Senior Policy Advisor

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: 

The Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) is a research and advocacy organization that seeks to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. We research their needs, identify solutions, and advocate for programs and policies to strengthen their resilience and drive change in humanitarian practice. The Women's Refugee Commission is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. 

The Migrant Rights and Justice Program (MRJ), based in our DC office, is one of WRC’s largest and longest-running programs. Our work is grounded in research and monitoring of US policy and practice, in collaboration with partners and organizations across the US and Mexico. The program advocates for thoughtful, forward-thinking, and rights-respecting policy solutions for migrant women, girls, and families.  

SCOPE OF WORK: 

The primary role of the Senior Policy Advisor will be to advance MRJ’s priorities and support the program’s advocacy with policymakers and the public. The Senior Policy Advisor will support advocacy initiatives in Congress, with the administration, and with state and local governments. They will also represent MRJ with a wide range of partners, including coalitions and working groups.  

The Senior Policy Advisor will also play a vital role in communicating MRJ’s core issues to policy makers and the public. This includes brainstorming and writing blog posts, technical explainers, policy briefs, and other materials that speak clearly to nonexperts. The Senior Policy Advisor will play a key role in designing and implementing a social media strategy to reflect and advance MRJ’s advocacy initiatives. They will also consult on projects related to MRJ’s regional work in Central America and Mexico. 

This position reports to the Director of Migrant Rights and Justice, who is based in Washington, DC. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 

• Under the direction of the Director of Migrant Rights and Justice, engage the US administration and Congress, state and local governments, international organizations, and other relevant institutions and policymakers to advance policies that protect migrant women and families. 

• Participate and, where appropriate, take a leadership role in coalitions and working groups related to state and local policy, federal advocacy, and regional engagement. 

• Design and implement advocacy initiatives related to family separation, detention, asylum and the border, reproductive rights and justice, and other core MRJ policy areas. 

• Brainstorm and write blog posts and statements for a nonexpert audience, with the ability to provide “rapid responses” to breaking news. 

• Develop talking points, issue briefs, policy recommendations, advocacy messages, fact sheets, and other resources to elevate MRJ’s advocacy objectives. 

• Manage MRJ’s social media engagement, in partnership with WRC’s communications team. 

• Conduct field and desk research related to border policy and protection. 

• Represent WRC at meetings, conferences, and other public events. 

• Identify new supporters for WRC's work and new opportunities to promote WRC initiatives and research. 

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• Minimum 5-6 years of work experience on advocacy related to US immigration, human rights, and/or gender equality issues. 

• Demonstrated experience in policy advocacy, particularly in Congress.  

• Strong understanding of the US immigration system and ability to understand how changing laws and policies will impact migrant populations 

• Expertise in at least one of MRJ’s core issue areas, including family separation and detention, asylum and the border, reproductive rights and justice, regional migration, or other gender and migration intersectional issues.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills: proven ability to effectively communicate complex issues in a clear manner to multiple and diverse audiences and to produce persuasive advocacy materials for a range of audiences. 

• Ability to respond to rapidly emerging situations, including drafting statements, blogs, and press releases on short notice. 

• Strong interpersonal skills: must be able to work collaboratively, manage professional relationships, seek out diverse perspectives, provide and receive feedback constructively, be solution-oriented, meet and communicate deadlines effectively, and embody WRC’s core values of inclusion, equality, integrity, dignity, and forward-thinking. 

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with minimum supervision, including the ability to be proactive and self-driven in pursuing initiatives. 

• Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree preferred. 

• Spanish language fluency strongly preferred. 

WRC recognizes that many excellent candidates will meet some, but not all, listed qualifications. Candidates who believe they are a strong fit for the role are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet all of the listed qualifications. 

Reports to: Director, Migrant Rights and Justice 

Position: Regular, full-time 

Salary Band 5: $85,470 – $134,113 (with up to $100K currently budgeted for the role. Commensurate with experience) * 

Work Schedule : Hybrid remote (2 days in office, 3 days working remotely) 

Location:  Washington, DC 

Closing Date: Once filled