Head of Public Policy

About the role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Head of Public Policy who will lead our Federal, State, and Local policy work. As a member of the External Affairs Team, you will design and execute a policy strategy to shape the college-to-career field.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate and steward key relationships for Braven within the Department of Education and relevant federal agencies, the White House, Congress, gubernatorial administrations, and state legislative bodies, as well as with relevant think tanks, coalitions, advocacy orgs, and trade associations
• Proactively monitor, analyze, and influence key policymaker activity and legislation at the federal and regional levels
• Engage and steward governmental affairs professionals who work at Braven's higher education partners
• Utilize strategic storytelling to develop a compelling narrative for policymakers at the local, state, and federal level
• Cultivate Braven alumni interested in representing Braven at public policy events
• Support Braven's Employer Partnership team and Product teams in thinking through our 'Government' employer partnerships and career channels strategy
• Manage several state lobbying contracts in key Braven regions
• Develop and implement federal and regional policy strategy, agenda, and goals
• Draft legislative and policy memoranda, legislator education and communications materials
• Build regional policy strategy and agendas, in conjunction with Executive Directors, contracted lobbyists, and regional staff, with the creation of research, materials, and talking points, and, if needed, represent Braven in key coalitions and coordinated advocacy campaigns
• Track cultivation and stakeholder engagement efforts in Salesforce, spreadsheets, and other project management tools
• Prepare communication and correspondence describing Braven's policy goals and accomplishments for reporting purposes to the board, funders, and other stakeholders
• Run an annual Capitol Hill Policy Fellows program for Braven Post-Accelerator Fellows, bringing students to DC and helping them obtain influential policy internships
• Grow and lead a coalition of organizations in the college-to-career space
• Design and facilitate necessary legislative training and professional development for staff and alumni who engage in public policy opportunities and engagements
• Affiliate with planning an execution of an annual convening of higher education partners and an annual organization-wide Capitol Hill Advocacy day, securing meetings with elected officials and high-level speakers and panelists
• Project manage and draft federal, state, and local grant applications for public funding with support from regional and central teams
• Effectively coach one full-time associate director of policy to become the strongest version of themselves, aligned to the goals of their role and their professional aspirations, as well as meet organizational philanthropic goals
• Coordinate with regional Executive Directors to understand pain points, brainstorm solutions, navigate differences, set vision and direction, and maintain alignment among all staff who contribute to our policy agenda
• Manage state lobbying contracts

Requirements

• BS/BA or relevant experience
• 7+ years of experience in legislative policy and advocacy
• 2-3 years managing other people

Preferred Qualifications:

• MPP, MPA or JD preferred
• Experience in the non-profit industry, higher education, or workforce development policy
• Experience working directly in a state legislature or Governor's office and/or working in Congress

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Washington (DC), Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NYC), or Newark (NJ) at least 3 days per week
• Travel: Ability to travel several times per month for a few days at a time during busy legislative seasons
• Non-traditional hours: Ability to work after hours: 5-7 nights per semester to support org-wide volunteer events as needed (Mock-Interview Night, etc), regional site visits, or other stakeholder engagement events