Advocacy Associate

FWD.us is a policy organization working to advance better and more politically resilient solutions on criminal justice and immigration. For too long, our harmful criminal justice and immigration systems have held us back and been weaponized in ways that undermine our nation’s promise and democratic ideals.

Position Overview

FWD.us is seeking a full-time Advocacy Associate based in Washington, D.C. to support our immigration work. This position plays a key role in expanding our congressional engagement, monitoring legislative developments, coordinating advocacy campaigns, and supporting strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. This is an opportunity to learn how a dynamic advocacy team operates in a fast-paced environment while supporting our longer-term efforts to protect immigrant communities and strengthen our immigration system.

The Advocacy Associate supports the development, coordination, and execution of FWD.us’s immigration advocacy and government relations priorities. Working collaboratively across government relations, campaigns, communications, and external affairs, this position contributes to efforts to advance meaningful immigration policy reforms, strengthen relationships with policymakers and advocacy partners, and elevate the experiences of individuals and communities directly impacted by the immigration system. The application window closes on November 22, 2026.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Government Relations and Legislative Advocacy

• Monitor congressional activity, legislative proposals, hearings, and political trends affecting immigration policy.
• Conduct legislative and policy research, synthesize findings, and prepare timely summaries, briefing materials, talking points, and updates for internal stakeholders.
• Support the development and execution of strategies to advance FWD.us’s federal immigration policy priorities.
• Coordinate congressional meetings, including scheduling, preparation of materials, participant briefings, tracking commitments, and follow-up.
• Partner with the Federal Policy and Government Relations (FPGR) Director to provide relevant congressional intelligence, stakeholder updates, and recommendations for engagement.
• Coordinate with external government relations consultants and lobbyists to facilitate meetings, monitor deliverables, and track agreed-upon next steps.
• Maintain accurate records of congressional engagement, policy developments, stakeholder interactions, and advocacy activities.

Advocacy Campaigns and Strategic Initiatives

• Support the planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of immigration advocacy campaigns.
• Conduct background research and prepare written materials that inform campaign priorities, policy positions, and advocacy strategies.
• Coordinate activities across internal teams and external partners to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and timelines.
• Support advocacy mobilization efforts, including congressional fly-ins, legislative briefings, coalition activities, press conferences, and other engagement opportunities.
• Identify operational challenges, elevate risks appropriately, and recommend solutions that improve campaign effectiveness.

Stakeholder, Storyteller, and Surrogate Engagement

• Support outreach, recruitment, and ongoing engagement of directly impacted individuals participating in advocacy and storytelling initiatives.
• Coordinate logistical arrangements for individuals participating in congressional meetings, hearings, press conferences, fly-ins, interviews, and virtual or in-person events.
• Prepare participants for advocacy engagements in collaboration with appropriate team members.
• Apply a respectful, trauma-informed, and consent-centered approach to engagement with directly impacted individuals, including appropriate attention to confidentiality and personal circumstances.
• Help strengthen relationships with coalition partners, community advocates, national organizations, and other external stakeholders.
• Draft, edit, and distribute advocacy communications, press materials, social media content, and campaign updates.
• Create, update, and maintain media contact lists, stakeholder distribution lists, and influencer databases.
• Assist with the development of basic digital graphics, presentations, and social media materials consistent with organizational messaging and brand standards.
• Support interview scheduling, virtual events, and other communications-related logistical activities.

Project Management, Operations, and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Manage assigned projects and recurring workstreams from initiation through completion, ensuring timely execution and accountability.
• Coordinate meetings, prepare agendas and materials, document action items, and monitor follow-through.
• Develop and improve standard operating procedures and administrative processes that strengthen team coordination and operational effectiveness.
• Represent FWD.us professionally in interactions with internal colleagues, external partners, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
• Perform other related duties consistent with the scope and level of the position.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

• 2–5 years of relevant professional experience in government relations, public policy, advocacy, political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, or strategic communications (equivalent combination of education/internships considered).
• Demonstrated understanding of the federal legislative process, congressional operations, public policy advocacy, or political engagement.
• General knowledge of immigration policy and the U.S. immigration system, with the ability and commitment to deepen subject-matter expertise.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into clear, concise, audience-appropriate materials.
• Demonstrated research, analytical, and critical-thinking skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and sustain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational and project coordination skills, including the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines.
• High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, and commitment to quality.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• Demonstrated initiative, adaptability, problem-solving ability, and willingness to take ownership of assigned responsibilities.
• Proficiency with standard workplace productivity tools, including document preparation, spreadsheets, presentations, and virtual collaboration platforms.
• Strong commitment to FWD.us’s mission, values, and bipartisan approach to policy change.
• Cultural awareness, empathy, and sensitivity when working with individuals and communities affected by immigration and criminal justice policies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with congressional offices, federal policymakers, legislative staff, or government relations professionals.
• Experience supporting immigration advocacy, legislative campaigns, coalition initiatives, or public affairs activities.
• Familiarity with advocacy and communications platforms such as QuorumExperience with stakeholder relationship management, contact databases, media monitoring, or digital communications.
• Experience coordinating public events, congressional briefings, fly-ins, press conferences, or advocacy mobilization activities.
• Familiarity with project management tools and accountability frameworks, including MOCHA or comparable methodologies.
• Experience supporting storytelling initiatives involving individuals directly impacted by public policy.

Salary Range: $65,000 - $72,000 annually. Offered salary will be commensurate with relevant experience. This position is based in our Washington, D.C. Headquarters Office. We offer competitive health, dental, and vision insurance benefits, employer paid life insurance, matching 401k, PTO, sick leave, holiday schedules, gym reimbursement, federal student loan payment reimbursement, professional development, and other support for our staff.

Equal Opportunity Employment/Diversity

We are an organization committed to making the world a better place for all people. Diversity is a source of our strength, and allows us to make better decisions, be more impactful, and be better at our jobs day to day. We see our internal commitment to diversity to be reflective of how we view the world and the changes we want to see become reality.

This organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline and termination.

The organization understands that too often what are viewed as the traditional credentials are subjective criteria that exclude historically marginalized communities and act as barriers to hiring and recruiting the best candidates.

As part of FWD’s best hiring practices, we do not have educational requirements for any of our jobs. Many of our jobs do require specific interpersonal, skill-based, technical, policy or other requirements and applicants for those jobs will be evaluated based on their level of expertise, to include lived experience and work experience - which could have taken place at an educational institution or elsewhere.

FWD.us believes in fair chances and employment opportunities that benefit everyone. Ensuring that people who have had contact with the criminal justice system--including incarceration for serious offenses and substantial periods of time--have the opportunities upon their release to fully succeed and contribute to this country is central to our work and is a value to which we are absolutely committed to uphold in how we operate and who we hire. We do not conduct criminal background checks on applicants, unless required by state or federal law for specific roles.

The company makes reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by law.