Advocacy & Partnerships Associate

Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc. dba Upbring; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc. dba Upbring is seeking an Advocacy & Partnerships Associate in Austin, TX to support the Director of Advocacy & Partnerships in advancing public policy and strategic partnerships.

The role involves policy research, legislative monitoring, and coordinating grassroots activities to advance Upbring’s mission. The Associate will analyze legislative developments, prepare advocacy materials, and maintain advocacy tracking tools while collaborating with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Communications, Public Administration, Social Work, Journalism, Business, or related field.
• One year of professional, internship, fellowship, legislative, advocacy, government affairs, nonprofit, partnership, or related experience.
• Strong research, analytical, organizational, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including presentations, briefing materials and communications for diverse audiences.
• Strong relationship-building with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Responsibilities

• Support advocacy and government relations strategy through policy research, legislative monitoring, and advocacy support activities.
• Conduct research and analysis on legislative, regulatory, and public policy issues affecting child wellbeing and related areas.
• Monitor legislative activity, provide briefs and summaries, and develop recommendations.
• Develop policy briefs, presentations, talking points, and reports to support organizational priorities.
• Support grassroots advocacy, including VoterVOICE campaigns and supporter engagement.
• Research and evaluate opportunities for advocacy, funding, partnerships, and collaborations.
• Coordinate internal planning, tracking, and reporting for campaigns and strategic initiatives.
• Assist with partnership communications, meetings, and related administration.

Skills

Research skills

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Project management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Relationship-building

Time management

Professionalism

MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Legislative tracking systems

CRM platforms

Grassroots advocacy software

Project management tools

Job description

Lutheran Social Services of the South, Inc. dba Upbring

Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status.

Advocacy & Partnerships Associate

US-TX-Austin

Job ID: 2026-7147

# of Openings: 1

Category: Advocacy

At Upbring

At Upbring, our team is united by a shared mission: to break the cycle of child abuse and advance the wellbeing of children, families and communities, empowering them to thrive. As servant-leaders, we lead by example, working passionately to create a brighter future for those we serve. Every day, we strive to embody our core values:We are Warriors: Fierce, resilient, and courageous, we face challenges head-on with unwavering loyalty and passion.We are Servants: We dedicate ourselves to serving others, empowering those around us to thrive.We are Family: We work together as a supportive, caring community, creating a sense of belonging and strength.Joining Upbring means becoming part of a family of passionate individuals who are fearless in their pursuit of lasting change. Together, we are making a difference, one life at a time.

What You'll Do

The Advocacy & Partnerships Associate provides research, coordination, and project support to the Director of Advocacy & Partnerships in advancingUpbring’spublic policy, government relations, and strategic partnership priorities.This position supportsadvocacy and partnership initiatives through legislative monitoring, policy researchand analysis, grassroots advocacy administration, and project coordination.The Associate analyzes legislative and regulatory developments, preparespolicy and advocacy materials,maintainsadvocacy-related tracking and reporting tools, and helpsidentifyopportunities thatadvanceUpbring’smission and strategicobjectives.

Responsibilities

• Support the implementation of Upbring's advocacy and government relations strategy through policy research, legislative monitoring, andadvocacy supportactivities
• Conduct research and analysis on legislative, regulatory, and public policy issuesimpactingchild wellbeing, child welfare, education, family services, and related areas;identifyimplications and provideinsightsto support organizational priorities
• Monitor legislative activity,committee hearings,agency actions,executiveorders,regulatory developments, and emerging policy trends; prepare summaries, briefing materials, and recommendations
• Developpolicy briefs,presentations, talkingpoints, reports,and communication materials to support organizational priorities
• Supportgrassroots advocacy efforts, including administrationof VoterVOICE campaigns, supporter engagement activities, and advocacy communications
• Research,monitor, and evaluate advocacy,funding, partnership, and collaborative opportunities aligned with organizational priorities and strategic initiatives
• Support internal planning, coordination and tracking activities related to advocacy campaigns, legislative priorities, and strategic initiatives
• Support partnership related communications, meeting coordination, and administrative activities related to partnerships, advocacy initiatives, and strategic projects
• Collaborate with internal teams to support advocacy, community engagement, and organizational initiatives
• Maintainlegislative tracking tools,stakeholder databases, organizational profiles, andadvocacy records
• Support the developmentand distribution of communications and materials that promote awareness of advocacy priorities, initiatives, and organizational impact
• Maintainorganizedprojectdocumentation,timelines,stakeholder information, and activity reporting

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Communications, Public Administration, Social Work, Journalism, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience working in the Texas legislative, government affairs, advocacy, nonprofit, partnership, or community engagement environment
• One (1) year of professional, internship, fellowship, legislative, advocacy, government affairs, nonprofit, partnership, community engagement, or related experience
• Strong research, analytical, organizational, and project management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare presentations, briefing materials, and communications for diverse audiences
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment,identifyopportunities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated professionalism, initiative, discretion, and attention to detail
• Proficiencywith Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of experience working on legislative, government affairs, public policy, or advocacy matters, including experience during at least one (1) Texas legislative session
• Experience with legislative tracking systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, grassroots advocacy software, or project management tools
• Experience supporting stakeholder engagement, coalition-building, or partnership development initiatives

Physical Demands & Work Conditions

This position requires sitting and looking and using a computer for long periods of timeLift, push, pull, move up to 25 lbs.

The physical requirements for this position, with or without reasonable accommodation, are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this position successfully. While performing this position the employee with or without reasonable accommodation should have the ability to walk, stand, sit, kneel, speak, and hear with aid, see, read, reach with arms and hands, lift and/or move up to specified weight, and use equipment that is essential to performing the job, such as a computer, copier, fax machine, telephone, and automobile, if applicable. Specific vision requirements of this position may include color vision, seeing things close up, and the ability to adjust focus.

Upbring is an Equal Employment Opportunity/AA Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation,gender, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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