The Deputy Director of the Policy Analysis Center is responsible for working in consultation with the Deputy Vice President to set the overall strategic goals and objectives related to policy analysis activities. The Deputy will also be responsible for ensuring the production of highly skilled, timely, and relevant policy documents/materials in support of NCLR’s goals. This position will also work with the Executive Management team to create an institution-wide approach for identifying promising new policy reform ideas, engaging in effective policy development activities, and promoting NCLR’s public policy goals among broad audiences. The work will include the analysis of policy issues related to Latino child poverty, education reform, economic security and recovery, health reform, and potentially new emerging issues such as green jobs.

In addition to supervising staff, the Deputy Director will be expected to provide support to project/issue areas that do not have policy analysts. This position will also be responsible for providing technical assistance and guidance to existing policy staff as needed.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations, NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1968, NCLR is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCLR serves all Hispanic subgroups in all regions of the country and has operations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.nclr.org.

NCLR’s highly respected Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation (ORAL) is one of the most influential, visible, and leading national advocacy voices championing public policy on behalf of Latinos. To achieve its mission, ORAL conducts work through several critical departments: the Policy Analysis Center, the Research Department, the Legislative Affairs Department, and two field-focused departments—National Campaigns and Capacity-Building.

The Policy Analysis Center and the Research Department work in tandem to ensure that NCLR remains the leading Hispanic think tank in Washington, DC. NCLR serves as a timely and reliable source of Latino-specific research and policy analyses on key issues affecting Hispanic Americans. NCLR staff are consistently asked to provide expert testimony before Congress and comments to policymakers on a variety of topics. Its documents command extensive attention from policymakers and the press.

The Deputy Director is responsible for coordinating, developing, and participating in public education events and policy forums that raise the visibility of NCLR’s policy priorities and target key decision-makers. This work includes serving as a spokesperson on Latino policy priorities, representing NCLR priorities in internal and external meetings, and before congressional staff, policymakers/experts, and issue stakeholders.

The Deputy Director of Policy Analysis will report directly to the Deputy Vice President and will be a member of the component’s management team. NCLR offers a collaborative, team-based environment that fosters a culture of ideas and debate. We approach our work from multiple perspectives and methods, understanding both the specific issues and their larger interrelated systems.

Responsibilities

• Work with supervisor and senior management team to set institutional policy goals and priorities, provide advice and guidance on issue-based public policy work, and ensure the production and dissemination of high quality, timely, and relevant policy analysis materials
• Conduct independent policy analysis, as well as policy development, on timely and relevant issues for the Latino community that are not covered by specific policy projects or existing staff
• Provide support, technical assistance, and guidance on policy documents, including issue briefs, policy memoranda, regulatory comments, public testimony, and journal articles developed in the component, with emphasis on coordinating issue areas or assignments that overlap or involve multiple policy projects
• Serve as a spokesperson on Latino policy priorities, representing NCLR priorities in internal and external meetings, and before congressional staff, policymakers/experts, and issue stakeholders
• Lead efforts to raise the visibility of NCLR’s policy priorities and public policy work, and target key decision-makers
• Participate in external policy advisory groups, boards, or committees as appropriate
• Coordinate work with other colleagues and departments, including legislative and research staff, and community-based organizations
• Support component officers as needed
• Work with media as appropriate

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required and seven to eight years of relevant experience
• Must demonstrate strong understanding of issues facing Latino and immigrant communities
• Must have experience with policy ideas or solutions aimed at improving the status Latino families and creating project plans that promote, disseminate, or implement those ideas
• Must have exposure to the majority of the policy areas in which NCLR works
• Must be able to demonstrate prior experience communicating policy ideas in public settings such as congressional hearings, major conferences, or written materials such as reports or issue briefs
• Must demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills, have experience publishing articles, or other relevant and publicly available documents, and be a skilled public speaker
• Must have the ability to quickly gain knowledge of new topics and make determinations of their impact on various constituencies
• Experience managing a portfolio of diverse policy priorities preferred
• Must have exposure to data analysis and research methods
• Experience working with Hispanic community or community-based organizations is required
• Must have ability to work as part of a team as well as execute projects independently, and have the ability to take initiative, work effectively under tight deadlines, and coordinate multiple projects
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Outlook, statistical software, data sources, and internet queries required
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills a plus

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or enrollment in a college, university, technical school, or adult education.