Head of Policy

PowerLines•Washington, DC

12h•Remote

About The Position

PowerLines is a national nonprofit organization focused on modernizing the utility regulatory system to lower utility bills and grow the economy. It works primarily with state public utilities commissions and engages policymakers across the country on utility affordability, energy investment, and electricity demand issues. The Head of Policy is a senior, hands-on leader responsible for building and leading PowerLines’ Policy Team and developing and executing the organization’s policy strategy. The role focuses primarily on state-level policymaking while also engaging at the federal level. It includes leading policy campaigns, building partnerships and coalitions, advising stakeholders, developing policy products, and representing PowerLines externally. The Head of Policy serves as a senior programmatic leader on the executive leadership team and works closely with the Regulatory and Communications Teams. The position is remote, with PowerLines headquartered in Washington, DC, and approximately 10–20% travel expected. It reports directly to the Founder and Executive Director. The expected salary range is $175,000–$225,000, with compensation potentially based on skills, qualifications, experience, location, and other factors.

Requirements

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.
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 make complex policy clear 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

Oversee and lead the Policy Team, including setting priorities, managing workflow, quality control, mentoring staff, and leading hiring as the team grows.
Serve on the executive leadership team and advise on policy issues, opportunities, developments, and strategy.
Make day-to-day policy and team management decisions, elevating major programmatic, budget, relationship, hiring, and personnel decisions to the leadership team as specified.
Define scopes and direct the work of Senior Advisors and policy consultants.
Develop and regularly update the annual policy strategy, including goals, OKRs, and an internal calendar, in coordination with the Executive Director.
Develop campaign strategy for 2027 policy campaigns across states, including recommending priority states and engagement approaches.
Execute policy engagement with state and federal policymakers, particularly governors, state legislators, and state energy offices, including partnership building, coalition building, policymaker education, and technical assistance.
Vet and recommend consultants and lobbyists as needed.
Oversee policy impact tracking and reporting, and compliance with lobbying registration and filing requirements.
Oversee development and distribution of policy products, including playbooks, dashboards, and issue briefs, and monitor policy developments and legislation across the country.
Lead drafting of written communications, testimony, and thought leadership as needed.
Represent PowerLines with policymakers and build relationships with policymaker networks, coordinating with the Executive Director on high-stakes relationships.
Oversee research and technical assistance for policymakers and develop and deliver utility regulation briefings for policymakers and partners.
Assess potential coalition partners, build and manage bipartisan and multisector partnerships, and coordinate engagement with senior policymakers and key partners.
Represent PowerLines in media, speaking engagements, hearings, workshops, roundtables, events, and conferences, coordinating with the Executive Director and Communications Team.
Support development of donor communications, grant materials, and other fundraising materials.
Maintain an internal tracker of major policy accomplishments and successes.
Coordinate with the Regulatory and Communications Teams on shared issues, workstreams, media materials, and policy content; work with the Chief of Staff on cross-team support for policy priorities.