Policy Associate

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) is hiring up to three new Policy Associates to work on its new Ideas for America initiative and contribute to the success of SSN’s overall policy program. Ideas for America will help scholars develop and then elevate research-based policy proposals during the upcoming presidential election cycle, as well as in federal and state policy. As Ideas for America launches, we anticipate that each Policy Associate will focus on different parts of the overall project: one on campaign engagement, one on federal policy, and one on state policy. As specific opportunities arise on the project, we will work as a team to seize them across each portfolio of work.

Policy Associates work on a variety of issue areas related to our members’ research and interests. The Policy Associate will cultivate requests from policymakers and civic organizations for connections to certain scholars or research, proactively identify policy opportunities and activate scholars around them, and help individual scholars seeking advice on how to engage with their research. Along with others on the SSN staff, Policy Associates will periodically facilitate SSN’s various policy engagement trainings for groups of researchers both virtually and in person.

The Policy Associate is a full-time position with a salary hiring range between $58,000-$66,000, based on qualifications and experience. SSN’s competitive benefits include generous time off, health insurance, professional development opportunities and resources, and a 403B retirement plan with an employer match. This position falls within the SSN employee union and is covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. SSN currently operates in a remote-first, hybrid work environment, but this role may be available as a fully remote position for an exceptionally qualified candidate. For employees located in Massachusetts, SSN provides the option to work at SSN’s main offices, located at 501 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116. Employees located out of state will be expected to participate in-person for semi-annual staff gatherings. 

The person in this position will be part of SSN’s Policy team and reports directly to SSN’s Director of Policy. This is a grant-funded position ending in December 2027. Although the grant is expected to end in December 2027, the hope is that additional funding will be obtained to extend employment.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

SSN has a Policy team that supports and creates opportunities for a large and growing network of over 2,100 members who work in more than 330 colleges and universities across the US. SSN also supports a network of 37 chapters led by volunteer members in 33 states. Among other tasks, the Policy Associate will: 

Contribute to the Ideas for America Program

• Policy Proposal Development: The Associate will help scholars develop innovative policy proposals based on their research and expertise. 
• Broker relationships & support engagement: Ideas for America includes significant amounts of direct outreach to policymakers and election campaign staff to facilitate relationships with scholars and elevate their policy proposals. The Associate will build their own relationships with relevant stakeholders so they are well-positioned to identify opportunities to elevate these policy proposals and put scholars in a position to engage successfully. We anticipate that much of the initial relationship building between the Associate and stakeholders will need to be done in-person, requiring travel. 
• Execute Ideas for America programming: The Associate will work closely with other SSN staff to plan and facilitate various in-person and virtual events for Ideas for America participants. We anticipate that this will include a launch event in early 2027 and subsequent events as opportunities arise. 

Connect scholars to policymakers and civic organizations

• Edit and translate: The Associate will help scholars translate their academic writing into accessible language that is intelligible to broad public audiences and effectively communicative to policy actors. This translation process includes editing policy writing for content and style and advising on framing and messaging.
• Broker relationships: The Associate will connect scholars and their research to policymakers and civic organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. The Associate will do this by advising scholars on how to reach out, cultivating their own relationships with policy actors, and soliciting and responding to requests from policy actors.
• Seize opportunities: The Associate will identify opportunities for research to inform policy, activate scholars around those opportunities, and advise scholars on how to engage audiences outside academia. To do this, the Associate will track policy debates, legislation, regulation changes, and litigation; and build their own relationships with policymakers and civic organizations to source requests for scholar expertise. 
• Coach and support: The Associate will coach and support scholars on how to engage in the policy process. They will provide advice on relationship building, editing and feedback on written documents like research briefs and testimony, and training on the policy process. The Associate will also support researchers as they conduct meetings with policymakers and civic organizations.
• Facilitate SSN trainings: Along with other SSN staff, the Associate will, on occasion, facilitate various in-person and online policy engagement trainings. 

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be a self-starter with a deep interest in making research matter and improving public policy. The ideal candidate for this position would be:

• An individual with at least 3 years of experience in a policymaking office (e.g., state or federal legislative office, state or federal agency, mayoral or other local office, etc.) or on campaigns; or at least 1 year of experience and a relevant advanced degree (such as a JD or PhD).  
• Someone with a solid understanding of policymaking processes (e.g., legislative processes, administrative/agency processes, implementation and evaluation, etc) and electoral campaigns.
• Comfortable and ideally have experience working with policymakers on both sides of the political aisle. 
• Experienced in how to do basic research, especially legislative and policy research.
• An excellent writer and proofreader, capable of translating complex concepts into easy-to-understand language. 
• A good facilitator and excited to teach others new skills and information. 
• Comfortable with travel. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Salesforce, Asana, Google Docs, Dropbox, virtual meeting channels like Zoom, and content databases.
• Committed to SSN’s mission and fully understanding how to make use of SSN’s structure as a voluntary, federated network of member researchers.
   

SSN is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. People of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, and women are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates considering a career transition or whose skills and experience fulfill some, but not all of the qualifications above are encouraged to apply.