Officer, Data and Policy, Courts & Communities (Policy Advocacy)

Government Performance

The Government Performance team provides the nonpartisan research, solutions, and momentum decisionmakers need to ensure our institutions improve the health of people in the United States and enable them to successfully climb the economic ladder.

Those goals are pursued through a wide range of the portfolio’s policy-focused projects (with explorations into new areas underway)—from ensuring states’ finances are prepared for future volatility, to unlocking gateways to mental health care, to addressing the nation’s lack of attainable housing.

Pew’s Government Performance team is successful when we: 

·       Foresee systemic challenges that could be avoided, mitigated, or resolved before they become insurmountable or politically toxic. 

·       Fill information gaps with data, research, and proven models. 

·       Hold leaders of institutions accountable to ensure they anticipate future challenges and operate efficiently. 

·       Minimize missed opportunities when people intersect with our nation’s institutions. 

 

We hope policymakers, funding partners, and other stakeholders celebrate when Pew’s Government Performance team enters a new policy space, launches a new effort, or expands an existing project because they recognize we help: 

·       Elevate the public profile of a problem

·       Demonstrate that success is possible 

·       Bring cohesion to siloed fields

·       Create momentum for broader and lasting change

 

Courts and Communities

The courts and communities project works to strengthen policies and processes that dictate how civil and criminal courts manage their dockets and handle cases—the nuts and bolts of how courts do business. We envision reforms that enable people to participate more effectively in court processes, resolve their matters more expeditiously, and avoid unnecessary or unwarranted costs or penalties. In so doing, the reforms will focus court staff attention on cases where their skills and knowledge are best applied. And, systemically, they will enable court systems to administer justice in a way that better supports safety, stability, and well-being of the communities they serve.

Position Overview

The officer for data and policy, courts and communities, helps state and local courts improve how they serve communities through the adoption and effective implementation of state policies including legislative reform and court rules.

Reporting to the project director, courts and communities, the officer helps to design and execute strategies to advance the project’s goals, including influencing state policies around court funding, lowering their reliance on unstable funding streams like fines and fees, as well as reforming high volume court dockets like traffic disputes. The officer represents the project to key decision-makers and partner groups, identifies and develops new partnerships and coalitions, and leads policy work related to advancing state policy adoption.

Located in Pew’s Washington D.C. office, this position participates in Pew’s hybrid work program with core days in the office and the flexibility to telework the remaining days. Staff also enjoy four “flex weeks” per year.

Responsibilities

• Foster a work environment that inspires excellence, values impact, encourages transparency, builds mutual trust and respect, embraces and values diversity, and is collaborative, caring and compassionate.  

• Develop and implement effective campaign strategies and technical assistance at the state and local level, including identifying opportunities, pivoting strategies as conditions change, and continuously assessing the effectiveness of tactics and partners.

• Lead the execution of Pew’s state strategy in multiple states with diverse political, geographic, and economic profiles to promote policies related to improving state and local courts for the communities they serve.

• Advance state court reform efforts around court funding structures, including reducing reliance on fines and fees and identifying alternative funding sources.

• Lead state engagements to reform high volume traffic dockets where process improvements can reduce burdens on court staff and court users.

• Track related state and local policy proposals and court rules; draft public comments as needed.

• Create effective public messaging, outreach materials, and outreach strategies that can reach wide-ranging audiences such as judges, court administrators, policymakers, and community stakeholders.

• Conduct and summarize jurisdiction and topic-based policy research including analyzing legislation and court rules to inform the project’s state work.

• Build, engage, and maintain an effective coalition of states including legislative partners, advocacy organizations, and other key stakeholders to move the team’s agenda forward.

• Participate in activities that support program and Pew-wide objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

• Generally, eight years of applicable experience.

• Experience working on policy campaigns that seek to secure reform through state legislatures or state administrative agencies including developing and executing multi-state strategies with diverse political, geographic, and economic profiles.

• Excellent oral, writing, and editing skills. Skilled at informing or influencing internal or external audiences through written and oral communications.

• Applies effective quantitative and qualitative analytical skills to synthesize large amounts of information quickly and summarize findings effectively, identify gaps in research and policy analysis, and develop ideas for research products that generate broad interest.

• Knowledge and experience working with state policy, preferably in issues related to state courts.

• Experience working productively with a wide array of stakeholders, both internal and external, and approaching issues with a nonpartisan and objective mindset in a rapidly changing environment.

• Effective and results-oriented planner for both short- and longterm programmatic goals and orienting these goals to align with the project team and institution’s procedures.

• Demonstrated experience meeting multiple deadlines by maintaining a high level of organization.

 

Travel

This position requires frequent domestic travel to meetings and conferences.

Work Authorization

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country for which they are seeking employment without visa sponsorship.

Salary Range

United States Pay Range: $110,700 - $123,700

The salary range represents a reasonable estimate of the annual salary based on Pew’s commitment to provide equitable and market-competitive pay. The actual salary offered will take into consideration many factors including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills and experience, internal pay equity, and business need.

Total Rewards

We offer a competitive salary and benefit program, including: comprehensive, affordable health care through medical, dental, and vision coverage; financial security with life and disability insurance; opportunities to save using health savings and flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits to help prepare for the future; and work/life benefits to maintain a good balance.

Pew is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, or any other protected characteristics.