Senior Director of Policy and Research

Senior Director, Policy & Research

Full Time, Exempt

Remote in Washington, D.C.

Position Summary

Economic Security Project is seeking a Senior Director of Policy and Research to lead our policy, research, and agenda-setting work in Washington, DC. This person will be responsible for developing sharp policy analysis to inform our strategy, crafting concrete yet bold policy proposals that improve people's lives, and representing our ideas and work in Washington, DC. The role combines high-level policy leadership with hands-on analysis and research.

The Director develops and steers initiatives to advance progressive economic policies, working closely with the Executive Team to identify opportunities and build broader support for the organization's agenda. They will foster crucial partnerships with academics, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and community groups to ensure policy work is both expertly informed and grounded in community experiences. Their work will strengthen the impact and reach of the organization's policy work with partners, policymakers, and the press by deploying persuasive evidence in support of our advocacy efforts. They will serve as a top advisor and thought partner to Economic Security Project's Executive Director and President and will serve as a senior leader within the organization.

The role demands strong research and writing capabilities to produce rigorous policy materials and provide technical assistance to policymakers and partners. The Director ensures research quality across products while supporting colleagues and board members in their policy communications. They collaborate with research partners, synthesize complex research for various audiences. Success in this position requires a unique blend of strategic vision, policy expertise, research rigor, and relationship-building skills.

About Us

We believe in an America where everyone has the freedom and stability required to thrive.

We are strongest when people are the authors of their own lives. But the inequalities in wealth and power created by bad actors, structural racism, and outdated ideas on how the economy should work have left us all more insecure and less resilient. We can make a different set of choices.

The Economic Security Project advocates for ideas that build economic power for all Americans. We legitimize bold ideas by supporting cutting edge research and elevating champions, win concrete policy victories for the communities that need to see change now, and provoke the conventional wisdom to shift what's considered possible. Our team of academics, organizers, practitioners and culture makers disburse grants, run issue campaigns, develop creative interventions and research products, and convene to encourage investment and action from others.

We pick our fights based on our analysis of where strategic mobilization of people and resources could turn emerging trends into concrete policies. Our current efforts include putting cash into people's pockets with a guaranteed income and policies like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit; and keeping corporations out of them by checking the unprecedented concentration of economic power with antimonopoly action. We believe these fights will get us closer to a world where families can pay the heating bills and make the rent, where consumers have choices and small businesses, a fighting chance. A future where we all have a chance not to just survive, but thrive with dignity.

Our Track Record

We've convened thousands in briefings, workshops, and marquee events to strategize and set the agenda for a more just political economy. We passed policies in over seven states to modernize the tax code, won over $1 trillion in checks for families in response to the pandemic, and spearheaded the federal fight for a guaranteed income for kids in the form of the expanded Child Tax Credit. These cash-based policies reduced poverty in the middle of a recession, in the words of one observer, "defying gravity".

And we've built the field by investing over $25 million directly into groundbreaking research; pilots and task forces; coalitions and campaigns; new initiatives and organizations; and trend-setting narrative and cultural interventions to advance racial and economic justice and reset the conversation. As a result, ideas that were once considered impossible are now at the center of a vision for an economy where people are the authors of their own lives.

We've worked alongside thousands across the country exercising political muscle, moral imagination, and on-the-ground experimentation. It'll take this and so much more in the years ahead; we are in a broader fight for a multiracial democracy and an economy that works for all. Our task is to deliver and we're looking for talent to join us in the fight.

Our Team & Culture

Our successes are due in large part to the diverse team we've assembled from a wide range of fields - from campaigners to policymakers to activists to academics. We're building an organization that supports and resources our staff to drive forward work that is critical to our mission.

We are committed to creating a best-in-class staff experience that promotes growth and performance, which requires a culture of active problem-solving, feedback, communication, and accountability. As a fully remote organization, ESP staff can work from anywhere in the country. We actively support and encourage people taking time away from work, including two weeks of full office closures and a six-week sabbatical at 5 years of service, in addition to our standard PTO. You can find more information on our full benefits offerings below.

Our internal work is deeply rooted in our values around diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that our policies and processes are equitable and informed by a wide range of lived experiences. We invest in our people's professional development and promote regular conversations about career goals and growth opportunities. We provide opportunities to come together in person for both strategic planning and relationship-building, and we're always up to take a game of trivia a little too seriously.

Responsibilities

Strategy, policy leadership and ideas advocacy (50%)

• Drive strategy and goal-setting for ESP & ESPA's policy, research, and agenda-setting work in Washington, DC
• Develop and lead initiatives to advance new economic policy ideas, with a particular emphasis on building broader support for our agenda
• Work with the Executive Team to identify and move on opportunities and trends in progressive economic policymaking
• Elevate the visibility of ESP, its views, and its partners with key external audiences, through research, writing, events, and external representation
• Build out a policy and research team to support the organization's organizing, campaigns, and agenda-setting efforts
• Cultivate and sustain partnerships with academics, think tanks, advocacy organizations, and community-based groups to ensure that policy initiatives are informed by diverse expertise and grounded in the lived experiences of affected communities.

Research, writing, and ideas advocacy (50%)

Work Environment

The Economic Security Project is a virtual office with staff across the country. This position is designed for someone based in Washington, DC.

Salary

The salary range for this position is $167k-205k. The final salary will depend on experience and location. This role includes a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

ESP provides a robust benefits package which includes the following :

Access to commuter and flexible spending accounts

Because the Economic Security Project values a diverse and representative workplace, people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and people of all gender identities are strongly encouraged to apply. ESP is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding, and enables each of us to realize our potential. Our work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and / or state in which you are working.

Experience and Qualifications

Preferred Attributes & Skills

Salary : $167,000 - $205,000