Legislative and Policy Associate

ABOUT MOTHER’S OUTREACH NETWORK

Mother’s Outreach Network (MON) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit working toward a world where parents are free to raise their families with economic security — free from surveillance, free from punishment, and free to thrive. MON’s work is grounded in a liberatory framework: we are not here to make harmful systems work better. We are here to dismantle them and build in their place the policies, institutions, and conditions that families have always deserved. Through organizing, community lawyering, and policy advocacy, MON works to transform — from punitive to supportive — the government income and child welfare systems, laws, policies, practices, and culture that shape families’ lives.

MON is a constituency-driven organization. The mothers we partner with and organize alongside are not recipients of our work — they are its architects. In Washington, DC, where the families most exposed to child welfare surveillance and economic precarity are disproportionately Black, this work carries an explicit racial equity commitment — and MON names that plainly. MON actively participates in coalitions advancing guaranteed income and child welfare policy at the local and federal level, and this role supports that coalition work directly.

About The Role

MON seeks a sharp, mission-driven Legislative & Policy Associate to support the organization’s legislative, policy, and litigation work at the intersection of child welfare and income policy. The Associate tracks and analyzes developments at the DC Council and relevant federal agencies, produces research, testimony, briefings, and advocacy materials, and helps advance MON’s twin goals of building guaranteed income for families and using child welfare policy as a foundation for achieving it. The Associate supports MON’s legal team with research and analysis that grounds litigation in documented systemic failure, and represents MON in coalition spaces focused on guaranteed income and child welfare.

This role requires sound judgment, strong writing, and the ability to work across teams — including in close partnership with MON’s Communications Strategist and Parent Peer Organizer, ensuring that policy momentum is matched by public narrative and that the expertise and lived experience of system-impacted mothers are integrated into every advocacy effort. The Associate reports directly to the Executive Director.

This is a role for someone who understands that poverty and child welfare are the same crisis — and who is ready to work within a liberatory framework to dismantle the systems that have made it so.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate brings policy or legislative expertise, a working understanding of the systemic roots of family economic insecurity, and a commitment to working alongside mothers and families — not on their behalf.

• 4–5 years of experience in policy, legislative affairs, advocacy, or a related field
• Demonstrated knowledge of child welfare, income policy, benefits cliff, or family economic security issues at the local or federal level strongly preferred
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills with the ability to produce clear, accurate materials under deadline
• Experience supporting or working alongside legal or litigation teams a plus
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and respectfully with system-impacted communities
• Comfortable working in coalition environments and representing an organization externally
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in public policy, law, or a related field a plus; JD or combined graduate degree and JD especially valued

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position is $75,000. A health, dental, and vision benefits package is provided. Health insurance is covered at 100 percent for the employee and is available to dependents. All federal holidays and all holidays observed by the District of Columbia are observed, as well as the week between Christmas and New Year. Paid time off includes vacation and sick leave, consistent with MON policy.

TO APPLY

Please email a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and a list of three professional references to careers@mothersoutreachnetwork.org. We encourage early applications — review begins immediately. Your cover letter should describe why you are interested in this position and how your experience and goals relate to the role. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and the position is open until filled.

Mother’s Outreach Network is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and insist on equity and inclusion in our work environment and in the world. If you have the passion for our mission and have the skill sets to help us fulfill this mission, we welcome you as you are.

Visit https://www.mothersoutreachnetwork.org for more information about the organization.

A health, dental, and vision benefits package is provided. Health insurance is covered at 100 percent for the employee and is available to dependents. All federal holidays and all holidays observed by the District of Columbia are observed, as well as the week between Christmas and New Year. Paid time off includes vacation and sick leave, consistent with MON policy.