Pew Charitable Trusts Hiring for Higher Education Policy Advocate Job at Washington, DC Full Time

Application deadline: Tuesday, November 2nd

Project on Student Borrower Success
Pew’s project on student borrower success is an operating project of the Trusts that was launched in 2018 and seeks to promote successful repayment of student loan debt, especially among those borrowers at greatest risk of delinquency and default. The project is pursuing evidence-based federal policy and regulatory reforms that improve the student loan repayment and servicing systems. Our efforts have and will continue to involve an array of activities and tactics, including research to build the evidence base for reform; coalition-building; grassroots networking; communications and media outreach strategies; convenings; policymaker and public education; and direct lobbying.

Position Overview
The officer is responsible for designing and advancing high-level campaign strategy and serving as a lead in the development and maintenance of bipartisan contacts and relationships. S/he will identify political opportunities, forge diverse partnerships, and implement systematic advocacy plans with the goal of securing policy objectives.

The position, based in Pew’s Washington, D.C., office, reports to the project director, project on student borrower success. The position has a set time frame that could be extended based on the success of the program, funding sources, and board decisions on continued support.

Responsibilities

• Represent Pew by regularly interacting and attending meetings with key project stakeholders, including with members of Congress, the administration, industry, and the Department of Education. Work to understand their priorities, identify areas of mutual interest, and, where possible, work collaboratively to advance reforms that improve borrower outcomes.
• Work with other project staff and paid contractors or lobbyists to develop and implement proactive strategies that advance the campaign’s policy recommendations.
• Build and mobilize an extensive, geographically diverse grassroots coalition and establish, foster, and manage cooperative working relationships with a broad cross-section of stakeholders as necessary to achieve the project goals.
• Maintain an expertise in the field around the tactics, goals, and strategies of successful advocacy campaigns and also of key stakeholders in order to integrate that information into evolving strategic and advocacy-related plans.
• Perform policy analysis, including writing about, interpreting, and summarizing major pieces of legislation. Incorporate key Pew research into this analysis and propose and take the lead on creation of campaign materials.
• Maintain a broad understanding of student debt research by Pew and influential thought leaders. Work with the team on the development of key research questions relevant to the campaign’s research and policy goals and to carry out resulting research projects.
• Translate research materials for a lay audience, ensuring that accuracy is maintained while clarity and brevity are prioritized.
• Work with the team to develop materials such as reports, briefs, fact sheets, social media, and web-based content that are highly relevant to policy deliberations and easily understood by the public, media and policymakers.
• Significantly contribute to the project’s public outreach, and ensure that communications and outreach are used strategically to advance the project’s overall goals. Represent the campaign publicly at conferences and events.
• Ensure that all campaign work is consistent with Pew policies and guidelines and work collaboratively with other Pew teams to achieve project goals, including government relations, communications, and legal.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required.
• At least eight years of relevant professional experience is required.
• Prior to commencing employment with Pew, candidates for this position who were registered to lobby in any jurisdiction must certify termination of previous registration(s) and provide copies of termination notices with said jurisdiction(s) to Pew.
• Participation or experience in developing and leading successful federal issue advocacy campaigns is preferred. Experience with federal policy development and advocacy related to higher education is highly desirable.
• A keen understanding of the importance of rigorous, timely and policy-relevant research; experience disseminating it effectively to policymakers, the media, and the public. Experience using data, research, and/or policy analysis to develop advocacy goals is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated strong analytic and strategic skills. Ability to synthesize large amounts of information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue/problem, determine whether it is ripe for intervention, and identify the means to address it. A strong commitment to producing measurable results.
• A task-oriented style, with focus on achieving clear and ambitious goals. Demonstrated ability to meet multiple deadlines by maintaining a high-level of organization. Able to develop and move projects forward with a high degree of independence and autonomy.
• Politically astute; able to understand the needs and motivations of different individuals and institutions with varied political and policy goals and work with project leadership and peers to conceptualize win-win scenarios to satisfy multiple agendas and stakeholders.
• Exhibits skills of diplomacy; clear bi-partisan orientation. Able to work productively with a wide array of different people and institutions that may disagree with or be in competition with one another.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including an ease in briefly summarizing the essence of issues and means to address them. Strong oral, presentation, facilitation, and written communication skills. Clear, effective writing style.
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to develop and manage productive relationships with the Pew team and staff, consultants, partners and others who contribute to the development of a project by anticipating possible outcomes. Excellent listening skills. Highly articulate.

Travel
This position requires occasional overnight travel for meetings and conferences.

Total Rewards
We offer a competitive salary and benefit program, including: comprehensive, affordable health care through medical, dental, and vision coverage; financial security with life and disability insurance; opportunities to save using health savings and flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits to help prepare for the future; and work/life benefits to maintain a good balance.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pew considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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