Senior Director of Policy and Research

Economic Security Project•Washington, DC

23h•$160,000 - $195,000•Remote

About The Position

The Economic Security Project (ESP) is seeking a Senior Director of Policy and Research to help lead its policy team. This is a senior leadership role in which the Senior Director will partner closely with the Vice President of Policy and Research to manage the department, from setting strategy and priorities to overseeing the budget and developing program managers. The Senior Director will build a strong team and advance an ambitious policy and research agenda aimed at rebuilding economic security for working people. In this role, they will propose and direct original research, policy briefs, and factsheets, oversee a research fellowship program, and help drive ESP’s movement-building efforts—cultivating support for new economic ideas while representing the organization to partners, policymakers, and the public. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in economic policy, a track record of strategic coalition building, and a proven ability to mentor and manage high-performing teams. They possess a sharp analytical mind, navigating complex legislative landscapes with ease while translating bold economic concepts into actionable policy wins and public campaigns.

Requirements

Deep expertise in economic policy
Track record of strategic coalition building
Proven ability to mentor and manage high-performing teams
Sharp analytical mind
Ability to navigate complex legislative landscapes
Ability to translate bold economic concepts into actionable policy wins and public campaigns
Solid track record in leading projects and developing colleagues
Readiness to take on formal management of a diverse team
Policy expertise in economic security, with familiarity with the economics and evidence on fixing broken markets (regulation, competition) and broken incomes (social insurance, taxes, wages)
Careful editor and persuasive writer capable of distilling complex ideas for policy and public audiences
Proven track record of leadership and moving people on issues
Extensive experience liaising with policy experts, legislative staff, and government officials on economic policy issues
Familiarity with quantitative methods and experience working in a statistical programming language (e.g., R, Stata, Python)
On top of the most current trends and debates on the economy
Strategist who enjoys seeking out new opportunities and is proactive in forming the right partnerships to advance our goals
Familiarity with the economic policy, think tank, and advocacy community in Washington, DC
Excited to shift conventional wisdom on economic issues and develop ambitious ideas to improve people’s lives
Experience managing a departmental or project budget, with the ability to strategically allocate resources to maximize programmatic impact
Previous roles analyzing research, legislation, and white papers to identify the most important information and translate implications for different bodies of work
Collaborative team player who is strategic and solutions-oriented
Proactive self-starter who follows through, cares about outcomes and results, and approaches their work with rigor
Comfort with public speaking and presentations on policy topics

Responsibilities

Oversee the workflows that create our research and policy products and events and manage several program managers responsible for executing that work.
Set short-term and long-term priorities across the team’s portfolio toward the highest-impact work.
Coach, mentor, and develop program managers, including through regular feedback and support for their career growth.
Serve as a member of the Senior Team, working as a connector across the organization, including campaigns, communications, and development, to make sure our work is well aligned.
Build an inclusive, mission-driven team culture, modeling ESP’s core values in their everyday work and approach to team-building.
Develop team strategy, helping align our work for maximum impact in the short term, while aiming towards longer-term change over three to five years.
Propose, plan, and execute projects to advance our work at the federal and state level.
Oversee commissioned policy and research projects with external research partners.
Support ESP colleagues in producing and understanding research relevant to their work, including by synthesizing external research for internal and external audiences, producing updated research, policy briefs, and factsheets.
Support the ESP team in writing or preparing for events or media opportunities related to research.
Work with ESP’s executive and development teams to support fundraising via writing and meeting with funders.
Ensure the methodological quality, analytical rigor, and strength of arguments in what we produce and that policy initiatives draw on diverse expertise and the experiences of affected communities.
Develop and lead initiatives to advance new economic policy ideas, with a particular emphasis on building broader external support across partners for our agenda.
Build and sustain partnerships with academics, think tanks, advocacy organizations, community-based groups, and peer organizations to share our work and build support.
Provide technical assistance to policymakers and partner groups on policy impacts and policy design.
Partner with our ESP events team to host workshops, convenings, and meetings that bring partners together around our agenda.