Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Director

Legislative And Regulatory Affairs Director

Since 1988, Housing California (Housing CA) has worked to create a California with homes, health, and prosperity for all in thriving, sustainable communities. We bring together a diverse, cross-sector network to prevent and end homelessness, increase the supply of safe, stable, affordable homes, and reverse the legacy of systemic racial and economic inequities by building power among the people most impacted by housing injustice in partnership with cross-sector partners, shaping the narrative, and advocating for the passage of transformative statewide policy solutions.

The Legislative And Regulatory Affairs Director will lead the development and oversee the execution of Housing CA's legislative and regulatory strategy, with a primary focus at the state level. This role is central to translating policy ideas into legislative outcomes by leveraging a deep understanding of the legislative and regulatory landscape, engaging strategically with policymakers, converting evidence-based solutions into actionable initiatives, collaborating closely with partners, and driving cross-organizational efforts toward systems and policy change.

The Director will manage a team dedicated to advancing state policies and regulatory reforms and will play a key role in the overall success of the organization. As a senior leader, this position champions the integration of legislative strategy with grassroots organizing, narrative change, and long-term movement building.

We are seeking a candidate who not only understands how California policy and politics function but also views legislation as a powerful tool to transform systems, redistribute power, and advance racial, social, and economic justice. Our organization is committed to maintaining a "big tent" approachworking collaboratively across sectors and disciplines to achieve meaningful systems and policy change.

Areas Of Leadership And Expertise

Legislative Strategy & Advocacy Leadership

Lead the development and execution of Housing CA's state-level legislative and regulatory strategy, translating policy priorities into wins within a complex and dynamic political environment.

• Embody and advance Housing CA's unwavering commitment to racial, economic, gender, disability, and housing justice, in both internal practice and external advocacy.
• Articulate a multi-year advocacy strategy that goes beyond bill-by-bill management to address the full legislative lifecycle.
• Lead a strategic approach to the "inside/outside game," navigating both Capitol relationships and broader coalition and political dynamics.
• Provide leadership and input in the planning and execution of key organizational initiatives and events where policy and legislative issues are central. This includes the Residents United Network Annual Summit, Housing CA's Annual Advocacy Day, quarterly policy town halls, and Roadmap Homefocused convenings.
• Bring fresh thinking and find pathways forward in a constantly evolving environment.
• Center impacted communities (residents, low-income Californians, people with lived experience of homelessness) in policy development and coalition spaces.

Coalition & Network Leadership

As an ambitious, pragmatic, relationship-centered, and high-impact leader both internally and externally, build, convene, and advance coalitions that reflect the organization's "big tent" approach, aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared policy agenda while centering impacted communities.

• Lead and drive coalitions convened by the organization while also representing Housing CA effectively as an active voice in externally-led coalitions.
• Build consensus across Housing CA's broad and diverse constituency (advocacy organizations, nonprofit affordable housing developers, service providers, government, grassroots, philanthropy, private sector) without losing focus on equity priorities.
• Develop relationships with external stakeholders deliberately, prioritizing connections that move work forward.

Organizational & Systems Thinking

Connect legislative work to the organization's long-term mission and strategic direction integrating policy, narrative, and power building into a coherent systems-change approach.

• Develop a legislative and regulatory strategy grounded in systems-change work, not just transactional policy wins connecting narrative change, organizing, and long-term movement building into a coherent whole.
• Align legislative strategy with organizational planning, outcomes tracking, and budget cycles.

Team Leadership & Development

Lead, coach, and develop a small legislative team building a productive, collaborative environment while managing up and across as a member of Housing CA's senior leadership team.

• Develop the team, centering coaching and professional growth alongside accountability for outcomes.
• Integrate the legislative team's work with cross-functional organizational priorities (narrative, power building, strategic initiatives).
• Contribute meaningfully to organizational leadership, shaping culture, advancing equity commitments, and participating in strategic planning.
• Participate in budgeting, compliance reporting, and fundraising in support of the legislative program.

Who You Are

• Committed to Justice: You demonstrate a deep and ongoing commitment to racial, gender, disability, economic, and housing justiceand consistently work to uphold these values in your practice and leadership. Expertise in how systems and policy changes are implemented and experienced by low-income Californians.
• Policy and Systems Experience: You have 7+ years of relevant experience in policy, advocacy, and/or campaign workpreferably on behalf of low-income communities and communities of color. You possess in-depth knowledge of California politics and the state's budget, legislative, and regulatory processes.
• Mission Aligned: You bring experience in housing justice or a related field such as community development, urban planning, health equity, criminal justice reform, education, disability justice, food insecurity, climate justice, or labor.
• Strategic Leadership: You have substantial, hands-on experience managing a legislative program and team. You are able to articulate and implement a strategic vision within a cross-functional organization, aligning efforts to achieve mission-driven goals.
• Agile and Adaptable : You are tenacious, flexible, and thrive in dynamic environments. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and challenges while maintaining focus on driving change.
• Clear and Effective Communicator : You are a strong communicatorboth written and verbaland can engage effectively with policymakers, media, community-based organizations, residents of affordable housing, people experiencing homelessness, advocates, funders, and cross-sector partners.
• Collaborative and Inclusive: You have a demonstrated ability to build trust and collaborate across lines of difference to advance shared goals. You are a skilled facilitator who brings groups together to learn, manage conflict, and make collective decisions that lead to justice-oriented outcomes. You have the ability to ensure coalition spaces reflect Housing CA's values of equity and inclusion and support shared leadership modelsparticularly centering impacted communities and grassroots partners.
• Learning- and Outcomes-Oriented: You embrace learning and adapting as part of your work, thriving in an environment where continuous improvement and flexibility are valued. You are tenacious and committed to moving change through ambiguity and challenges to find a path forward.
• Willingness to Travel: You are willing and able to travel and attend early morning or evening obligations.

Additional experience that would be welcomed, but is not required:

• Familiarity with affordable housing and homelessness programs or policy.
• Experience working in the California State Capitol.
• Knowledge of the different levers of change, including the role of movements and organizing, advocacy, and campaigns.
• Lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity or experience working with people with lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity.
• Experience using online advocacy, data tracking, and project management tools.
• Fluency or high proficiency in Spanish.

Our ideal candidates may have experience that doesn't directly match the qualifications above, and we encourage people with equivalent experience to apply.

Compensation, Benefits, And Location

This is a full-time, exempt position that reports to the Deputy Director of Programs. The Director will provide leadership for a team of two staff and oversee related consultants. The salary range $120,000 - $165,000 depending on experience.

Benefits package includes fully paid medical, dental, and vision for employee and 25% paid medical, dental and vision for dependents, paid parental leave, long-term disability and group life insurance coverage; commuting subsidy; cell phone/at home internet subsidy; 403(b) retirement plan with 3.5% employer contribution; generous vacation (3+ weeks, depending on tenure), sick leave (8 hours per month + employees start with 8 hours of leave), 12 paid holidays; organization-wide closure during the last week of December and a shortened workweek during the summer legislative break; training and professional development opportunities; and a hybrid work environment.

This position is based in our office in Sacramento and requires a significant in person presence in and around