Fellow, China Research & Advocacy (11Month -Fixed Term)

Job Summary

AIUSA’s Government Relations (GR) and Advocacy team educates, advises, and lobbies U.S. government (USG) officials on human rights issues around the world. Leveraging Amnesty’s research and grassroots power, GR creates and implements advocacy strategies to push for U.S. government policies that contribute to positive human rights outcomes. We build and maintain close relationships with policymakers in Congress and across the federal government. GR identifies influential stakeholders in the USG, including potential supporters and opponents, and takes advantage of political opportunities to push forward organizational goals. 

Fellows at AIUSA gain experience in human rights research and advocacy including but not limited to developing and implementing advocacy strategies and materials, contact with governmental bodies and officials, conducting legislative research, drafting memoranda and blogs, managing databases, analyzing emerging areas of relevant law and government policy, tracking the progress of legislation in the United States Congress, and learning about the international human rights framework. Fellows will also be responsible for researching and documenting issues related to U.S. foreign policy and human rights in their area of focus, as well as attending and summarizing briefings, hearings, and other NGO events.

The Fellow, China Research and Advocacy (11-Month Fixed Term) will have the opportunity to work on federal and congressional advocacy on human rights issues in the Washington, D.C. office of AIUSA. The Fellowship is full-time position with a fixed term of 11 months and will focus on human rights issues and US foreign policy related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its relationship with the US government.

The Fellow will analyze research produced by Amnesty and other organizations regarding the human rights conditions in the PRC and advance advocacy with the US Congress and administration to address these human rights issues. Further, the Fellow will provide the GR team with analysis regarding the human rights impact of escalation of tensions between the PRC and the US government and will assist the GR team in designing advocacy strategy to influence the United States to take a rights-based approach to its PRC policy and engagements. This will include analytic work to situate the US-PRC relationship in a global context and to look beyond the frame of the US-PRC relationship to understand how other governments’ view, engage with, and impact both US and Chinese authorities (this international perspective will include analysis of transnational repression).

The Fellow will work closely with the Asia and Multi-Lateral Advocacy Director, as well as with other Amnesty staff, members, and volunteers. In particular, the Fellow will interact with the Amnesty coordination group, which mobilizes Amnesty’s membership base to take action and plans events to promote greater awareness of human rights conditions in the PRC. Additionally, the Fellow will work with other civil society organizations, members of the diaspora, and activists based in the US to ensure Amnesty’s work is in alignment with the wider human rights movement.

• Proficiency in Mandarin is highly preferred but not required