State Legislative Fellow Jobs

Job Title: State Legislative Fellow

Department: U.S. Programs, State Policy and Advocacy Team

Center Background: The Center for Reproductive Rights (the Center) is a global human rights organization working to ensure that reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights around the world. With offices in New York City, New York; Nairobi, Kenya; Bogota, Colombia; Geneva, Switzerland; and Washington, D.C., the Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization changing law and policy throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the United States. Our 230+ diverse professionals are committed to advancing the Center's human rights mission through game-changing litigation, legal policy, and advocacy work. This has powered the Center's exceptional growth to an operating budget of over $40 million and won the respect of law firms in countries around the world, with an additional $29 million annually of donated legal services, representing the work of countless lawyers from more than 46 countries.

The Center's Strategic Plan sets a high mark for impact: By 2030, half of the world's population will be living under stronger protections for reproductive rights than they are today. The Center has a track record of success to back up this ambitious goal. Since our founding in 1992, the Center has transformed how reproductive rights are understood and applied by courts, governments, and human rights bodies worldwide on issues including maternal health, abortion, assisted reproduction, and adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). We have won groundbreaking cases before national courts, U.N. Committees, and regional human rights bodies. Additionally, the Center has led the development of historic, proactive legislation advancing robust protections for reproductive rights and has built the legal capacity of women's rights advocates in more than 65 countries and counting.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring, and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage people from all communities to apply. If you are excited about this role and unsure about whether your past experience aligns with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Center is equally committed to disability inclusion. Our hiring processes and our work culture offer support and flexibility for staff with a variety of needs. Should you face an accessibility barrier in the application and interview process please let us know by contacting [email protected]. We will work with you to provide the accommodation that works best for you.

The Center's Strategic Plan commits the Center to a workplace that embraces diversity, promotes equity, and centers inclusion at all levels. We strive to embed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) culture by introducing and strengthening interventions across policy, culture, people and metrics. We offer training and tools to foster an environment of respect and inclusion throughout our workplace and in the communities we serve.

To learn more about the Center's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), please visit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Center for Reproductive Rights

Learn more about the Center for Reproductive Rights, go to NULL www.reproductiverights.org

The Role: The State Legislative Fellow will report directly to the Senior State Legislative Counsel and will work closely with the rest of the State Policy and Advocacy Team as well as other members of US Programs who engage in state legislative and policy work. The fellow will be an integral part of the state work, which uses legislative and advocacy strategies to strengthen protections for reproductive rights and defeat attempts to restrict reproductive rights.

The State Legislative Fellow role will be based in New York City. Remote placement is possible. Covid-19 vaccination is required for all US-based employees of the Center.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Drafting legislation and assisting in proactive legislative strategies
• Providing technical assistance to state advocates and national partners
• Working with the State Policy and Advocacy Team and other members of US Programs on additional legislative and advocacy projects.
• Drafting public education materials on state legislative trends and other advocacy materials
• Speaking publicly about reproductive rights
• Tracking and analyzing reproductive rights legislation, including abortion, maternal health, and assisted reproduction legislation, in all fifty states and Washington, D.C
• Preparing analyses of state legislation
• Conducting legal research

Qualifications:

• Willingness to travel when work travel resumes
• Some state legislative, coalition, and/or political experience preferred
• 1 to 2 years relevant work experience. Prior judicial clerkship, and/or fellowship desirable but not required
• Strong commitment to the Center's mission, purpose, and values along with knowledge of reproductive rights, reproductive justice, racial justice, or other civil rights and social justice issues
• Strong legal research and writing skills
• Bar admission desirable, but not required
• J.D. degree
• Ability to manage high volume of daily bill analysis and cohesively manage information
• All individuals must demonstrate a commitment to racial equity work and incorporating racial equity principles into legal work
• Proven capacity to analyze complex legal issues and ability to communicate them clearly and effectively

Don't meet every single requirement? At the Center, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Behavioral Competencies:

• Collaboration (People First): Works intra- and/or cross-departmentally to support the goals and overarching strategies of the Center and its strategic plan.
• Develop & Manage Self & Others: Takes ownership of individual growth in order to achieve full potential; recognizes the value of direct reports and helps them develop their full potential while also achieving set objectives.
• Feedback (Improve & Innovate): Actively engaged in feedback cycles: Gives and requests feedback to and from peers, supervisors and direct reports about work products, behaviors, values, style, and approaches with a view on how this impacts self, other individuals, and teams.
• Accountability: Follow-through on each commitment made to individual contributors, teams and partners and proactively informs others of any delays that occur along the way.

Work Competencies:

• Project Management: Works effectively on project teams in order to achieve long-term project goal and objectives.
• Communication & Influence: Communicates with and influences others to gain agreement and commitment to the strategic goals of the organization.
• Problem Solve & Make Decisions: Identifies, analyzes and resolves existing and anticipated problems, using common sense to make timely decisions in order to reach the best solutions for the organization.
• Internal/External Focus: Anticipates internal and external partner's needs; assesses requirements and identifies new solutions that align with overall goals and objectives of the organization.

Compensation: The salary for this role is $83,500 for the first year and $87,000 for the second year. The Center also offers a comprehensive benefits program and generous PTO offering.

Duration of Position: This is a full-time, two-year fellowship beginning in Fall 2023.

Benefits:

• Flexibility: The Center currently operates in a hybrid model, allowing you to choose which days you work in the office and work from home
• Well-being: The Center offers resources to help prevent and recover from burnout through different programs that enable mental, physical and community well-being. The Center offers generous leave including paid parental leave, personal days, vacation, sick and unlimited sick time for COVID. We are also closed the last week of December to allow staff to spend time with their loved ones.
• Health: The Center pays up to 95%* of the premium for a comprehensive health insurance plan with no in-network deductible and best-in-class reproductive healthcare coverage, including infertility. The Center also offers Dental and Vision coverage. (* % may differ in various countries)

• Investment: After the first year of employment, the Center will contribute 7.5%* of your annual salary to a 401(k) (* only applicable in US and Kenya)
• Culture of Collaboration: Everyone at the Center is aligned to a specific goal, leading to a supportive and collaborative working environment.
• Global: You will get a front-row seat to update on the fight for reproductive rights in the global space. You will also have access to Employee Resource Groups to connect to colleagues that share similar interests/backgrounds/views.
• Growth: You will be working with and learning from some of the top legal and operational minds, all passionate about the mission of advancing reproductive rights around the world. You will also be eligible for a stipend to use towards professional growth.

How to Apply: Please complete the application below to apply. A cover letter and resume must be included in your application. Please include these application materials as attachments.

Please note that all genuine Center openings must be applied through the Center website. The Center does not charge a fee at any stage in the recruitment process (application, interviews, or selection). Nor does it request any medical examinations or bank account inform as part of this process. If someone contacts you on behalf of the Center requesting payment for your application please notify [email protected] before taking any further action.

Our hiring processes and our work culture offer support and flexibility for staff with a variety of needs. Should you face an accessibility barrier in the application and interview process please let us know by contacting [email protected]. We will work with you to provide the accommodation that works best for you.

Deadline for applications: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Center policy on visa sponsorship for US based positions: Applicants for employment in the US must have valid work authorization that does not now and/or will not in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the US by The Center for Reproductive Rights.