About the Position:

The Advocacy Coordinator provides research and grassroots activation support on policy and legislative issues aimed at breaking down barriers to accessing high-quality and affordable health care, reporting to the Policy & Advocacy Manager and with support from the Policy Director and Policy & Research Coordinator. This will include developing relationships with advocates, preparing community members to testify and engage in issues that matter to them, and connecting policy work with the efforts of the Consumer Assistance Program team. This will include summarizing findings and making important topics in health policy accessible for a wide range of audiences in written reports, memos, and policy issue briefs. The Advocacy Coordinator may work on a variety of health policy issues including prescription drug affordability, surprise out-of-network billing, ways to reduce health care costs, health insurance rate review, affordability of insurance coverage options, and general consumer protections. Bilingual proficiency in Spanish & English is required for this position.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Advocacy Coordinator is responsible for research, community education, and relationship building efforts to develop and support CCHI’s policy agenda in coordination with Strategic Engagement and Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) teams. Additionally, the Advocacy Coordinator is responsible for (and additional responsibilities as determined in partnership with supervisor and organizational needs):

Policy & Advocacy Communications

• Support implementation and regulatory advocacy by collaborating on policy research and communications as needed
• Assist in the development of messaging and communications on health care policies in collaboration with Strategic Engagement and CAP, including briefs, blogs, and other written reports.
• Develop and draft, in coordination with Policy and Research Coordinator, community-facing educational materials on various bills, programs, and policies to disseminate to community-based partners and members
• Represent CCHI in coalitions and relevant meetings to build community connections,
• Support the advancement of CCHI’s Policy Platform and Agenda under the direction of the Policy Director and in collaboration with the Policy Manager and Fellow, including supporting Policy Committee and coalitions, testifying on bills as needed, and other activities.

Grassroots Activation & Outreach

• Build and coordinate relationships with grassroots consumers (from CAP clients to Community Advisory Board members and individuals we recruit through other means) to elevate their leadership in our ladder of engagement
• Facilitate CCHI’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) including running meetings, planning programming, and managing communications with board members
• Mobilize active community members to achieve policy and organizational goals through means such as testimony prep, writing Letters to the Editor, media engagement, and more.
• Create events, forums, and activities in collaboration with the Strategic Engagement Team to engage diverse consumer populations and organizational allies in CCHI’s work
• Collaborate with the Policy and Research Coordinator to build CCHI’s directory of grassroots organization contacts, offering collaboration, education, and resource sharing
• Work to build connections with direct service providers

CCHI Internal Coordination/Collaboration

• Coordinating cross-team storytelling, research and policy efforts to bridge the work of the Policy, Communications, and CAP teams.
• Providing logistical support to CCHI team members and work collaboratively to achieve the overall mission
• Supporting development and fundraising efforts as needed, including planning events

About you:

The ideal candidate is self-directed, curious, organized, and shares CCHI’s core values. You should be comfortable in a fast-paced environment where tasks, priorities, and deadlines can change quickly. You have a passion for learning, understanding, and exploring new ideas. You are not afraid to ask questions, speak up, and be an active and engaged member of our team. You are committed to social justice and being a voice for equity in our work.

Required Qualifications:

• Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency
• Community organizing and partnership development experience
• Understanding of health care policy, social determinants of health, and barriers to health equity, including in the legislative, budget, and regulatory environments
• Strong project and time management skills
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex information to various audiences and people from diverse backgrounds
• Self-starter, with the ability to structure your day and priorities to meet deadlines under minimal supervision
• Can thrive in an environment where the path forward isn’t always clear
• Values open, honest, and constructive communication with fellow team members

Location: Denver, Colorado (surrounding areas)

While CCHI works to represent Coloradans across the state, our offices are located in Denver due to proximity to the state Capitol. This position requires regular travel to meetings with partners, legislators, government agencies, and other parties in and around the Denver-Metro area. On occasion, some statewide and interstate travel may be required.

Other Considerations:

Physical Requirements

Expectations for this position include operating a computer, in-person conversations with organizational partners and members of the community, and spending time on the phone and/or video calls for internal and external communication. The Advocacy Coordinator must reside in the state of Colorado. CCHI’s office is a collaborative, shared workspace environment with other nonprofit advocacy organizations. CCHI may have required workdays in the office and other in person meetings and events. CCHI offers some flexible work from home schedules based on the position and required tasks. This position may also require working some nights and weekends as well as traveling for conferences, events and meetings.

The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative is strongly committed to building a work environment that recognizes, respects, and encourages the unique contributions of a broad spectrum of qualified employees. We strive to make employment decisions that support inclusion and to maintain a work atmosphere that is equitable and promotes work-life practices that allow people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles to grow personally and professionally.

CCHI is an equal employment opportunity employer. CCHI does not discriminate against employees or job applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation (incl. transgender status), physical or mental disability, military status, genetic information, marriage to a co-worker and retaliation for engaging in protected activity (opposing a discriminatory practice or participating in an employment discrimination proceeding or any other status or condition protected by applicable federal, state or local law).
For further information about CCHI, please visit our website at www.cohealthinitiative.org.

About the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative:

The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) is a nonprofit, non-partisan, membership-based organization working to advance the consumer voice to improve access to health care for all Coloradans by working statewide for progress toward equity, affordability, and quality. CCHI is actively working to break down barriers in accessing health care through innovating in public policy, building inclusive coalitions and partnerships, and engaging community members in our work. We work through a three pronged approach that advocates for policy change. Our policy, strategic engagement, and consumer assistance teams work together to find relief for Coloradans whose access to health care and financial security are compromised by affordability, poor benefits, and unfair business practices of the health care industry.