Officer, U.S. Federal Advocacy

Background: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. We deliver lasting impact by providing health care, helping children learn, and empowering individuals and communities to become self-reliant, always with a focus on the specific needs of women and girls. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, we now work in over 40 crisis-affected countries as well as communities throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

The Global Advocacy & Influence Department is a dynamic team that uses the power of IRC’s ideas to tackle the biggest challenges facing IRC’s clients. From the drivers of conflict to the needs displaced people, the team partners with politicians, policy makers and civil society to bring these solutions to life. We take pride in being solutions-oriented and creative. We are detailed in our tactics, and messages. We lead change year over year, knowing that system change takes dedicated focus while maintaining the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Finally, we are collaborative, working not only with programs, strategy, research and innovation, and communications teams across the IRC, but also externally, constantly seeking to new insights and perspectives from others in the humanitarian sector and beyond.

Job Overview: As the U.S. Federal Advocacy Officer, you are responsible for crafting our influence strategies using IRC’s programmatic and research evidence, surgical policy and practice solutions, and trusted brand to encourage collective action. Your research and writing skills make you a go-to teammate for understanding current legislative and policy trends across the legislative and executive branches, particularly related to U.S. responses to global food insecurity, famine, acute malnutrition, climate shocks, and other developing areas of advocacy priority for our clients. You will identify ways our policies support or clash with political agendas and use those insights and analysis to advise IRC’s influence approaches, tactics, and messages.

Major Responsibilities:

Advocacy Strategy: Support development of and implementation of advocacy strategies for specific policy goals, collaborating with policy team and policy communications. Advance IRCs key influence priorities and increase the opportunity for IRC to advance our influence objectives to improve the delivery of aid quality and quantity to help our clients survive, rebuild their lives, and thrive.

Influence Analysis: Support the development of power maps for key policy issues to identify influence priorities and targets. Work with team to support and/or lead development and execution of creative influence strategies, including with nontraditional partners encouraging IRC to develop innovative approaches to advocacy as usual. Track and harmonize IRC advocacy outreach using digital partner management tools.

Advocacy: Support efforts to build IRC’s credibility, profile and relationships by developing briefings and support materials for key high-level meetings and fora. Maintain and/or begin developing and cultivating network of legislative and policy staff and experts.

Legislative and Policy Tracking. Expand IRC’s legislative reach by tracking shifting government positions, individuals and organizations engaging on our issues, and the politics around our issues. Support translation of policy asks into legislative or executive agency asks. Track U.S. federal legislative processes and profile opportunities / events. This includes hearings (to influence or for IRC testimony), deadlines and processes for engaging in annual bills (appropriations and authorizations) and executive actions, and major ad hoc bills moving in our space. Analyze and report on relevant policy trends and opportunities, and regularly collaborate with the Solutions Network to inform global priorities and strategy.

Policy Contextualization: Provide research and analysis that help increase the credibility and efficacy of our policy solutions.

Coordination: Engage in relevant coalition spaces to drive IRC’s advocacy priorities while developing and cultivating a network of partnerships across the sector.

Communications: Draft and/or edit communication messages to be used for advocacy, influence and profile. Support planning and implementation of strategic activities including events.

Steward Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion both in the culture of IRC, as well as in the policy solutions we develop and the ways we wield influence.

Spokesperson: Act as an IRC influence spokesperson on focused advocacy areas. Act as an interlocutor with legislative and governmental staffers.

Teamwork: Support a positive team culture by acting openly and collaboratively, supporting colleagues in their work and sharing credit with others where appropriate.

Key Working Relationships:

Position reports to: Director, U.S. Federal Advocacy

Internal contacts: Policy and Advocacy colleagues across the globe; Technical Excellence leads; International Programs leads; Resettlement, Asylum and Integration unit, Communications; Awards Management; President’s Office, External Relations Department

External contacts: Key policy makers and implementers in USAID, the U.S. Department of State, key congressional committees/personal offices, think tanks, UN representatives in Washington DC, key sector coordinating organizations and IRC coalition partners

Job Requirements:

Education:

Degree in relevant field such as Public Policy, Law or International Relations

Work experience:

Demonstrated experience in policy and advocacy research as well as in coalition building and advocacy delivery. 5-6 years of experience working on sophisticated humanitarian and/or development issues.

Demonstrated skills and competencies:

• Experience networking in humanitarian and development sectors
• Understanding of relevant U.S. federal agencies and legislative offices. Familiar with leverage points within these institutions that can be targeted to achieve policy change objectives
• A solutions-oriented approach and ability to think creatively
• Knowledge of the development and humanitarian aid sector and ecosystem
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate successfully with experts, high level decision-makers, and colleagues in the humanitarian and development fields
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to translate sophisticated material and data into coherent, succinct communications
• Ability to work quickly within short timelines

Working Environment: Hybrid office work environment. Minimum 2 days in office. Up to 15% travel required.

Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

US Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.