Senior Policy Specialist (50564)

National Conference Of State Legislatures•Denver, CO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is seeking an experienced state tax policy analyst for its Fiscal Affairs team. This role involves tracking legislation, staying updated on state tax policy trends, and creating informational resources for NCSL members, including legislators, legislative staff, and private sector partners. The position will staff NCSL’s standing committee on budgets and revenue and a special task force on state tax policy. Work is performed independently and as part of the fiscal team, with the goal of meeting the information needs of state legislators and legislative staff nationwide. Responsibilities include making presentations, writing reports, planning and conducting meetings, facilitating discussions, testifying before legislatures, and interacting with the media. The position reports to the director of the fiscal program and may oversee task-related work of more junior staff.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree plus five years work experience in fiscal policy with state legislatures, government, public policy, or other relevant field.
State tax policy expertise and substantial knowledge of state finances.
Strong writing, editing, and presentation skills and the ability to communicate information clearly and credibly to a variety of audiences.
Aptitude for working both collaboratively with others and independently.
Proven ability to independently build and maintain relationships with legislators, legislative staff, national experts, and others.
Will work directly with NCSL Foundation sponsors.
Ability to work in a politically neutral manner and maintain confidentiality when required.
Strong research and analysis skills, including accessing and assessing a variety of resources and research; synthesizing data and legislation; and analyzing and summarizing policy options and legislative activities.
Strong organizational skills, including the ability to plan meetings and manage multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously.
Ability to independently work under deadline pressure and adapt to changes in workload.
Strong knowledge of state legislative and political processes and the separation of power between the branches of government.
Ability to travel by air up to 8 times per year, with most trips being 1-3 nights.
Ability to work extended hours, possibly evenings and weekends, usually associated with events/travel.

Nice To Haves

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities but may serve as a coach and mentor for other positions in the department.

Responsibilities

Maintain subject matter expertise in state tax policy and trends to assist legislators and legislative staff with their research and information needs.
Anticipate emerging tax issues and tax trends of importance to state legislatures and respond with research, analysis, and training.
Assist with the development of a plan to disseminate work, including technical assistance, webinars, meetings, web pages, reports, and blogs.
Conduct complex legislative research projects with an understanding of their political context and provide substantive analysis and policy interpretations.
Research federal, state, and local actions impacting legislatures, such as executive and administrative actions and intergovernmental actions.
Independently plan, organize, and conduct nonpartisan technical assistance programs, plan stand-alone invitational meetings, and educational sessions at larger meetings.
Create substantive, engaging, and interactive presentations or trainings for legislators, legislative staff, and others on state tax issues.
Coordinate, manage, and facilitate the work of NCSL’s Budgets and Revenue Standing Committee and the Executive Committee Task Force on State and Local Taxes with a DC counterpart.
Work with NCSL members, the NCSL Foundation, and private sector partners.
May assist the director of the program with fundraising and development of new projects, such as grant reporting and writing concept papers, grant applications, and proposals.
May assist with funder relations and complete high-quality, timely assigned project deliverables under the direction of a supervisor.
Write skillfully for a full range of publications and participate in peer review editing of colleagues’ work.
Travel domestically for meetings, technical assistance, and other project activities.
Perform other responsibilities as needed.