Description
CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR 12-MONTH CAMPAIGN TO DEFEAT THE TRUMP SO-CALLED CRIME BILL AND ADVANCE A NEW SAFETY PARADIGM
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Submission Deadline: Please send your response by 5pm ET/2pm PT, Tuesday, December 23rd
Objectives
Dream.Org and the Vera Institute of Justice are seeking a seasoned campaign manager to lead the launch and operations of a 12-month campaign to defeat a national crime bill rumored to be introduced early next year. Since returning to power, President Trump has played up his tough-on-crime bona fides, from sending federal troops to Democratic-led cities under the guise of ”crime control,” cynically exploiting high-profile tragic crimes like the unprovoked murder of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte commuter train, greenlighting extrajudicial bombings of so-called drug boats, and ordering the GOP to introduce a massive “crime bill” next year. Just as Republicans successfully upped the ante on crime in 2022 and 2024 after losing in 2020, they are already raising its salience for the 2026 midterms to build electoral advantage and blunt Democrats’ growing edge on affordability.
This campaign will rely on four core strategies:
1. Narrative and communications (c3 and c4);
2. Policy (c3);
3. Hill outreach (c3 and c4); and
4. State/local organizing and mobilization (c3 and c4).
The campaign manager is a full-time, 12-month position and will be responsible for the
day-to-day operations and success of the campaign. They will, in consultation with
senior leaders from Dream.Org and the Vera Institute of Justice, be responsible for
strategy and planning, hiring a full campaign team, and execution of the overall strategy.
We are seeking someone with electoral and/or policy campaign experience. Familiarity
and experience with Congress is a must, as is state-level and national electoral
campaigning.
The campaign manager will be employed from January 1, 2026-December 31, 2026.
Requirements
Submission Requirements
In a short proposal, please include:
Overall approach to the campaign, touching upon all four core strategies;
Proposed structure for the campaign “war room”/nerve center;
Experience leading or working on time-bound electoral and/or policy campaigns;
High-level recommendations on costs and budget allocations, assuming an overall campaign budget of (1) $2M; and (2) $5M (no more than 1 page, bullet points welcome).
Evaluation Factors:
We will evaluate each proposal based on budget requirements, timeline, creativity and quality of work, and other factors. We will invite candidates we are seriously considering to a short (maximum two rounds) interview process.
References:
Please include three references of people familiar with your campaign work.
Deadline:
Please send your response by 5pm ET/2pm PT, Tuesday, December 23rd. Please
contact us if you need more time or information.
Background on Dream.Org and Vera Institute of Justice:
Dream.Org is a national social justice organization committed to closing prison doors and opening doors of opportunity. We believe in centering directly impacted communities and building common ground with unlikely allies to effect change at the state and federal level in the core areas we work on, including criminal justice reform. Founded in 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice works to end mass incarceration, fight for immigrants’ rights, bring dignity to people behind bars, and build safe, thriving communities. We collaborate with government and community partners across the country to research, test, and scale the solutions that work to achieve our goals.
