Policy and Advocacy Officer or Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, Technology and Democracy

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The policy and advocacy team is responsible for overseeing the creation of all of Freedom House’s advocacy plans and policy recommendations, in coordination with our subject matter experts. The team also oversees Freedom House’s work with other US-based human rights organizations and coordinates sign on letters and policy-focused events. The team conducts advocacy trainings and helps prepare Freedom House staff and the human rights defenders we work with to meet with, brief, and testify before policymakers.

Position Description

The Policy and Advocacy Officer (or Senior Officer) will play a key role in crafting Freedom House’s positive agenda for human rights in the digital age. Working in close coordination with our in-house technology and democracy experts and our external civil society partners, this position will specifically advocate for policies that counter disinformation, online harassment, and online hate while protecting digital rights and access to a free and open internet. This role will also engage on broader technology and democracy topics as needed. Candidates should have detailed knowledge of these issues, previous experience advocating to US policymakers, and an eagerness to grapple with complicated policy questions. This is a full-time position based in Washington, DC and reports to the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading development—in close coordination with research colleagues focused on technology and democracy—of an advocacy strategy for countering disinformation, online harassment, and online hate while protecting digital rights and access to a free and open internet. This would include determining which USG and other government officials to meet with, which written products to produce, how to promote existing publications and move existing policy recommendations forward, etc.
• Authoring first drafts of recommendations, policy briefs, and briefing materials.
• Monitoring developments related to technology and democracy, including legislative proposals in the United States, to keep colleagues informed and recommend policy positions and advocacy interventions. Specifically, closely tracking and analyzing US legislative and policy proposals related to disinformation, online harassment, online hate, and intermediary liability.
• Convening roundtables on key policy issues with subject matter experts, civil society partners, and others to assess challenges to digital rights and identify effective ways to counter disinformation, online harassment, and online hate.
• Reviewing and recommending whether Freedom House should sign on to advocacy and coalition letters with partner organizations and other stakeholders around these issues. In addition, identifying and overseeing opportunities for Freedom House to draft and lead on coalition letters.
• Leading the preparation of Freedom House staff for meetings, hearings, briefings, press interviews, or speaking engagements related to technology and democracy, or presenting on Freedom House’s behalf at such engagements and working with colleagues to prepare digital rights activists for meetings with policymakers.
• Responding to incoming requests from policymakers for information related to technology and democracy issues, leading the creation of talking points, briefing memos, letters, press releases, and other written products as relevant, and tracking these requests for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
• Working with research colleagues to arrange briefings of research related to technology and democracy.

Qualifications

Experience:

• Previous employment in the US Senate, US House, US Department of State, USAID, White House, or similar, with at least three years (officer) or at least five years (senior officer) of hands-on policy or advocacy experience and the ability to demonstrate success at moving legislation or policy positions.
• Detailed understanding of issues related to technology and democracy broadly, and disinformation, online harassment, and online hate in particular.
• Proven ability to research, analyze, and report on policy issues, including demonstrated experience drafting legislation, policy memos, and other written products relevant to policy and advocacy work.
• Fluency in English.
• Bachelor’s degree in international affairs, political science, or a related field, Master’s degree preferred for senior officer position.

Skills and Attributes:

• A personal belief in and commitment to the inherent value of freedom, democracy, and human rights.
• Strong knowledge of and belief in the importance of a free and open internet.
• Strong writing and analytical abilities, including being able to synthesize large amounts of information, pulling out key points and drafting clear and concise language under tight deadlines.
• Excellent verbal communication and public speaking skills.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritize between and manage competing urgent priorities and make progress on several projects simultaneously.
• Ability to assess and recommend policy positions based on Freedom House’s lens toward bipartisan, pragmatic solutions.
• High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with multiple people across the organization, navigating a variety of working styles and diverse views, to drive the creation of policy recommendations.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and professional comportment around senior government officials, dignitaries, and CEOs.