Senior Manager, Immigration

About The Position

More in Common is hiring a Senior Manager, Immigration to lead and grow our immigration portfolio at a pivotal moment. This role is based in the Washington, DC area and is a hybrid mix of in-office/work from home. Immigration is one of America’s most polarized issues. It is often framed as a simple divide between “pro-immigration” and “anti-immigration” positions. Our work uses research to move beyond false binaries — showing, for example, that there is strong majority support for both strong control of borders and America’s tradition of immigration and welcoming people fleeing violence and persecution. More in Common’s contribution to the immigration debate is to develop evidence-based approaches to change the dynamics of the immigration debate, working with leaders in the immigration field in government, philanthropy, business, academia and the nonprofit world. In the 18 months since we began expanding this work, we have experienced growing demand for these insights. This role will build on this work, involving a mix of strategic development and execution, working closely with our research team, expanding our partnerships, and making the insights accessible to larger audiences. It will involve contributing to our thought leadership, developing new projects, and working closely with partner organizations. A key priority is helping to translate the insights into clear, actionable guidance for funders, civil society, policymakers, and communicators; and increasingly bring More in Common’s immigration insights into the public conversation through reports, briefings, and media engagement. The portfolio combines medium-term, field-shaping research with rapid-response analysis during moments of heightened attention, policy change, or political risk. More in Common does not advocate for specific policies, but aims to equip leaders with a deeper understanding of public attitudes and help them to develop evidence-based solutions with clarity, credibility, and integrity. This is an ideal role for someone who brings substantive expertise on immigration, strong research literacy, excellent judgment, and the ability to build trust among people with differing roles, backgrounds and beliefs — including philanthropy, civil society, government, media, and government officials. It is a senior role for a leader motivated by shaping how the field understands public opinion on immigration and by helping find solutions that can transcend partisan divisions. More in Common’s team of around 15 in the US works across different projects, with most roles involving some degree of specialization in research, partnerships, communications, business development and management. While this role has a specialization on immigration issues, we anticipate that the successful candidate will also work on other projects where their skills can be most effectively deployed.

Requirements

5+ years experience in roles that combine research, analysis, strategy, and external engagement—such as public opinion research, policy analysis, consulting, advocacy, think tanks, journalism, philanthropy, or related fields. Specific titles matter less than a demonstrated ability to apply rigorous analysis to real-world challenges in partnership with others.
Demonstrated project and portfolio leadership, including setting direction for projects, managing workstreams and vendors, and taking responsibility for outcomes in uncertain or high-pressure contexts.
Substantive familiarity with immigration policy and public discourse, or a closely related issue area, with the ability to develop credibility and sound judgment in a complex, fast-moving environment.
Strong research literacy, including experience working with public opinion data (quantitative and qualitative), commissioning or managing research, and translating findings into clear, actionable insights.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting insights to diverse audiences such as funders, civil society leaders, policymakers, journalists, and cross-ideological stakeholders.
Experience working across ideological or partisan lines, including building trust with partners who hold different political views or operate in politically sensitive environments.
Strong execution skills, with a track record of delivering high-quality work on tight timelines, including during moments of heightened public or political attention.

Nice To Haves

Comfort navigating complex data sets; experience with analytical tools (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R, Python) is a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership
Oversee the strategy for More in Common’s immigration work, balancing medium-term research priorities with near-term opportunities for impact.
Work closely with co-founder Tim Dixon, who leads our immigration work globally.
Serve as the organizational lead on immigration, ensuring alignment across research, partnerships, communications, and public engagement.
Identify where More in Common can add distinctive value in a crowded field—reframing debates, filling gaps, and offering trusted sensemaking.
Monitor policy developments, public discourse, and on-the-ground dynamics to identify moments where research can turn down the temperature, expand the conversation, or illuminate more constructive paths forward.
Partner with senior leadership on portfolio planning, resourcing, and grant-funded work.
Research & Sensemaking
Lead the design and execution of high-quality public opinion research, working with internal teams and external vendors.
Translate findings into clear, values-based frameworks and narratives that explain not just what people think about immigration, but why.
Exercise strong judgment about which questions, frames, and insights will resonate most with the public and key decision-makers.
Lead rapid-response research and analysis during moments of heightened attention or policy change, synthesizing insights quickly without sacrificing rigor.
Produce plain-language guidance and strategic advice tailored to different audiences.
Partner Engagement & Field-Building
Serve as a trusted advisor to funders, civil society organizations, policymakers, and advocates working on immigration and refugee issues.
Design and deliver briefings, workshops, and tailored strategy sessions that help partners apply insights to programs, policy design, and communications.
Build, deepen, and diversify a strong network of advisors and collaborators, proactively identifying new allies and networks where More in Common’s insights can add value.
Work both at a national level and in localized contexts (e.g. working with a city administration or place-based network).
Public Engagement
Lead the development of written outputs, including reports, briefing memos, slide decks, and talking points, in collaboration with research and communications colleagues.
Represent More in Common in external meetings, convenings, webinars, conferences, and select media engagements, including developing relationships with specialist reporters.
Support a range of public-facing work, ensuring insights are accessible, timely, and impactful.