Policy Counsel, Corporate Engagement

Description:

Center Background: A Global Legal Advocacy Organization 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 $50 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.

The Role: The Center is expanding its external relationships and networks as part of its strategic growth. The person in this role will help organize companies around the Center's advocacy goals, ensuring they are aware of—and aligned to support—legislation that would protect their employees' access to reproductive health and rights. With a focus on government affairs and public policy leaders, this individual will develop resources and coordinate with partners inside and outside of the Center to prepare for advocacy opportunities, and to build capacity within companies to speak to public policy related to reproductive rights. The person will shape and implement the Center's policy and advocacy strategies for corporate engagement.

More broadly, as part of the corporate engagement team, this role will include planning and coordination for corporate engagement projects and events as needed. The person in this role will work with the Senior Director of Corporate Engagement and relevant colleagues on the Federal Policy, State Policy, and (to an extent) litigation/USP teams to establish and meet policy objectives. They will adapt messages to work for corporate leaders. They will work closely with the rest of the corporate engagement team, as well as communications and vendors, to ensure resources and engagement aligns to the CRR brand and other corporate engagement activities. Additionally, they will help build strategy within CRR's nascent corporate contacts, as well as with external partners like Don't Ban Equality, to bring companies together in support of policy that will expand access to reproductive healthcare and rights.

An ideal candidate thrives in a dynamic fast-paced environment, is extremely detail-oriented, excels in close collaboration across functions, can provide clarity from ambiguity, has experience in building partnerships, ideally related to policy advocacy, and has experience with reproductive rights policy. The person in this role will report to the Senior Director, Corporate Engagement.

This position is based in Washington, D.C., or New York City. Covid-19 Vaccination is required for all U.S.-based employees of the Center.

Primary Responsibilities:
Ensuring corporate engagement strategy aligns with policy advocacy strategies:

• Helps build out corporate engagement strategy for public policy, and adapt it to a highly volatile political environment.
• Coordinates closely with advocacy teams within CRR to ensure we share information and best support advocacy goals.
• Takes a transparent approach to planning, messaging, and resources to collaborate closely across teams.
• Identify and develop strategic planning for long-term external partnership building (including corporations and movement partners).

• Develops and maintains relationships with counterparts at partner organizations, both in civil society and within companies (primarily government affairs/policy counterparts).
• Attends and speaks at key meetings and conferences.
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, hones target lists and establishes follow-up cadence.
• Regularly contributes relevant information to the CRM.
• Prepare internal and external communications on key policy/corporate engagement updates and relevant emerging issues (with input from other members of the corporate engagement team.)
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and provide strategic advice on corporate impact.

• Identifies advocacy opportunities for lobby days, sign-on letters, talking points, memos, regulatory comments, capacity-building events, etc., for government affairs contacts.
• Manages special projects related to corporate engagement advocacy work (e.g. Hill advocacy, ballot initiative corporate engagement, etc.)
• Collaborates with Program Manager and Senior Director to build an editorial and events calendar and ensure successful events.
• Collaborates with Senior Director and CRR communications and/or vendors to ensure the resources created are brand-aligned and valuable for companies.
• Coordinate a communications strategy in collaboration with the communication department to advance the dialogue on an employer's role in ensuring access to reproductive health.
• Collaborate with the communications department/communications experts to develop messaging for external partners.
• Develop and propose corporate policy positions and strategies that align with the Center's mission.

• Identifies opportunities to bring in CRR senior leaders in front of corporate leaders who could support our advocacy goals.
• Draft briefs and talking points for Center leadership in anticipation of meetings with corporate leaders and other external stakeholders.
• Ensures that leaders like Nancy, Rachana, and Julia have the materials needed to prepare for meetings and events related to public policy.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 5+ years post-law school experience and at least 5 years experience in building partnerships, ideally related to policy advocacy and experience with reproductive rights policy.
• J.D. is required; licensed to practice law in Washington D.C. or New York State and be in good standing, or seek admission to the New York State or Washington, D.C. bar within 12 months.
• Strong commitment to the Center's mission and purpose;
• Familiarity with constitutional law and knowledge of reproductive rights issues, issues relating to women's equality, human rights, civil rights, or racial and social justice issues, or experience working with or on behalf of marginalized communities;
• General understanding of litigation and court strategy;
• Experience working within (or partnering with) the private sector;
• Experience with public policy;
• Proven ability to build strategic alliances;
• Must be comfortable with and available to travel regularly in the U.S.;
• Strong public speaking skills and experience;
• Experience writing for a variety of audiences;
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial, strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.

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