealth.

We envision a Virginia where systems truly center young people so that their future is not determined by race, income, or where they live.

Explore Our Work View Our Strategic Plan

Join Our Team

Now Hiring Applications close July 8, 2026

Advocacy and Engagement Manager

Richmond, VA • Hybrid schedule • Full-time • $60,000–$70,000

About the Position

Voices is hiring an Advocacy and Engagement Manager. This role is the day-to-day program manager for Virginia’s Youth in Action (VAYA), Voices’ flagship youth advocacy program, and a key driver of regional base-building and community engagement across the state. The Advocacy and Engagement Manager works closely with the Director of Engagement to implement engagement strategies, support policy advocacy campaigns, and connect community members—across generations—to Voices’ policy priorities.

Job Duties

  • VAYA Program Management: You will serve as the primary day-to-day program manager for Virginia’s Youth in Action (VAYA), overseeing implementation, scheduling, logistics, and participant coordination. You will lead VAYA trainings and facilitate sessions with youth advocates, supporting their growth as policy advocates and community leaders. You will also support planning, evaluation and curriculum development in partnership with the Director of Engagement.
  • Regional Base-Building and Community Engagement: You will manage assigned regional contact lists and lead relationship-building efforts within designated regions of the state. You will build and sustain relationships with organizations and individuals directly impacted by Voices’ priorities—including youth, families, professionals, and community stakeholders—and connect those relationships to the appropriate policy staff.
  • Advocacy Training and Public Education: You will assist in the delivery of public education and advocacy trainings alongside the Director of Engagement, facilitating components of trainings and developing training materials as assigned. You will help promote intergenerational advocacy practices with staff and external partners.
  • Advocacy Campaign Support: You will support the coordination of advocacy campaigns, events, and listening sessions in partnership with the Director of Engagement and the policy team. You will assist with advocacy action alerts and take-action communications, and support planning for Voices’ Intergenerational Advocacy Day with the goal of growing into greater ownership of that event over time.
  • Racial Equity: You will promote racial equity across all dimensions of your work, applying a trauma-informed, equity-informed, and healing-centered lens to your responsibilities and ensuring that community engagement efforts reflect and respond to the needs of those most impacted.

Required Qualifications

  • Experienced youth program/project manager: Minimum one year of experience in program management, project coordination or facilitation, with demonstrated experience working with youth in an advocacy, education, or community engagement setting.
  • Detail oriented: Strong ability to manage multiple workflows, timelines, and logistics simultaneously with accuracy and follow-through.
  • Collaborator: Ability to build and sustain authentic relationships across generations and communities, including with youth, families, professionals, and legislators. Comfortable engaging across lines of difference with trust and respect. Engages in conflict productively.
  • Systems-level thinker: Understands how grassroots community engagement connects to policy processes and legislative systems. Willingness to learn policy levers and connect community members to advocacy opportunities.
  • Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice. Actively centers equity and inclusion and promotes equitable practice and solutions.
  • Must live within a 30-mile radius of Richmond, VA.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience developing training curricula or facilitating workshops for diverse audiences.
  • Familiarity with Virginia’s legislative process or state-level policy advocacy.

A Note to Potential Candidates

Research shows that women, LGBTQ+ identified people, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) tend to apply to jobs only if they meet every single requirement listed. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and we strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

Location

This role will be based in Richmond, VA. Voices has a hybrid work schedule with an in-office day on Wednesdays in Richmond required. Additional in-person days in Richmond are required during the General Assembly session and other points throughout the year.

Salary

Salary of $60,000-$70,000 with robust employee benefits package. To preserve opportunity for salary growth, we do not hire above the mid-range.

Benefits

We are a talented team motivated by the significance and impact of our work. Voices values its employees and their lives beyond work, and we maintain a flexible and supportive workplace. We aspire to create an environment where our team can thrive as it works to support a thriving Virginia. For example, we provide:

  • Excellent health insurance with fully covered health, dental, and vision employee premiums
  • Access to health and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • 30 days of PTO and 12 paid holidays; paid parental leave
  • A retirement plan with 3% contributions from employer (no required match)
  • Professional development stipend
  • Monthly remote work stipend; and a flexible, hybrid work environment

Application Review Date

Applications will close on July 8, 2026. We’ll start reviewing applications on July 9, 2026. Due to preplanned staff vacation time and organization wide events, we will only begin interviews on July 20th and anticipate a start date of September 1, 2026.

Voices for Virginia’s Children is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. We recognize that the children and families of Virginia are unique in their backgrounds, beliefs, opportunities, and challenges. We strive to embody and embrace that in our work, believing that our unique identities allow us to create a brighter future for Virginia’s children. Through our efforts, we engage diverse perspectives and inform equitable and just policy solutions that transform children’s lives and may dismantle systems of oppression. All applicants must be committed to sustaining and furthering these efforts.

Apply for This Role

Note: Responses produced by AI will not be considered.

Voices for Virginia’s Children is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. We recognize that the children and families of Virginia are unique in their backgrounds, beliefs, opportunities, and challenges. We strive to embody and embrace that in our work, believing that our unique identities allow us to create a brighter future for Virginia’s children. Through our efforts, we engage diverse perspectives and inform equitable and just policy solutions that transform children’s lives and may dismantle systems of oppression. All applicants must be committed to sustaining and furthering these efforts.

Become a Champion for Young People!

Transforming the lives of young people requires us to transform systems through our evidence-based, community-informed policy change. Your contribution to Voices provides us with the vital resources we need to continue our advocacy.