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 works to ensure people in Washington have economic security and dignity, that Washington's tax code is equitable and balanced, and that our state budget invests in communities and disinvests in programs that are harmful and racist. Commitments to equity, anti-racism, tribal sovereignty, and economic justice – and a willingness to help our organization make progress on advancing these commitments – are vital for 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 

• Supervise and mentor research and policy staff in quantitative and qualitative policy research and writing, as well as conducting their own research.
• Support advocacy, strategic communications, and coalition-building with other staff and teams.
• 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 

• In collaboration with the Executive Director, team leads and staff 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

• 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 through strong collaboration and thought partnership.
• Support efforts to implement the organization’s theory of change and advance priorities by conducting research and building and maintaining relationships with partners.
• Play a coaching and supportive role with all staff as work to integrate organizational Theory of Change, which includes supporting tribal sovereignty, into core work.

Organizational engagement

• Engage in organization-wide conversations related to supporting the growth of organizational culture.
• Successfully manage and track a wide range of projects in partnership with other departments and help direct reports in a way that supports different workstyles and fosters an organizational culture of collaboration.
• Support B&PC in living up to its anti-racist commitments and theory of change.

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 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. Proficiency with statistical analysis software such as R, SPSS, or STATA (including experience with requesting and cleaning data).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).

Salary and Benefits 

The salary offer range for this position ranges from $95,500 - $101,500 per year, depending on experience. The annualized salary band for this position once someone is in the role is $95,500-106,000 per year. Salary bands 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 principles of our compensation philosophy, the candidate's demonstrated experience, and our established range for the position.

 B&PC offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, vision, and dental insurance, life and long-term disability insurance, all 100% employer covered for employees. The organization also has a retirement 403b plan, employee assistance program, and flexible spending accounts for health and daycare expenses available to employees. Full-time employees are awarded four weeks of paid vacation and one week of personal time 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. A peak work time for this role is during the state legislative session (Jan to March in short session years, Jan to April long session years – with an additional potential for special sessions).  

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. B&PC has a 32-hour standard 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, but we do have a small office in Seattle for staff who prefer hybrid work. Our office is located in downtown Seattle, with convenient service from bus routes, light rail, and trains. 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. 

Please note that B&PC requests that employees provide self-attestation of having received COVID-19 vaccination and encourages employees to receive vaccine boosters as they become available.

To Apply 

Please send the following application materials: resume, one writing sample (related to policy and research, no more than 4 pages), and written responses to the screening questions below. 

Screening Questions:

1. What draws you to working at the Budget and Policy Center?
2. How do your skills and experience in public policy research and analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) and team management align with what you know about the position?
3. How do you see racism, white supremacy, and/or settler colonialism show up in state policies, policy making, and the legislative process? How do you approach building more equitable practices, both internally within an organization as well as externally with partner organizations and coalitions? 
4. How has your leadership experience informed how you approach managing a team? How would you describe your leadership style? How do you help create an environment for others to do their best work individually, and as a part of a team?

Please send all requested application materials to jobs@budgetandpolicy.org with “LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, Research and Policy Director” in the subject line of the email. 

The priority application deadline is Sunday, June 29th. The deadline may be extended as needed.

Interview Process

After an initial screening of applicant materials, we anticipate the following steps in the process. Please note the timeline may change based on candidate and hiring committee availability. We will keep candidates informed of changes. This process will be conducted virtually. We plan to provide a stipend to candidates for time spent interviewing with our organization.

• Interview with Hiring Committee (1 hour) – Mid-July
• Interview with Policy Team (1.5 hour) – Late-July
• Final conversation with Hiring Manager/Executive Director (30 mins) – Early-August
• Reference checks – Early-August
• Ideal candidate start date - Early to mid-September

If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every must-have qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. B&PC values a diverse workforce and strives for an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; immigrants; people with disabilities; people of any sexual orientation or gender identity; and people with low-income backgrounds and other diverse life experiences. We value the lived experience that our staff bring to bear on the work as deeply relevant expertise.