Policy Fellow

Summary:  Bold Futures NM is seeking a candidate for a Policy Fellow position. Candidates with 1-2 years of experience in the area of reproductive justice, policy change, and an extensive knowledge of reproductive health are preferred but not required.   A desire to invest in creating long-term systemic policy change in New Mexico is a must. 

Full-Time Position: The Policy Fellow position is an Albuquerque or Las Cruces based position with flexible work capabilities and some in-state, and national travel requirements. 

Compensation: Salary is commensurate with experience (range $20/hr-$23/hr). 

Generous benefits package includes employer-funded medical, dental, and vision insurance. Benefits also include paid sick/personal leave, accrued vacation, partial cell phone reimbursement, paid holidays, and an optional pension plan with organizational match after the qualifying period. 

Organization Summary: Bold Futures NM leads policy change, research, place-based organizing, and culture shift by and for Black, Indigenous, Latine, women and people of color in New Mexico. Bold Futures NM centers the lived experiences and expertise of those most impacted by an issue, engaging with people at the intersection of their identities.

We work to build communities where all have what we need to make real decisions about our own bodies and lives, and have room to live with respect and dignity. 

We move work in the following issue areas: 

• Access to Reproductive Health Care: Improving access to reproductive health care people may need in their lives, including contraception and abortion

• Birthing Justice: Increasing access women and people of color have to pregnancy-related care, including licensed midwifery and trauma-informed care for pregnant women and people with substance use disorders

• Criminal Justice Reform: Leading a gendered approach to juvenile justice and criminal justice reform centering the needs of girls, women of color and LGBTQ+ people

• Supporting Young People: Building strength-based narratives and systems of support for young people, including young parents and their families

• Child Welfare Reform: Engaging Indigenous community leaders, state agencies, decision-makers and other stakeholders around structural changes to support children and families in the child welfare system

• Religious Refusals: Working to inform the public and decision makers on the potential harms of religious and moral exemptions that disproportionately affect the services and goods available to people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Please refer to our website for more information: https://www.boldfuturesnm.org/ 

Position Description: 

The Policy Fellow will work under the guidance of the Policy Director,

and in collaboration with the Policy Team to support the creation of systemic policy change in New Mexico primarily through state-based legislative and administrative strategies. The Policy Fellow will engage in legislative and administrative work while carrying a big-picture vision of our long-term goals and holding the complexity of the details needed to get there. This position requires participation in various issue-based coalitions, collaborations and work groups. Policy initiatives are created alongside the expertise of those in our communities with lived experience pertaining to our issue areas. When engaging in policy work, this position will be primarily focused on building and growing policy protections around Religious Refusals (RR).

The Policy Fellow will be responsible for project management of the Religious Refusals project that includes designated representatives from Bold Futures NM, ACLU NM, and NM Dream Team in addition to various external stakeholders including community leaders and advocates. This position will lead and manage the tasks related to the efforts surrounding religious refusals in New Mexico and other duties related to the broader work of Bold Futures NM. 

Supporting the Policy team includes but is not limited to execution of effective verbal and written communication, setting and enforcing manageable timelines, developing and organizing project materials, scheduling with multiple partners and community members, working within a given budget, independently managing unexpected difficulties, engaging thoughtfully with community partners, and providing in-depth support for all collaborators and pertinent project partners as necessary to achieve project completion. The Policy Fellow will demonstrate an ability to create relevant meeting agendas, manage time during meetings, take and communicate notes, and ensure cohort members and leaders have the needed support to complete action items. 

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Engage in Bold Futures NM’s year-round legislative team, with a specific focus on Religious Refusals efforts (full-time in Santa Fe during legislative sessions with potential travel across New Mexico for engagement in interim committees, work related travel expenses will be covered by BFNM)

• Implement Bold Futures NM’s year-round administrative strategies, specifically moving Reproductive Justice policies through state and local agencies aligned with organizational theory of change

• Observe, digest, and understand how policy strategies impact structural change through Bold Futures NM’s reproductive justice and intersectional lens

• Engage in issue analysis, policy research, and Bold Futures NM’s project development and implementation for all five pillars of work including policy change, organizing, research, culture shift and healing

• Work alongside the Policy Team to identify state-level advocacy efforts in areas where BFNM is situated to explore opportunities for state engagement and support

• Maintain sound working knowledge of Bold Futures NM’s policy involvements and accomplishments, political analysis, and policy goals through research, issue analysis, and documentation

• Support in identifying place-based organizing opportunities aligned with Bold Futures NM’s policy, research, culture shift, and healing priorities alongside the Policy Team

• Bring innovation to leadership development efforts that thoughtfully consider the reproductive justice framework, while centering BIPOC women and people, LGBTQ individuals, youth, families, and the state’s varied geographic needs

• Build and maintain relationships with organizations, community leaders, decision-makers, cultural producers, etc. aligned with Bold Futures NM’s priority issue areas and change-making strategies

• Document policy activities and outcomes related to reproductive health and develop tracking systems for future legislation, administrative change, fundraising, and as a resource for staff training and work planning

• Accurately and enthusiastically represent Bold Futures NM’s work in key stakeholder spaces and with decision-makers

• Cultivate and sustain Bold Futures NM’s relationships with key stakeholders, state and local policymakers, and community and advocacy leaders in a manner that establishes credibility, trust, and provides access to key decision-making spaces

• Continue to ensure that the shift of power dynamics in the state of New Mexico includes rural communities, Indigenous communities, Las Cruces and the greater Southern New Mexico region

Policy and Strategy:

• Organize ongoing gatherings with the NM Entiende collaborative members to determine policy priorities related to religious refusals for upcoming legislative sessions

• Provide in-depth support to Bold Futures NM staff and pertinent cohort partners as necessary to achieve project completion

• Sustain and build relationships with allied organizations and community leaders working to inform communities, and affect positive change with regards to RR work in New Mexico

• Appropriately represent and articulate the work of the RR project in key stakeholder spaces through accurate, timely, and strategic communications delivered verbally, and in writing

• Provide data to Bold Futures NM staff, leaders, and other external partners as necessary to share information gathered and general expertise in the area of religious refusals

• Aid Bold Futures NM in strategic thinking and planning to establish a stronger and more sustainable environment for reproductive healthcare in New Mexico

• Implement strategies that support the collective RR vision and goals including harm reduction, informing Bold Futures NM staff, and keeping key stakeholders informed of proposed legislation that may impact RR work

Religious Refusals Coalition Responsibilities:

• Develop, manage, coordinate and oversee the multiple phases necessary to execute the duties related to the Religious Refusals (RR) project 

• Serve as a highly effective Project Coordinator for the RR project collaborative members, including designated representatives from Bold Futures NM, ACLU NM and NM Dream Team in Action

• Set and hold RR collaborative members accountable for meeting timelines of given tasks related to the advancement of the RR project and effectively communicate these timelines with appropriate staff and/or partners

• Schedule, plan and attend organizing meetings with cohorts and organizational collaborators to discuss collective goals

• Attend report-back meetings with grantor to discuss cohort collaborative efforts and actions in New Mexico

• Work alongside RR cohort and other Bold Futures NM staff members to ensure program deliverables are met and future planning to forward the RR program

Other Responsibilities: 

• Participate in planning processes (staff meetings, strategic planning sessions, collaborative planning with organizational partners, etc.) as needed

• Contribute to a culture of resource and power sharing, collaboration, and community building both within Bold Futures NM, and when working externally with community leaders and partners 

• Work in a meaningful, intentional, and strategic manner

• Engage in regular self-evaluation and reflection

• Be accountable to the mission of Bold Futures NM, be transparent in work, and open with information

This position requires a combination of virtual remote work, and on-site in-person work in and around the Albuquerque, and/or Las Cruces area. Occasional in-state travel may be required in connection with our RR partners, leaders and stakeholders. This position occasionally requires working irregular hours, including some nights and weekends. 

A background check may be required as part of the hiring process. Arrests or convictions will not result in automatic punitive consequences for a potential employee or employee. Other conditions of employment include completion of Form I-9, acceptance of the terms of the sign-on bonus, and your confirmation that you are not bound by any noncompete agreements with former employers.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Bold Futures NM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Bold Futures NM provides opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, spousal affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or physical or mental handicap or disability or serious medical condition, military or veteran status, or any other protected class under the New Mexico State or Federal laws.

In addition, we maintain a core value around our staff reflecting the communities with whom we work. Women of color, Native and Indigenous women, queer and trans*, gender-queer, gender non-conforming, and two-spirit women and people, disabled people, and New Mexicans (of multiple identities) are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Please email the following to Bold Futures NM’s hiring team at [email protected]: 

• Cover letter addressing the skills, values, experiences and expertise that make you the right person for this position 

• Resume 

• 3 professional references (A list with contact information is good, no letters of reference needed)

• Bold Futures NM Job Application

Click here to Download Application 

If a position is offered at Bold Futures NM, a background check may be required during the interview process or upon hiring. Arrests or convictions will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment at Bold Futures NM and we consider systems impacted folks as valuable members of our team. 

No calls, please direct any questions to Bold Futures’ hiring team at [email protected]. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Priority consideration will be given to applications received on or by February 16th.