Senior Director of Policy

Summary

Join The States Project (TSP) as their Senior Director of Policy! This full-time, remote position, with some travel, leads a team in developing impactful state-level policy ideas. You will oversee policy development processes, manage staff, and collaborate with various stakeholders. The ideal candidate possesses an MA/MPA/MPP/MS or JD, significant policy experience, and strong leadership skills. TSP offers a competitive benefits package including health insurance, paid time off, 401k matching, and professional development opportunities. Apply by January 15, 2025.

Requirements

• MA, MPA, MPP, or MS or a JD
• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience working in politics, policy, or government
• Three to five years of experience managing full-time staff
• Passion for and alignment with the organization’s mission, vision, and theory of change
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Highly collaborative approach
• Capable of independently managing/prioritizing time and tasks associated with a fast-paced organization
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating ideas into policy solutions
• Demonstrated track record of strong stakeholder management and experience representing an organization/office with diverse audiences
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Extensive successful policy research, writing, and editing experience (including legislative drafting and analysis of legislative language and legal text)
• Excellent judgment and creative problem solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Experience with or substantial knowledge of U.S. state legislatures and/or state policy, ideally with direct experience working with state lawmakers and/or staff

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee processes to identify and evaluate state-level policy ideas most likely to advance America’s Goals, including building out strategies to generate innovative ideas from diverse sources (including but not limited to lawmakers, experts, academics, practitioners, advocates, other countries, federal opportunities, think tanks, TSP staff, press/media coverage, existing state legislation, etc.)
• In collaboration with VP of Lawmaker Engagement, oversee external stakeholder tracking for policy partners, and manage a set of key partner relationships. Evaluate and prioritize new policy ideas and translate them into model policies and lawmaker resources that advance America’s Goals and align with TSP’s principles
• Analyze and assess policy ideas from a communications risk lens, focusing on how policies may be perceived and what impact they may have in differing state legislative landscapes
• Identify opportunities to expand the effectiveness, innovation, and reach of potential model policies and lawmaker resources,  including through media scanning and engaging with external partner programming
• Identify and contribute to strategic opportunities to disseminate policy work to key stakeholders, including presenting to supporters and external partners as needed
• Contribute to all Lawmaker Engagement products, programming, and resources that feature TSP policies (TSP agenda, seminars, briefings, task forces, fellowship, etc.)
• In collaboration with internal teams, ensure that TSP’s work is responsive to the needs of lawmakers in priority states as well as responsive to changes in the national political environment (including changes in federal landscape, shifts in federal funding, Supreme Court decisions, etc.)
• Lead rapid response policy development work as needed
• With the Director of Lawmaker Communications and outside consultants, oversee public opinion polling, and ensure use of insights and data in policy development processes
• With other members of Lawmaker Engagement, Communications, and Research teams, oversee tracking policy trends and major landscape updates based on news, academic research/journals, thought leaders, peer orgs, and global activity and ensure such trends are accounted for in policy development activities
• Oversight and responsibility for quality control, consistency, and excellence across all TSP policies throughout different stages of development
• Ensure that all research and policy development work follows research best practices, effectively/strategically utilizes data, and aligns with internal standards
• Oversee and occasionally directly draft model policy language
• Strategically identify ways to fill gaps in existing model Policy Library and resources in order to advance progress toward America’s Goals
• In collaboration with VP of Lawmaker Engagement, provide updates to the senior team, including developing and overseeing a process for updating internal teams on ongoing policy development and assessment activities
• Oversee process for monitoring states’ introductions and enactments of policies to ensure accuracy within the TSP Policy Library
• Working with VP of Lawmaker Engagement, set and manage overall strategy, goals, and metrics of success for all policy development related priorities
• Manage team of full-time staff policy staff and consultants to translate policy ideas into actionable policy solutions that advance America's Goals in principles-aligned ways
• In collaboration with VP of Lawmaker Engagement, train and coach direct reports on organizational and programmatic systems, processes, norms, and best practices
• Propose and lead new cross-team initiatives to advance TSP’s policy work
• Provide strong day-to-day management and support of full-time staff and consultants, including ensuring the policy team can be sustained over time through strong systems, processes, training, and infrastructure
• Ensure that policy development and assessment activities meet goals and metrics in equitable, inclusive, and organizationally-aligned ways
• Collaborate with other internal teams on policy development as well as keep internal stakeholders informed on key policy decisions

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working in partnership with communications and public affairs teams on how best to translate policy work

Benefits

• 75% paid coverage of medical, dental, and vision for individuals and dependents
• Basic life insurance
• An employee assistance program
• Unlimited PTO
• 401(k) matching
• Annual professional development
• Wellness
• Work-from-home stipends
• Paid family leave