Assistant Policy Director

City of Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Boston is seeking an Assistant Policy Director to advance workforce development and worker protections. You will align policy priorities with funding, develop resources, and support grant proposals with cross-department collaboration.

The role involves monitoring program effectiveness, ensuring funding compliance, and guiding policy enhancements to expand access to quality jobs for Boston residents, with a 35-hour work week and union salary plan details.

Qualifications

• Completion of a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in a relevant field, or equivalent work experience in a public planning or related organization.
• Five+ years of professional experience in public policy or workforce development.
• Proficiency in policy analysis (statistical and qualitative) and proposal writing.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in office software applications.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate to align policy priorities for workforce development, labor, and economic development.
• Design, develop, and implement programs supporting policy priorities with measurable results.
• Align projects with funding opportunities and create sustainable funding plans.
• Coordinate with government agencies, advocacy groups, and community organizations on funding proposals.
• Monitor and evaluate programs to assess effectiveness and ensure regulatory compliance.

Skills

Policy analysis

Proposal writing

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Office software

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Overview

The Worker Empowerment Cabinet advances the well-being of Boston workers in the public and private sectors. Our goals include: (1) setting the City’s future policy and vision for workers, (2) regulating, overseeing, and improving workplace conditions and health for workers, and (3) expanding economic opportunities for workers through quality jobs, skills training, and career pipelines.

Under the direction of the Chief of Worker Empowerment, the Assistant Policy Director will play a key role in advancing workforce development and worker protection initiatives. This role involves aligning policy priorities with funding opportunities, developing and securing resources for new and existing programs, and supporting grant proposal preparation and implementation. The Assistant Policy Director will collaborate with various departments and stakeholders to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of current programs, ensure compliance with funding requirements, and identify opportunities for policy improvements. Additionally, the role includes monitoring policy issues affecting Boston residents and providing actionable recommendations to enhance workforce development strategies and workers’ protection, health, and safety.

Responsibilities

Program Development:

• Collaborate with staff to align policy priorities for the Worker Empowerment Cabinet, including but not limited to workforce development, labor, alternative education, worker protections, youth employment, and economic development.
• Assist in designing, developing, and implementing programs that support policy priorities and achieve measurable results in the Cabinet’s goal of providing access to good quality jobs for all Boston residents.
• Align projects and programs with funding opportunities and develop sustainable funding plans for new and existing programs.
• Coordinate with stakeholders, including government agencies, advocacy groups, and community organizations, to develop implementation partnerships and ensure alignment on funding proposals.

Program And Grant Oversight

• Support monitoring and evaluation of programs and initiatives to assess their effectiveness.
• Support the management of grant-funded projects by ensuring compliance with reporting and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate program planning for current funding sources, using research to inform the design of upcoming RFPs.
• Perform research to improve the quality of oversight and technical assistance provided to grantees.
• Work with various departments to ensure compliance with all funding source reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with city, state, and local community partners to identify policy and program directions aligned with Cabinet objectives. Grant Management and Oversight:

Stakeholder Engagement And Advocacy

• Establish and cultivate effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including government agencies, advocacy groups, community organizations, and key influencers, to ensure alignment on policy objectives, support workforce development initiatives, and identify implementation challenges and ecosystem gaps and needs.
• Serve as designee on various advisory and planning councils, such as the Boston Private Industry Council, Boston Public Schools, state workforce development agencies, and the US Department of Labor. Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, thought leaders, and other key influencers.

Policy Analysis And Program Improvement

• Monitor and analyze the education, labor, and workforce policy landscape to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities to improve the well-being of Boston workers and the overall health of the city’s labor market.
• Assess the performance of Cabinet policies and programs, identify opportunities to enhance implementation and address gaps based on field needs, and ensure alignment with stakeholder input and policy priorities.
• Contribute to the organization and administration of shared resources useful to Cabinet staff. Disseminate new publications and write periodic memos on new resources.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Entrance Qualifications

• Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree, as well as a Master's Degree in a relevant field, or equivalent work experience in a public planning organization or community-based organization in lieu of a Master’s Degree.
• Five or more years of professional experience in a public policy or workforce development organization.
• Proficiency in policy analysis (statistical and qualitative)
• Proficiency in proposal writing
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• Proficiency in office software.

Terms:

Union/Salary Plan/Grade : Non-Union/MM2-9

Hours per week: 35

The City of Boston is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite applications from all qualified individuals and do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other protected category.