External Affairs Intern (Fall 2026)

WHO WE ARE

FWD.us is a policy organization working to advance better and more politically resilient solutions on criminal justice and immigration. For too long, our harmful criminal justice and immigration systems have held us back and been weaponized in ways that undermine our nation’s promise and democratic ideals.

We are looking for a creative and detail-oriented External Affairs Intern for a full-time internship supporting both our immigration and criminal justice work. This intern will play a key role in assisting with our external affairs work, including earned media, communications and digital. The ideal candidate is a strong communicator with a passion for social justice and an interest in digital strategy and communications.

Candidates should be available to work full-time Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 5:30pm for at least 4 months. Interns are paid $21/hr, plus benefits. This position will be expected to work on-site in the Los Angeles or Washington DC office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays.

We are looking for someone to start on or around mid August or early September, 2026.

For priority consideration, please submit the following materials by August 9.

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Submit a written exercise in response to the following:
• • Find one article or video supporting immigrants, DACA, TPS, and/or policies that provide a pathway to citizenship and write separate posts uplifting the content for X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 
  • Find one article or video supporting criminal justice reform, reducing incarceration, and/or expanding opportunities for people with criminal convictions and write separate posts uplifting the content for X, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Note: Please use people-first language in the assignment. See this guide for more information.  

Please submit your writing sample in the same document as your cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform daily monitoring related to FWD.us mentions in earned media, social media, as well as monitoring coverage of criminal justice and immigration in national media and online and assist with monthly analytics reports.  
• Support weekly tracking of media coverage, assist with sending out press releases and statements, including copyediting and proofreading, as requested.
• Support FWD staff in monitoring our social media accounts and executing strategies to help grow our audience and engagement across FWD.us social media accounts
• Assist with monitoring and responding to incoming messages on social media. Drafting social posts, and posting on social media platforms. Support the office's day-to-day operations.
• Provide support for visual content creation, including resizing assets, creating simple assets in Canva or other design platforms, or editing short videos for social media
• Research digital trends, reporters, and audience insights as requested
• Other tasks as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

• Interest in immigration and criminal justice reform 
• Organized and detail-oriented 
• Experience in creating digital content for a variety of social media platforms preferred, but not required 
• Basic knowledge of social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Threads, Bluesky, Youtube)
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and adapt quickly in a fast-paced environment
• Knowledge in Canva, video editing, and/or other design platforms a bonus, but not required 
• Background or interest in digital strategy, social justice, and/or communications preferred

Equal Opportunity Employment/Diversity

We are an organization committed to making the world a better place for all people. Diversity is a source of our strength, and allows us to make better decisions, be more impactful, and excel at our jobs day to day. We see our internal commitment to diversity as reflective of how we view the world and the changes we want to see become reality.

This organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applications for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.

The organization understands that too often what are viewed as the traditional credentials are subjective criteria that exclude historically marginalized communities and act as barriers to hiring and recruiting the best candidates. 

As part of FWD’s best hiring practices, we do not have educational requirements for any of our jobs.  Many of our jobs do require specific interpersonal, skill-based, technical, policy or other requirements and applicants for those jobs will be evaluated based on their level of expertise, to include lived experience and work experience - which could have taken place at an educational institution or elsewhere.

FWD.us believes in fair chances and employment opportunities that benefit everyone. Ensuring that people who have had contact with the criminal justice system--including incarceration for serious offenses and substantial periods of time--have the opportunities upon their release to fully succeed and contribute to this country is central to our work and is a value to which we are absolutely committed to uphold in how we operate and who we hire. We do not conduct criminal background checks on applicants, unless required by state or federal law for specific roles.

The organization makes reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities to allow such persons to perform the essential functions of their jobs, to the extent required by law. Employees or applicants who would like to request a reasonable accommodation should contact Management. The organization will also, where appropriate, provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s sincerely-held religious beliefs or practices.

Applicants directly impacted by the criminal justice or immigration systems are strongly encouraged to apply.