Research and Policy Director

The Washington State Budget and Policy Center (B&PC) is hiring for a strategic and visionary Research and Policy Director to guide and support the work of a team of talented policy and research staff that works to develop and advance state policies aimed at increasing economic security, racial equity, community well-being, and tribal sovereignty.

B&PC provides trusted and accessible research and analysis to strategically advance a collective movement for racially just and systemic economic change in Washington state. Our talented policy team has played a key role in passing bold economic and tax policies, such as the Working Families Tax Credit and the capital gains tax and is now working to align our work with the vision and strategies outlined in our new theory of change. Commitments to equity, anti-racism, tribal sovereignty, and economic justice are vital for a leader in this role. You will thrive in this position if you have a collaborative leadership style and interest in fostering the strengths of all team members.  

General Scope of Work

The Research and Policy Director is a member of the organization’s leadership and will be responsible for setting strategic goals, aligning team workplans with the organization’s theory of change, leading a staff team, and supporting internal organization-wide projects. Specific responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

Supporting and guiding a strong and impactful team of policy staff (approximately 50% of time)

• Supervise and mentor research and policy staff in policy research and writing, advocacy, strategic communications, and coalition-building. 
• Focus on supporting staff development and well-being, inspiring and distributing leadership among staff, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Play a key role in building B&PC’s research and legislative agenda and workplan, aligning the workplans for policy team staff with the organizational theory of change and organizational priorities, and ensuring B&PC’s policy and research work uses a racial equity lens, analysis of structural racism, and tribal sovereignty lens. 

Developing and maintaining key organizational partnerships and representing B&PC’s policy work to external audiences (approximately 15% of time)

• In collaboration with the Executive Director and other leaders within B&PC, work with policy team members to build and maintain authentic relationships with external partners, particularly those that focus on grassroots organizing – working to share power and decision-making with organizations that work directly with communities of color, communities with low incomes, and those who are most impacted by economic and fiscal policy. 
• Play a key role representing B&PC before policymakers, stakeholders, the public, and the news media.
• Support organizational fundraising efforts by tracking and reporting on grants and helping build relationships with funders.

Providing strategic organizational direction and leadership (approximately 35% of time)

• Along with the Executive Director, Communications Director, and other leaders within B&PC, set and implement the organization’s strategic goals, help guide organizational decision-making, and cultivate a shared vision and values. 
• Support efforts to implement the organization’s theory of change and advance priorities by conducting research and building and maintaining relationships with partners.
• Participate in hiring committees for open positions across the organization. 
• Engage in organization-wide conversations related to organizational culture.
• Play a coaching and supportive role with all staff as work to integrate tribal sovereignty lens into core work.  

The general scope of work may change based on time of year and organizational priorities.

Qualifications

Please note that both professional and volunteer experience is valued. In addition, we do not expect candidates to come with all of the desired skills, and we are committed to supporting new hires with training as needed.  

Must have:

• Demonstrated commitment to relationship-oriented leadership with a focus on fostering strengths of all team members.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience managing staff and/or teams, with a focus on shared leadership, mentorship, and collective impact.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in public policy research and analysis, preferably with qualitative and quantitative research experience and policy expertise in one or more of the areas that the B&PC focuses on, such as economic security or tax and budget issues.
• A deep analysis of how racism, white supremacy, and settler colonialism show up in state policymaking processes and experience using this analysis to build more equitable internal and external practices.
• Ability to write and talk about complex subjects in a way that is understandable to non-technical audiences and coach others in using strategic communications and messaging effectively with our core audiences.
• Willingness to represent B&PC’s policy work in front of both large and small audiences and serve as a media spokesperson.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Reside in Washington state at time of start date and with the ability to travel to Seattle, Olympia, and other parts of the state approximately 2 to 3 times per month as needed for in-person meetings or events.

Nice to have (optional):

• Familiarity with legislative processes and how research, communications, and outreach work together to shape public policy debates, particularly in the context of Washington state.
• Proficiency with statistical analysis software such as R, SPSS, or STATA (including experience with requesting and cleaning data).
• Experience producing data visualizations using Adobe Creative Suite or other design tools.
• Experience centering the knowledge of impacted communities by prioritizing community input, evaluating ideas with partners at the beginning of (and throughout) research and policy development, and advancing messaging and narratives that highlight community assets/strengths.
• Experience supporting organizational fundraising (e.g., grant writing and contract management).
• Fluency in a language other than English that is prevalent in Washington state (for example, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, or Russian).

Hiring Note

Hiring for this position is happening alongside an Executive Director transition. The successful candidate will be adaptable and interested in shaping the future of the Budget and Policy Center in alignment with our theory of change. 

The annualized salary for this position ranges from $95,500 - $107,500 per year, depending on experience. Salary ranges are set in alignment with our organizational compensation philosophy, which is reviewed and updated regularly by the board of directors. Given evidence that salary negotiation is a process where inequities can occur, often resulting in lower salaries for women and people of color, B&PC does not negotiate salary offers. Instead, our practice is to offer candidates the best possible compensation, based on the principals of our compensation philosophy, the candidate's demonstrated experience and the established range for the position.

B&PC offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, vision, and dental insurance, life and long-term disability insurance, retirement, employee assistance program, and flexible spending accounts. We also offer four weeks of paid vacation and one week of personal days per year, as well as 12 paid holidays and generous sick leave. Each B&PC staff member has a dedicated professional development budget of $1,000 per year. Work-related travel (outside the Seattle area) expenses are reimbursable.  

This position works weekdays during regular business hours; however, limited evening and weekend work may be required. B&PC prioritizes an organizational work week and scheduling policy that allows for employee rest, well-being, and flexibility and that meets the needs of each staff member, while balancing organizational and team needs.  

To support staff well-being, B&PC has a 32-hour work week. Staff have the option to work Monday through Thursday or to work a modified schedule of 6.5 hours per day, Monday through Friday.  

Currently, B&PC staff work primarily remotely. We anticipate maintaining a hybrid work environment with remote work options in the future. This position does require occasional in-person work at B&PC’s Seattle-based office, as well as some events and convenings in Olympia and other parts of Washington state, so candidates should be based in Washington state. Our office is in downtown Seattle, with service from bus routes, light rail, and trains.  

Please note that B&PC requires employees to receive COVID-19 vaccination (defined as a two-dose vaccine series or a single dose of a one-dose vaccine approved by the FDA) and encourages employees to receive vaccine boosters as they become available.