Legislative Director

Job Description

Job Description

Forward Montana (FMT) is seeking a temporary, full-time Legislative Director to guide our advocacy efforts on issues such as pro-democracy reform, economic equality, climate solutions, LGTBQ+ gender justice, reproductive rights, and affordable housing during the 2027 state legislative session. Building youth power will be kept at the heart of the work and the Legislative Director will lead on ensuring Forward Montana’s impact is felt during the session.

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

Forward Montana (FMT) and Forward Montana Foundation (FMF) are dedicated to engaging and mobilizing young Montanans to help shape their democracy 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 Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, and the greater Flathead area. 

The Legislative Director reports to the Executive Director, sits on the organization’s leadership team, and will work closely with the Program and Communications Directors. This position is responsible for the following:

• Work with the Executive Director to execute a legislative strategy, plan and budget that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, and goals

• Work with the Communications Team to build out narrative and messaging strategies that distill complex information into easily digestible content by creating core messages for priority issue areas, serving as a recurring guest on the What the Helena podcast, informing creation of our weekly legislative newsletter and other opportunities such as action alerts, and facilitating Forward Montana Spokespeople training pre-session!

• Work with our Forward Montana lobbyist during the legislative session to ensure our strategies outside the building are impactful inside the building

• Organize events, press conferences, and workshops related to legislative efforts with the Program & Communications Teams

• Track and analyze state policies related to priority issue areas, and identify opportunities for mobilization and organizing

• Build strong relationships with state and national partners and grasstops, representing Forward Montana in relevant coalitions and press opportunities

• Inform creation of Forward Montana’s legislative scorecard in partnership with the Communications Team

What we’re looking for in a candidate:

• Experience in and enthusiasm for building power to advance policy solutions (aka make our communities a better place):

• You feel comfortable (or comfortable learning) drafting comments, testifying in front of legislators, navigating the legislative process and supporting others to do the same!

• You have experience in organizing: you love 1:1s and empowering leaders, you can meet with an elected official one minute, a young person in Havre the next, and spend your afternoon planning a rally

• You’re excited to develop an analysis of relevant policies

• You're excited to build plans with an eye towards demonstrating youth power, the importance of how policies and elected officials impact young people, and Forward Montana’s strategic mission

• Experience in building strong collaborative relationships even amongst difference:

• 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 understand that purity politics will not save us and that to build a brighter future for Montanans, we have to bring people along with us in the work

• 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 work with your colleagues to hold folks accountable to setting and reaching ambitious goals with creativity and flexibility

• Actively Anti-Prejudice:

• You are committed to actively contributing to a more equitable and inclusive FMT by facilitating and participating in conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice with the program team and our broader organization

• You recognize how your own identities show up in the work and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback while continuously 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 Legislative Director right now, you would be:

• Participating in a coalition meeting to brainstorm proactive policies to introduce during the next legislative session

• Power-mapping committee members and building a list of targeted legislators for various issue areas

• Beginning developing core messages for our priority issue areas for upcoming session that can be tweaked depending on specific policies

• During the legislative session:

• Coordinating with Forward Montana’s Program Team to mobilize members and young people to testify at a Committee hearing in Helena or submit comment

• 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.

• 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)

• You must be comfortable working, being managed, and building relationships with our statewide team remotely

Location: Based in Montana. May be required to be in Helena for certain events.

This is a temporary, exempt, full-time position from the start date (October 5th, preferred, but flexible for the right candidate) to July 1st, 2027  compensated at an annualized salary of $70,000, prorated for the duration of employment. 

• 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

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

If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to Alice Boyer, Executive Director at View email address on ziprecruiter.com. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with a priority application deadline of September 11th, 2026 and interviews the week of September 14th.