Senior Manager, Immigration
ABOUT MORE IN COMMON
More in Common’s mission is to build a more united and inclusive America that is resilient to the profound threats posed by our country’s polarization. We work with leaders across fields and across the ideological spectrum to strengthen American democracy, solve problems, and better navigate the dynamics of a polarized society. More in Common US works alongside teams in seven other major democracies. Globally, More in Common is comprised of a team of almost 70 people working in national offices in the US, Brazil, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the UK.
Our work is built on More in Common’s unique audience and opinion research, grounded in social psychology. We promote a better understanding of Americans’ perspectives, providing fresh insights about not just what Americans think, but why. We find Americans’ views are more complex and varied than is often assumed, and while the most divisive voices are often the loudest, they rarely represent most Americans. Our work cuts through the ‘perception gaps’—the false impressions that Americans hold about each other—to highlight common ground, identify the areas of genuine difference, and reveal ways Americans can come together to tackle our shared challenges.
Deploying our people-centered insights, we engage with hundreds of civil society organizations, cultural institutions, philanthropy, political actors, the media, unions, faith groups, and corporations across the country. We work across issue areas, including in social cohesion, bridge-building, immigration, democracy, climate, and faith. We partner with leaders and institutions to help them navigate the challenges of polarization, communicate in ways that reach new audiences and execute strategies that bring Americans together across differences.
In taking on the challenge of uniting a divided America, More in Common is grappling with a daunting problem that has many dimensions. We believe that we have a better chance at success if our team reflects a broad range of disciplines, social and cultural backgrounds, beliefs, political parties, and life experiences.
For more information on More in Common, please visit the website.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Senior Manager, Immigration (new role)
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.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Manager, Immigration will work closely with More in Common’s co-founder, its US team and, to a lesser extent, with colleagues in other countries. They will lead this portfolio end-to-end — contributing to the strategy, translating insight into action, and representing the work externally. The Senior Manager will have one direct report, and will coordinate with staff in research, communications and development roles.
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.
Who We’re Looking For
You thrive at the intersection of research, strategy, and communication, and are motivated by the challenge of helping the country navigate one of its most polarized issues with greater clarity and integrity. You are deeply interested in immigration and public life, though not necessarily from a technical or policy perspective; you are curious about how people with different, often conflicted views understand immigration, including those who feel frustrated or disengaged from the debate; you are not tribal in your outlook and can build trust with people from different ideological or personal backgrounds. You enjoy digging into public opinion research, both quantitative and qualitative, and have a good sense of judgment about which insights matter most. You are a good storyteller who can convey information in fresh and interesting ways.
You care deeply about rigor, accuracy, and relevance, and focus on producing insights that are timely, constructive, and genuinely useful to leaders, practitioners, and the public. You are a strong communicator who can translate complex findings into clear frameworks, compelling narratives, and accessible visuals, and you are energized by bringing the perspectives of the often-overlooked middle of the public into national conversations. You are a collaborative, senior team member comfortable leading work end-to-end—setting direction, managing projects, working across disciplines, and representing insights externally—while keeping an eye on what’s emerging next and how More in Common’s work can stay relevant and impactful.
Qualifications & Experience
We look for people who are a great fit for More in Common more than we look for specific qualifications and experience. However, the following will be an asset for this role:
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. Comfort navigating complex data sets; experience with analytical tools (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R, Python) is a plus but not required.
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.
Values & Perspective
Each member of our team makes a vital contribution to our work, and we put a strong emphasis on character, culture, and values in hiring. We look for people who:
Believe people have more in common than what divides them, and are motivated to understand what’s driving division and how we can make progress together on shared challenges.
Embrace a ‘people-centered’ lens, bringing deep curiosity about how others see the world, genuine respect for perspectives different from their own, and an interest in elevating voices that are often overlooked.
Bring big ambition with humility, believing this work matters and can make a difference, while putting the mission ahead of ego and being generous with colleagues and partners.
Care about rigor and relevance, striving to produce insights that are not only accurate, but accessible, timely, and impactful for partners, leaders, and the public.
Work comfortably across ideological and cultural lines, engaging disagreement with curiosity and good faith rather than judgment or certainty.
Act with integrity, generosity, and courage, willing to ask hard questions, challenge assumptions, and approach complex, sensitive issues with kindness and curiosity.
Bring optimism, creativity, and a sense of humor to the work, grounded in a belief that urgency and hope can coexist—and that even in hard moments, a good laugh helps teams do their best work.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary for the role is $105,000-$115,000. More in Common offers excellent benefits, including generous leave policy, matching 401(k), medical, and a personal learning and growth budget.
Application Process
Please submit:
A resume
Brief response to the following question:
Why are you interested in this role at this stage in your career?
Describe a time you helped shift thinking on a polarized issue.
Process
Submit Application
First Round Interview
Second Round Interview
Written Test
Final Round Interview