Position: Policy Associate

Reports to: CEO with a dotted line to the Chief Advancement Officer

FLSA Status: None Exempt

Salary Range: $42,440-52,530

Position Summary

The Policy Associate will work closely with organizational leadership to support and advance TE’s policy priorities through research, coordination, and stakeholder engagement. The Associate will be a critical part of the team by conducting research, monitoring legislative trends, creating advocacy materials, and supporting coalition-building efforts. This role offers an opportunity to make a tangible impact on the lives of Clevelanders facing systemic barriers to economic mobility.

The ideal candidate is curious, organized, relationship-oriented, and able to translate complex policy issues into actionable insights for staff, partners, policymakers, and community members. This individual will help ensure that the voices and experiences of workers facing barriers to employment inform public policy conversations and systems change efforts.

Towards Employment offers a robust and competitive benefits package designed to support our team’s health, financial well-being, and work-life balance. Those benefits include:

• Employer-subsidized medical, dental, vision and prescription insurance.
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) plans with an employer match and profit sharing.
• Company-provided life and short-term disability insurance.
• Paid Parental Leave.
• 10 vacation days, 10 sick days, 13 paid holidays, and time off between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
• Additional Perks include; flexible schedules, salary advances, cell phone reimbursement and an Employee Assistance Program offering free mental health support services.

Join a team that invests in you!
Founded in 1976, Towards Employment (TE) is a non-profit leader in providing innovative solutions to move people out of poverty, into quality jobs and along a career pathway. Towards Employment has gained local and national recognition for achieving excellent outcomes through the hard work of its dedicated staff of 74 and an $8 million annual budget. Towards Employment offers a continuum of support to low-income individuals preparing to enter the workforce or looking to advance from low-wage employment while also fulfilling the staffing needs of local employers.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Analysis and Research:

• Monitor, track, and report on relevant local, state, and federal legislation, regulatory actions, and policy trends related to workforce development and criminal justice reform. Initial focus on social safety net (Medicaid work requirements, SNAP reductions, benefic cliff) and addressing fees and fines (especially as related to drivers license suspension).
• Conduct timely research and analysis to support policy recommendations, advocacy strategies, and organizational positions.
• Collaborate across departments to identify emerging policy concerns, participant trends, and systems barriers impacting workforce outcomes.
• Synthesize complex policy information into concise and accessible materials for various audiences, including policy briefs, fact sheets, newsletters, blog posts etc.

Advocacy and Coalition Support:

• Support nonpartisan advocacy and public education efforts that advance equitable workforce and reentry policies.
• Assist in the preparation of advocacy materials, including issue briefs, position statements, and legislative testimony.
• Set up meetings with legislators and domain leaders for our region and/or who have leadership roles on issues of interest; prepare background documents on legislative or programmatic issues of importance to our clients
• Support the planning and execution of policy convenings, advocacy campaigns, employer roundtables, public education events, and stakeholder engagement activities.by, taking detailed notes, and helping to coordinate activities with partner organizations.
• Help organize and support events, meetings, and forums for policymakers, community partners, and staff.

Communication and Outreach:

• Assist in preparing content for external policy communications, such as web content and social media, to educate stakeholders and the public.
• Help facilitate storytelling by collecting and sharing community member experiences to demonstrate the need for policy change.
• Work collaboratively with program, data, and communications staff to integrate participant outcomes, labor market information, and lived experience into policy recommendations and advocacy materials.
• Represent Towards Employment at external meetings, briefings, and conferences as needed.

Administrative and Project Management:

• Assist with project management by helping to track work plans and ensure that timelines and deliverables are met.
• Support CEO in preparing for Board Policy Committee, work with CEO and committee chair to develop agenda, prepare materials, take notes, and follow-up as needed.

• Bachelor's degree , preferably in public policy, political science, public administration, or a related field, or 5 years of relevant experience in leu of a degree.
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in policy analysis, research, or advocacy, ideally within a non-profit or government setting. Experience with issues related to workforce development, criminal justice reform, or poverty is a plus.
• Excellent research, writing, and analytical skill
• Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to engage respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including people impacted by poverty, incarceration, and systemic barriers to employment.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite; Data visualization tools; basic statistical or research tools; and AI-assisted research and synthesis tools. Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Proven relationship building skills across diverse audiences.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience with legislative tracking software or databases is beneficial.
• A commitment to advancing reforms that remove barriers to opportunity for all.

Preferred Knowledge

• Workforce development systems
• SNAP/TANF/Medicaid policy
• Criminal justice/reentry policy
• Benefits cliffs
• Occupational licensing barriers
• State/federal workforce funding systems
• Economic mobility policy

Competencies: Success in this position also requires embracing the following:

• Continuous Improvement – Committed to learning, development, assessment, and measurement to continuously improve.
• Coaching Capacity – Ability to provide guidance and to support the advancement of others.
• Team Builder – Leads others through collaboration, influence, and managerial strength.
• Social Justice Advocate – Passionate about promoting equitable opportunities for all community members.
• Growth Mindset – Embraces a culture of continuous learning and a can-do attitude, readily adapts to change, is intellectually curious and a critical thinker.