Policy Director - Sustainable Cities for All

POSITION TITLE: Policy Director- Sustainable Cities for All

LOCATION: Remote

STATUS: Exempt

APPLY BY: Open Until Filled

Organization Overview

This position, available immediately, is an exciting opportunity to join the staff at PolicyLink. PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works®. We are dedicated to improving the lives of the 100 million people in America who live in or near poverty, particularly those facing the barriers of structural racism. We are currently working remotely. Please visit our website at: www.policylink.org.

Position Overview

PolicyLink is seeking a Policy Director to support our new Sustainable Cities program designed to cultivate community-driven partnerships with city governments and local elected leaders to advance racial wealth equity and climate-related outcomes for Black populations. The Policy Director provides leadership and facilitation across a team of senior associates responsible for providing racial wealth equity and climate strategy, expertise, and support to local initiatives.

Sustainable Cities is a national initiative that invests in transformational local solutions at the intersection of climate change and racial wealth equity by strengthening the capacity of relationships between cities and communities to co-create and implement solutions. The initiative will prioritize deep investment over four years in up to 25 cities with significant Black populations and high levels of climate vulnerability and racial wealth inequity. PolicyLink serves as the lead partner for Sustainable Cities and will coordinate the efforts of national, regional, and local partners to implement a portfolio of community engagements.

The Policy Director role has senior strategic and leadership responsibilities and serves as a critical point of coordination, information sharing, and coaching across Sustainable Cities partners. The Policy Director will lead and build relationships across the senior associate team, provide technical expertise where needed, and support the development of innovative policy and project approaches for local communities. This position reports to the Sustainable Cities Senior Director.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Manage a team of senior strategy associates to implement a portfolio of local initiatives that take an intersectional approach to climate and equity initiatives.
• Develop overarching strategies for advancing community-driven programs and policies at the intersection of racial wealth equity and climate change.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with national and regional subject matter experts to support high-quality learning and technical support.
• Oversee the curation and deployment of subject matter technical assistance as well as the curation of a bench of Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led technical assistance providers and consultants to accelerate the work of participating jurisdictions.
• Support the creation of subject matter learning and strategy cohorts for program participants.

Program Communications

• Manage day-to-day communications across the senior associate team to support shared understanding, effective program delivery, and internal trust.
• Build, support, and grow strategic partnerships and connections across the team of core partners through convening and facilitation to inform and advance progress on the ground through regional teams.

Program Operations

• Develop and implement state and federal policy, advocacy, and stakeholder strategy in support to advance participating city cohort strategic goals.
• Oversee the development, coordination, and deployment of the initiative’s subject matter technical assistance strategy, providers, and programming.
• Coordinate engagement and deployment of all internal and external content and subject matter experts.
• Partner with regional teams to ensure effective communications, coordination, and partnerships with stakeholders within and across cities.
• Provide coaching and support to the senior associate team as they deliver expertise in climate solutions (including state-level policy and advocacy, climate learning, research, water and climate, etc.) and racial wealth equity (including a focus on infrastructure, procurement, workforce development, housing).
• Provide coaching and support to the Field Director as warranted to better ensure effective integration of subject matter expertise both vertically and horizontally.
• Interface with city mayors, community-based organizations, and other key program stakeholders.

Learning Culture

• Translate program activities into a learning and evaluation framework that can be applied across and outside of our Sustainable Cities initiative.

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge Required

• Skilled at executing multipartner strategies.
• A politically astute leader with the ability to set clear priorities, delegate, and guide partnerships and systems.
• Keen analytic, organization, and problem-solving skills, which support and enable sound decision making.
• Excellent coalition-building skills with an ability to communicate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of racial wealth equity principles and programs and/or city climate and sustainability initiatives.

Experience Qualifications

• Experience leading teams and being part of large, cross-sector, multipartner initiatives.
• Experience developing and implementing public policy programs and initiatives at the intersection of climate action and equity.
• Experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices — both at the programmatic and administrative levels — that work to eliminate systemic institutional marginalization and promote inclusion and anti-racist practices.
• Experience working with community-based organizations and/or other frontline organizations that serve communities.

Additional Candidate Characteristics

• Ability to travel approximately 20% of the time.
• Able to manage a constantly evolving landscape, and shift priorities accordingly.
• Passionate about work at the intersection of racial wealth equity and climate change, advancing approaches to community co-creation, and developing strategies to mitigate extraction and harm.
• Sense of humor and a passion for prioritizing joy.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $135,000 – $175,000 dependent on experience.

PolicyLink provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401k match, ancillary benefits, access to Flexible Spending Accounts, commuter expenses, and generous leave benefits.

To Apply:

We accept online applications only.

Please note_: No phone calls please._ Only those selected to participate in our hiring process will be contacted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

PolicyLink strongly values equity and believes in a just and fair society where all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. We work towards a more inclusive world and as such we are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. PolicyLink is committed to maintaining a diverse and multicultural working environment.

“Proof of eligibility to work in the United States must be provided if selected for hire.”

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