Forward Montana (FMT) is seeking a full-time State Legislative Director to guide our advocacy program focused on pro-democracy reform, LGBTQ+ equality, climate solutions, reproductive rights, and affordable housing during the state legislative session. All campaigns will keep an eye towards advancing racial justice and building youth power. The State Legislative Director will lead on developing a legislative agenda and plan that will advance Forward Montana’s goals in identified key issue areas.  

The ideal candidate is someone who can balance organizational vision, political urgency, and team capacity. You’ll excel in this role if you have all-star time management skills and experience in issue-based advocacy and/or working during a legislative session.

Who We Are

Forward Montana (FMT) and Forward Montana Foundation (FMF) are dedicated to engaging and mobilizing young Montanans to help shape their democracy and to improve their lives and the lives of fellow Montanans. We put young people on the front lines of civic engagement statewide, basing our efforts out of our three offices in Missoula, Bozeman, and Billings.

What You'll Do

The State Legislative Director reports to the Executive Director and sits on the organization’s leadership team. The State Legislative Director will spend the rest of 2024 focused on developing a legislative strategy and plan, including meeting with partners and legislators, reviewing past bills, attending interim committee meetings, and preparing for events and other projects. During the legislative session, the State Legislative Director will coordinate a team of a contract lobbyist and organizers to mobilize young people. This position wraps up post-session to complete final projects including a legislative scorecard. This position is responsible for the following:

• Work with the Executive Director to create and execute a legislative plan and budget that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, and goals.
• Work with the communications team to build out narratives and messaging strategies that distill complex information into easily digestible content.
• Inform Forward Montana members on the legislative session through the weekly What the Helena newsletter and podcast, and other opportunities.
• Represent Forward Montana as our lead lobbyist during the legislative session.
• Organize events, press conferences, and workshops related to legislative campaign efforts.
• Track and analyze state policies related to issue areas, and identify opportunities for mobilization and organizing.
• Collaborate with the Director of Voter Engagement to ensure that Forward Montana’s electoral strategy aligns with advancing legislative goals (and vice versa!)
• Build strong relationships with state and national partners and represent Forward Montana in relevant coalitions and press opportunities.

Note: all Forward Montana staff are expected to participate in GOTV activities close to elections.

Must-Haves

• Experience in and enthusiasm for building power to advance policy solutions (aka make our communities a better place):
  • You have at least 2-3 legislative sessions under your belt: you feel comfortable drafting comments and testifying in front of legislators and can navigate the MT LAWS platform.
  • You have experience in organizing: you love 1:1s and empowering leaders, you can meet with an elected official one minute and plan a rally the next.
  • You’re excited to develop an analysis of relevant policies.
  • You're excited to build campaign plans with an eye towards power building and Forward Montana’s strategic mission. 
• Experience in building strong collaborative relationships:
  • You have experience navigating complicated coalition dynamics; you understand that everyone won’t agree but that we all have a place in the movement.
  • You understand that partnerships are everything and are constantly seeking out new opportunities for Forward Montana to engage with new audiences and communities.
  • You have experience navigating complicated coalition dynamics; you understand that everyone won’t agree but that we all have a place in the movement.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects:
  • You set a high bar and meet it, because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and can come up with pragmatic solutions on the fly.
  • You’re excited about processes and systems within a team – you can run an effective meeting, give 100% to your individual check-ins with the people you manage, and can run an event planning process on a tight timeline.
  • You're excited to manage people and hold folks accountable to setting and reaching ambitious goals with creativity and flexibility.
• Actively Anti-Racist:
  • You are committed to actively contributing to a more equitable and inclusive organization by facilitating conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice with interns, fellows, members, and within staff.
  • You’re committed to amplifying young voices to advocate for a more progressive, just Montana.
  • You recognize how your own identities show up in the work and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye towards continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference.

We understand that the right candidate may have experience in different areas. If you don’t meet all the requirements above but have an interest in learning, we encourage you to apply.

If you were the State Legislative Director right now, you would be...

• Participating in a coalition meeting to brainstorm pro-democracy policies to introduce during the next legislative session.
• Attending an interim committee meeting and reporting back on the discussion and vote.
• During the legislative session:
  • Coordinating with Forward Montana’s organizers to mobilize members and young people to testify at a Committee hearing in Helena. 
  • Organizing a press conference with partners on a pro-housing bill.

Forward Montana is an equal opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by our issues and work. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ2S+ people, women, and people with disabilities to apply.

Logistics

• Must be in Helena during the 2025 Legislative Session, may be anywhere else in Montana outside of the legislative session. We will offer housing assistance during the session in Helena. 
• You must be comfortable working unconventional hours-- including nights and weekends.
• You must have access to reliable transportation (a valid driver’s license is required).
• This position includes both in-person and virtual components based on public health guidance around COVID-19.
• You must be comfortable working, being managed, and building relationships with our statewide team remotely. We have staff based in Bozeman, Billings, Missoula, Butte, Glendive, and Whitefish.

This an exempt position at $70,000. This is a temporary, full-time (40 hr/week) position with a flexible start date and ending June 20, 2025 . Forward Montana also offers the following benefits:

• 100% Employer paid health insurance, basic life insurance, and employee assistance program
• Opt-in employee paid dental, vision, accident, and term-life insurance
• Technology and wellness reimbursements
• Generous paid time off

How To Apply

Please upload a resume and one-page cover letter stating your interest in the position, why building youth-power & getting out the vote is important, and what skillsets you’d be excited to grow & develop in this position. All application materials should be submitted through this employment portal.

If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to Kiersten Iwai, Executive Director at kiersten@forwardmontana.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of November 8, 2024.