Senior Advocacy Manager

About Us:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $2 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients. In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families.

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately hold no endowment or excessive reserves. We instead seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 300 full-time employees. We offer a collegial and collaborative environment where optimistic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial, resourceful individuals can thrive and make a tangible difference for millions of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Position Summary:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (“the Foundation”) is seeking top talent for its Senior Advocacy Manager position. Reporting to the Director of Advocacy, this position plays a central role in advancing the Foundation’s policy priorities to benefit people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their families. Partnering with the Public Policy team, this role helps develop and implement advocacy strategies that ensure Parkinson’s-related issues are represented in federal, state and local policymaking.

This position is part of a regionalized Advocacy Manager structure, with each position responsible for advocates and legislative activity across an assigned region of the country. Each position supports both federal and state policy campaigns, ensuring the Foundation maintains consistent engagement with advocates, government officials and partners across their territory. This role recruits, trains and mobilizes advocates; builds regional pipelines; supports state and federal strategies; and sustains grassroots power year-round.

The Foundation is hiring two Senior Advocacy Managers to join the team. These positions are expected to travel to the Foundation’s New York office or to states on an as-needed basis.

Key Responsibilities:

Advocacy Efforts

• Implement effective, region-specific strategies and tactics to support the Foundation’s federal and state policy agenda

• Mobilize advocates and execute campaign tactics around congressional and state legislative priorities through a comprehensive mix of digital, media, stewardship and in-person engagement tools

• Coordinate creation and distribution of advocacy materials (action alerts, newsletters, fact sheets, social content, talking points, etc.)

• Support Policy events—including State Advocacy Days, hearings, press conferences, in-district activities, Parkinson's Policy Forum (Hill fly-in) and in-person or virtual briefings—by recruiting and preparing advocates

• Ensure Policy priorities and messaging are integrated into organization-wide events and that the Foundation’s Policy is effectively represented in relevant external events and activations

Recruitment, Training & Engagement

• Build and manage recruitment pipelines in target states and congressional districts

• Identify, train and support new, established and lead advocates who sustain ongoing local activity

• Manage a regional communication calendar, including targeted calls-to-action, newsletters and engagement opportunities cross-departmentally

• Coordinate closely with State Policy and Federal Policy staff to integrate grassroots advocacy into legislative strategies

• Build and oversee a coordinated advocate engagement program within the assigned region

Relationship Development

• Support the development and maintenance of a regionally tailored Grasstops identification, cultivation and monitoring program in partnership with Development team

• Leverage relationships across coalition partners, other Parkinson’s organizations, stakeholders and advocates to support legislative goals

Data, Systems & Reporting

• Maintain accurate advocate and engagement data for assigned regional advocates

• Manage the grassroots database as it relates to regional contacts, ensuring alignment with internal CRMs

• Assist in continuous assessment of grassroots technology tools

• Support development of dashboards and reporting that reflect progress and campaign impact

Team Administration / Operations

• Attend weekly staff meetings, internal check-ins and coalition group meetings

• Support cross-functional coordination and other duties as assigned

 Qualifications and Skills:

• Relevant experience in federal and state legislative processes

• Relevant experience maintaining relationships with advocates and communicating with advocacy audiences

• Proficiency using Salesforce, Quorum (or similar public affairs software), Asana (or similar project management platform), Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Microsoft Office

• Strong oral and written communications skills, and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies and advocacy abilities and strengths

• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects and shift priorities as needed
• Ability to work with advocates and staff of all ideologies and work collaboratively across Foundation departments and among myriads of audiences and stakeholders

Salary and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $105,000 to $125,000.  In addition to salary, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 15+ options for medical insurance (with the Foundation paying 90 percent of the premiums)

• Competitive dental and vision plans

• 401(k) plan with 6 percent employer contribution

• Flexible spending accounts

• Employer paid life and disability insurance

• 18 Vacation Days; 12 Well-Being (Sick) Days; 2 Personal Days; summer Fridays (office closure at 2 p.m.) and a summer holiday week over July 4

• Two ways of working: hybrid-flex, or remote work.  We trust all employees to work closely with their manager and colleagues to determine when, where and how programs and projects get done

Employees are also eligible for a discretionary bonus on an annual basis. The Foundation provides staff and leadership cultivation through regular training courses and events.  

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing through examples, their specific qualifications and interest in the position. If you think that your skills are transferable and can add value to this role, please apply. Applicants who best match the position’s needs will be contacted.

MJFF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Diversity may refer to characteristics including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, geographic background, ability and disability, political ideology and age.