Policy Analyst, Penn Wharton Budget Model

The Wharton School•Philadelphia, PA

23d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Policy Analyst is a public policy expert specializing in one or more of the following areas: health policy, retirement policy, income security programs, discretionary spending, or tax policy. The Analyst offers research support, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in support of policymaker requests and flagship analyses, and reads and interprets legislation. The Analyst is an expert communicator who interprets model output and summarizes results in written and oral formats. The position involves developing and maintaining PWBM’s models for household taxes, government transfers, and other policy areas. Advanced statistical programming skills (for example in Python or R) are required for many of the Analyst’s tasks. This position is ideal for recent graduates with master’s in public policy or applied economics, and college graduates with experience at think tanks. The Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM) is a non-partisan, research-based initiative that provides accurate and transparent economic analysis of public policy. As the honest broker operating at the intersection of public policy and innovative economics modeling, PWBM works directly with policymakers to provide analysis but does not make policy recommendations. PWBM’s work is widely cited and has been influential in many key recent policy discussions, including economic relief packages, climate investments, tax reform, infrastructure, education, paid family leave, Social Security, health care and many other areas. PWBM seeks a policy expert specializing in one or more of the following areas: health policy, retirement policy, income security programs, discretionary spending, or tax policy. The Policy Analyst will help formulate and execute research plans to answer specific, time-sensitive requests from lawmakers, campaigns, and other PWBM stakeholders. The ideal candidate is an expert communicator who can interpret economic model output and summarize the results for non-experts in written and oral formats. The Policy Analyst is also responsible for contributing to the development and maintenance of PWBM’s models for household taxes, government benefits, and other policy areas. This position is ideal for recent graduates with master’s in public policy or applied economics, or college graduates with experience at think tanks. This is a two-year term subject to renewal based on the discretion of the faculty director and available funds. This position is dependent on grant funding.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is required in Economics, Public Policy or a related discipline.
A minimum of 3 years of experience conducting policy analysis and/or economic research at a think tank, government agency, or similar is required.
Equivalent combination of education and experience required.
Demonstrated professional and personal interest in public policy and economics is required.
Advanced statistical programming skills (for example in Python or R, etc) and proficiency with data analysis tools, including Microsoft Excel, is required.
Excellent verbal, written, and visual communication skills is required.
Excellent organizational skills, including a keen orientation to detail and deadlines, as well as the ability to prioritize work and handle multiple tasks simultaneously is required.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree, for example in Public Policy or Applied Economics, is strongly preferred.
Subject matter expertise in one or more of the following subject areas is preferred: health policy, retirement policy, income security programs, discretionary spending, or tax policy.
Ability to effectively work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.

Responsibilities

Serve as a public policy topic-area expert.
Provide research expertise for addressing policymaker requests, both qualitatively by describing the nuances of specific program design and quantitatively by identifying and collecting information and data from relevant sources and conducting analyses as necessary.
Read and interpret legislation.
Analyze PWBM model output in collaboration with staff analysts and economists.
Prepare written summaries of results for public briefs and reports and communicate results to stakeholders.
Assist with development and maintenance of PWBM’s policy models.
Regularly incorporate data, staying abreast of relevant data releases and legislative proposals and changes.
Contribute to data processing, statistical modeling, policy analysis, and projections by utilizing programming skills.
Support Director of Policy Analysis and Faculty Director in Capitol Hill outreach, communications, and education efforts.
Apply communication skills and policy expertise to assist with business development efforts (such as grant proposal writing) and social media outreach.

Benefits

Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.