Manager, Federal Data Policy

FAS•Washington DC, DC

4d•$70,000 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) seeks a strategic and collaborative Manager of Federal Data Infrastructure & Innovation to advance our mission at the intersection of data, policy, and governance. In this pivotal role, you will help shape and execute FAS's federal data strategy across federal government, state and local government, civil society, industry, and academia to drive meaningful policy impact on critical federal data issues. As Manager of Federal Data Policy, you will serve as a key connector, activator, and policy entrepreneur to build a more resilient federal data infrastructure. You will build coalitions and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders; activate the community to be effective storytellers and respond to the changing federal data landscape; and develop a pathway for the future of federal data. You'll work alongside subject matter experts, communications professionals, and strategists to mobilize support for federal data policies. This position offers the opportunity to flex both analytical and policy entrepreneurship skills, identifying emerging issues in the federal data landscape, advocating for federal data, and communicating the value of federal data. The ideal candidate is an adept relationship-builder, an advocate who can adapt communication approaches to varied audiences, and a strategist with the ability to define a path forward to rebuild our federal data capacity and deliver more resilient data products. If you're passionate about data and policy and thrive in collaborative, mission-driven environments, this role offers meaningful impact during a critical moment.

Requirements

5+ years total relevant experience related to federal data and policy, including 1–3 years in the federal government, state or local government, or civil society.
Experience tracking, managing, analyzing, or working with different types of federal data and awareness of federal data across policy domains.
Proven ability to execute a strategy and deliver results with minimal oversight.
Policy entrepreneurship: turning ideas into action leveraging different policy levers and pathways (e.g., coalition building, public comments, strategic communications, etc.) for activating users of federal data; identifying novel ways to assess risk, monitor status, and mobilize public engagement for federal data; and designing for the future of federal data
Exceptional stakeholder management, collaboration with federal data watchers across domains, and coalition building across data stakeholders (e.g., data analysts / users, businesses reliant on federal data, state and local data leaders, academic researchers, congressional offices, etc.).
Advanced communication skills: developing compelling data-informed narratives tailored to key audiences (e.g., public, decision makers, data users, etc.).
Data skills: R and Python for data cleaning, analysis, visualization, web scraping, and monitoring.
Technical skills: GitHub for version control and collaborative workflows; ability to maintain and update website content.
Program management: coordinating across policy and functional teams, managing program deliverables and timelines, reporting annual and quarterly metrics, and managing vendors/contractors as needed.
Excellent organization and prioritization, able to manage time-sensitive efforts in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

Building credibility and trust with external federal data stakeholders across federal, state, and local government, industry, academia, and civil society organizations and identifying opportunities for cross-organizational collaboration.
Establishing and continuously improving internal workflows and implementation processes to ensure the program operates efficiently, strategically, and at scale.
Advancing innovation in data monitoring, including exploring and applying emerging uses of AI and automation.
Providing program management, performance metrics, and content for grant proposals across a growing portfolio of federal data monitoring and policy initiatives.
Designing frameworks to evaluate the status of federal datasets, conducting technical research and analysis to inform data users and advocates.
Mobilizing allies and building coalitions to support federal data policy
Develop and advance strategy for monitoring federal datasets, including tracking dataset changes and terminations, evaluating risks, and assessing policy impacts.
Developing narratives and stories to illustrate the benefits of federal data to everyday Americans
Adapting communication styles and methods (e.g., data, storytelling) to meet audiences where they are and advance progress around federal data policy goals, including social media and influencer campaigns
Planning and executing convenings to activate the civic data community around shared goals for building a future resilient federal data ecosystem
Mastering key aspects of the policy entrepreneurship toolkit to advance policies for identifying and protecting essential federal data
Building a community of civic data professionals, deploying strategies to bring data talent back into the federal government, and rebuilding agency data capacity