Director of Policy and Legislation (NCS) - Comptroller's Office

This is a non-civil service position.

Pay

Salary Range: $89,994.00 - $143,864.00 annually
Hiring Salary Range: $89,994.00 - $116,929.00 annually

About the role

The office of the Comptroller of Baltimore City leads efforts to modernize systems and to increase transparency, information accessibility, government accountability, and efficiency. The Comptroller’s Central Office and its teams work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to continuously improve and modernize government processes, demystify City business, make information available to the public, and communicate clearly and proactively with internal and external customers.

The Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs supports the Chief of Staff and Comptroller directly and reports to the Deputy Chief of Staff on matters of legislative affairs, special projects, community affairs, and policy initiatives. This is a non-civil, at-will position of trust.

Responsibilities

• Provides oversight, administration, and coordination of all aspects of policy work for the Office of the Comptroller.
• Collaborates internally and externally to inform and implement policies that enhance the transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of City government.
• Acquires subject matter expertise through research, experience, and internal and external relationships.
• Collects, organizes, and interprets information for persuasion and presentation in both formal and informal reports.
• Prepares and/or coordinates with a team of colleagues quantitative reports on a wide range of City government policy, practice, and policy issues.
• Evaluates policies, programs, and procedures that address issues of transparency, accountability, and efficiency of government for comparative and best practice assessment purposes, including those of other municipalities.
• Undertakes literature reviews on a range of governance issues and prepares written and verbal reports on the subject.
• Collaborates with the Comptroller’s Data Manager to examine, manipulate, format, and query existing City government and external databases to produce narrative reports and thematic mapping efforts.
• Designs, plans, implements, and prepares special research projects as directed.
• Prepares correspondence and works with the Deputy Director of Communications to inform speaking notes on a range of governance issues, problems, and resources for elected officials and agency staff.
• Represents the agency at meetings and events.
• Provides oversight, administration, and coordination of legislative affairs on behalf of the Comptroller and office of the Comptroller.
• Develops and maintains relationships with City Council members and staff and other elected officials to facilitate the exchange of information and support the Comptroller's legislative and policy priorities.
• Serves as liaison with Baltimore City Council and Maryland General Assembly on legislative issues.
• Monitors and analyzes proposed legislation and initiatives that may impact City government policies and operations; recommends actions and leads response.
• Collaborates with other City legislative offices when appropriate.
• Leads preparation of testimony and represents the Office of the Comptroller at legislative hearings.
• Provides oversight of the planning, organizing, and coordination of community engagement on behalf of the Comptroller and office of the Comptroller.
• Manages, with direct and indirect staff, a variety of special projects, events, and engagement activities by creating and executing plans of action and prioritizing multiple tasks effectively.
• Represents the department or program at meetings and community functions in a liaison capacity with other city managers and officials.
• Attends and represents the Comptroller at community and stakeholder meetings, community events, and other special events across Baltimore City, including evenings and weekends as needed.
• Coordinates the Comptroller’s participation in public events, develops talking points, and manages logistics for events hosted by the Office of the Comptroller.
• Develops short- and long-term goals for community engagement.
• Provides oversight of constituent services on behalf of the Office of the Comptroller.
• Manages direct customer service to constituents via phone, email, and written correspondence; logs and tracks interactions, outcomes, and follow-up in a centralized data system.
• Maintains organized records and files of constituent inquiries and requests.
• Leads special projects that can include drafting or oversight of special reports at the direction of the Comptroller and/or Chief of Staff and in collaboration with other members of the Central Office Teams (e.g., analysis of City legal settlements, recommendations for prompt grant payments, revenue reports for real property sales).
• Drafts plain language summaries of audit reports.
• Collaborates with Communications, IT Systems Management, and other internal and external colleagues on deliverables.
• Manages staff consistent with City HR policies; participates in management training as required, meets regularly with operational team; provides consistent and timely feedback to staff including timely evaluations coordinated via the City’s current HR management system (Workday).
• Participates in annual budgeting processes to ensure appropriate budget levels and requests for staffing and operational needs.
• Meets regularly with peer managers to coordinate and collaborate on shared work and/or special projects.
• Performs other related work as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience or transferable skills and experience applicable to public administration/policy/legislation.
• Familiarity with the Baltimore and Maryland legislative processes.
• Valid Maryland Class C Noncommercial driver's license or an equivalent driver's license and be eligible to obtain a Baltimore City driver’s permit. Provisional driver’s licenses are not acceptable.

Note: You must upload a copy of your valid driver’s license with the application at the time of applying.

Qualifications

• Strong interest in public service, government, government policy, and Baltimore City politics.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Reliable, diligent, detail-oriented, and organized.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to perform work with tact, speed, and discretion with strict adherence to confidentiality policies.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with government officials and employees.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends as necessary or assigned.
• Detail-oriented, reliable, and capable of handling multiple responsibilities independently and efficiently.
• Demonstrated competence in organizing and managing events, meetings, and schedules.

Benefits

The city offers medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, optional life, AD&D, and FSA plans. This office also supplies wellness programs, support groups, and workshops.

Learn more about our benefits: https://humanresources.baltimorecity.gov/hr-divisions/benefits

Additional Information

• Eligible candidates under final consideration for appointment to positions identified as positions of trust will be required to complete authorization for a Criminal Background Check and/or Fingerprint screening, and must be successfully completed.
• All persons, including current City employees, selected for this position must complete a 6-month mandatory probation.
• This position is required to complete a Financial Disclosure pursuant to Sections 7-7, 7-8, and 7-9 of the City Ethics Law.