Head of Policy

PowerLines•Washington, DC

1d•$175,000 - $225,000•Remote

About The Position

PowerLines is seeking a full-time Head of Policy to build and lead its Policy Team. The Head of Policy is a senior, hands-on role responsible for developing and executing the organization’s policy strategy, with a particular focus on engagement with state policymakers and opportunities at the state level. The position leads a growing team, builds partnerships and coalitions, advises stakeholders on policy strategy, and represents PowerLines externally as a spokesperson. The Policy Team also engages at the federal level. The Head of Policy is a senior programmatic leader and member of PowerLines’ executive leadership team, working alongside the Regulatory and Communications Teams to advance impact in policymaking venues. The role is remote, with approximately 10 to 20 percent travel, and reports directly to the Founder and Executive Director. PowerLines is headquartered in Washington, DC. The role is policy-generalist in nature, in contrast to the more technical utility-regulatory focus of the Head of Regulatory role. PowerLines is a national nonprofit working to modernize utility regulation to lower consumer bills and support economic growth. The Head of Policy will help shape how the utility regulatory system responds to rising utility costs and electricity demand, at an organization with national visibility and relationships across the political spectrum.

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience in state or federal policy, legislative affairs, or advocacy.
Experience managing, mentoring, and developing staff, with strong leadership skills and emotional intelligence.
A proven record of developing and executing successful multi-state legislative or policy campaigns.
Strong relationships with governors’ offices, state legislators, and policymaker networks such as NGA and NCSL.
Experience working across the political spectrum and maintaining nonpartisan positions in a politically sensitive issue area.
Experience building and managing coalitions with diverse partners.
Comfort building systems and processes in a startup environment.
Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to translate complex policy into clear products for policymakers and represent an organization in varied settings.
Ability to operate as both a senior strategic leader and a hands-on individual contributor on a small, rapidly growing team.

Nice To Haves

Deep knowledge of energy, utility, or consumer protection policy, including how legislation interacts with utility regulation.
Established relationships with consumer advocates, public utilities commissions, and regulatory networks.
Experience working in or with state government, such as a governor’s office or state legislator’s office.
Experience supporting grant proposals and funder reporting.
Experience scoping and managing consultants, lobbyists, and budgets.

Responsibilities

Lead the Policy Team, set priorities, manage workflow and workstreams, and ensure quality control of policy products.
Serve on the executive leadership team and advise on policy issues, opportunities, developments, and strategy.
Own day-to-day policy and team management decisions, while bringing major programmatic strategy, flagship products, high-stakes relationships, budget, senior hiring, and final personnel actions to the leadership team.
Mentor junior team members and lead Policy Team hiring as the team grows, in partnership with the Chief of Staff and Executive Director.
Define scopes for and direct Senior Advisors and policy consultants.
Develop and regularly update PowerLines’ annual policy strategy, including team goals, OKRs, and an internal calendar, with the Executive Director.
Develop strategy for 2027 policy campaigns across states, including priority-state recommendations and state-specific engagement strategies.
Execute policy engagement with policymakers, particularly governors, state legislators, and state energy offices, through partnerships, coalitions, education, and technical assistance.
Vet and recommend consultants and lobbyists as needed.
Oversee tracking and reporting of policy impact to inform strategy and execution.
Oversee compliance with lobbying registration and filing requirements.
Oversee development and distribution of policy products, including playbooks, dashboards, and issue briefs, with Executive Director approval on flagship products.
Oversee monitoring of utility-regulatory policy developments and legislation across the country.
Lead drafting and preparation of written communications, testimony, and thought leadership as needed.
Represent PowerLines with policymakers and coordinate with the Executive Director on the highest-stakes relationships.
Build relationships with policymaker network partners, including governors’ associations, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Association of State Energy Officials.
Oversee research and technical assistance for policymakers and utility-regulation briefings for policymakers and partners.
Assess current and potential coalition partners and build bipartisan, multisectoral partnerships representing diverse customer classes.
Manage existing coalition relationships and develop new ones, coordinating with the Executive Director on senior policymaker and key-partner engagement.
Represent PowerLines in media inquiries, events, interviews, hearings, workshops, and roundtables, in coordination with the Executive Director and Communications Team.
Support the Strategy & Operations Team with donor communications, grant materials, and other fundraising materials.
Maintain an internal tracker of policy accomplishments and successes.
Attend relevant events and conferences, such as NGA and NCSL.
Coordinate with the Regulatory and Communications Teams on shared issues and workstreams, media materials, policy content, and support for policy priorities, partnering with the Chief of Staff on cross-team prioritization and capacity allocation.