Policy Associate, ILH&PR

Boston College • Newton, MA

4d • $64,100 - $80,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights (ILH&PR) at Boston College is dedicated to addressing real property issues that disproportionately affect poor and disadvantaged communities, particularly communities of color. The Initiative focuses on catalyzing policy-relevant research, developing legal reform and policy solutions, sponsoring educational programs for legal professionals and communities, and training students to address land and housing challenges. It operates in partnership with various stakeholders to effectively tackle these complex issues.

The Policy Associate will support the Initiative’s Legal Reform and Policy Laboratory (the Lab), which is responsible for creating legal reform and policy proposals for local, state, and federal levels. The Lab's work is exemplified by the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA), a model state statute that has helped thousands of families maintain ownership of their properties and generational wealth. The Lab also develops policy solutions through other means, such as model private agreements for family property management, aiming to remedy economic instability and prevent property loss in vulnerable communities. The scope of work includes reforms for affordable and fair housing, preventing land loss, promoting environmental justice, and supporting intergenerational asset building.

The Policy Associate will work under the supervision of the Policy Director, collaborating with external stakeholders and other Initiative staff to ensure the high quality and timely completion of policy projects. Responsibilities include supporting the Policy Director in identifying funding opportunities and drafting proposals, as well as drafting summaries of the Policy team's work for various communication purposes. The role requires strong organizational, time management, research, writing, and communication skills, along with experience in collaborative environments and a commitment to improving policy outcomes for disadvantaged communities regarding real property issues.

Requirements

• A law degree (J.D.), master’s degree, or another relevant graduate or advanced professional degree.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills.
• Excellent writing skills that include strong, technical citation skills, and mastery of proper grammar rules and style conventions.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and deadlines.
• Academic or work experience in the areas of rural or urban policy, affordable housing, heirs’ property, land use, land conservation and stewardship, economic justice, civil rights, environmental justice, or another related area.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with information collection, analysis, and dissemination, including written and oral presentation of legal reform and/or policy matters to diverse audiences.
• Experience working with or on behalf of disadvantaged communities or individuals or relevant lived experience.
• Experience with the legislative process or other policy making processes at the local, state, and/or federal level.
• Significant project management and coordination experience.

Responsibilities

• Monitor local, state, and federal housing and other real property policies and identify opportunities for the Initiative’s engagement.
• Conduct independent research on relevant topics, potential legal reform and policy projects, and on relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to civic leaders and policymakers, nonprofit organizations, academics and researchers, philanthropic organizations, and private sector leaders.
• Contribute to drafting and publishing policy reports and analyses of critical land and housing issues impacting disadvantaged communities, especially with respect to issues that have been insufficiently analyzed to date.
• Support development of a manageable set of legal reform and policy proposals that can be implemented at the local, state, and/or federal level and help support other organizations in the development of their legal reform and policy proposals.
• Help create policy-related presentations for conferences and other gatherings and forums.
• Help develop and implement the Initiative’s policy program workplan, under supervision of the Policy Director.
• Help monitor progress of policy program workplan in a way that helps maintain a timely work flow and report to Initiative leadership regularly.
• Support the Initiative’s sponsorship of policy-related convenings, including but not limited to the Initiative’s signature annual national conferences.
• Help identify and cultivate partnerships with other organizations that work on legal reform and policy work on housing, land, and community development matters.
• Assist in securing financial resources to support the policy program and in reporting progress of the policy program to existing funders.
• Help coordinate Policy team projects, including those that involve close collaboration with the Research Team.
• Participate in coalition(s) as the policy program works with a complex and diverse group of stakeholders in developing legal reform and policy proposals.
• Assist with policy program convenings, including content and agenda setting, logistics, and coordination.
• Participate in the creation of Initiative reports that highlight the work of the Policy team for various internal and external stakeholders.

Benefits

• Tuition remission for Employees
• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements
• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Low-Cost Life Insurance
• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans
• Paid Holidays Annually
• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level