Federal Policy Associate

Youth Villages seeks an outstanding individual to work as a Federal Policy Associate in our Washington, DC office. The Federal Policy Associate will serve as a key member of the federal policy team, monitoring federal policy developments of relevance to the organization, representing the organization in internal and external meetings and at events, and helping to inform and advance the organization’s policy priorities. 

This position is based in Washington, D.C. with a partially remote work schedule available. Travel up to 15% required (primarily for in-person conferences). 

The ideal candidate will have experience in issues impacting young people who are aging out of foster care as well as with mental and behavioral health reform. Additionally, candidates will also have an interest in politics; experience with the federal legislative process; and superior interpersonal,presentation, and public speaking skills. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Monitor federal policy developments - legislative, regulatory and guidance - in child welfare, mental health, Medicaid, youth homelessness, juvenile justice, higher education, workforce, budget, appropriations, and other topics relevant to Youth Villages.
• Follow current federal policy issues and legislation, funding, grant opportunities, and trends related to transitioning youth and at-risk children and families 
• Help build and maintain existing relationships with key congressional and federal agency staff, and external organizational contacts, as well as identify new policy relationships
• Attend congressional briefings, Hill meetings, Coalition meetings, hearings, and other events related to policy issues of relevance to Youth Villages’ work
• Draft and disseminate letters of support for, and implementation of, key legislation and coordinate advocacy responses such as sign-on letters
• Draft and edit proposals, one-pagers, Power Point presentations and written materials communicating our work internally and externally, including coordination with the Marketing/Communications Department to develop policy materials and social media language
• Contribute to the development of internal communications on federal policy developments, including monitoring and evaluating the impact of activities and tactics, using qualitative and quantitative metrics
• Support the coordination and execution of meetings and presentations by coordinating logistics, putting together materials, taking notes, and initiating follow-up correspondence
• Lead, support, and coordinate efforts to elevate foster youth voice and engagement in advocacy and strategy internally and externally, including but not limited to providing feedback on youth engagement practices and plans, benchmarking youth engagement strategies, identifying opportunities for sponsorship of youth advocacy activities, and coordinating youth advocacy activities aligned with opportunities with the Lived Experience Corps and Scholars
• Manage logistics for policy events hosted and/or attended by Youth Villages including invitations, menu, agenda, venue and follow-up
• Remain flexible with additional job duties, including conference attendance, special projects, additional travel and providing support to organizational departments

• Bachelor’s degree is required. A Master's degree in Social Work, Business, Public Administration, Health, Public Policy, or a related field is preferred. 
• Knowledge of, and experience in, issues related to child welfare and transition-age youth is highly preferred.
• Personal experience with foster care, child welfare, child protective services strongly preferred. Youth Villages believes this experience will uniquely position the Federal Policy Specialist to offer a critical personal and policy perspective, and to inform the expansion of transition-age youth services to improve outcomes of older youth exiting foster care.
• Work experience with the federal legislative and political process and a demonstrated ability to analyze federal funding levels and implications. 
• Demonstrated ability to write persuasively and concisely to varying audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze federal policy, evaluate policy recommendations, and draft policy language.
• Superior interpersonal skills.
• Superior presentation and public speaking skills, and demonstrated ability to communicate with a variety of audiences across a variety of platforms and mediums.
• Ability to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Flexibility and a “can-do” attitude.
• Ability to work before after "typical work hours" to meet organizational needs.
• Demonstrated capacity to set priorities; work on multiple detail-oriented tasks, often on a time sensitive basis, and work effectively both individually and as a part of a small team. 
• Demonstrated ability as a national subject matter expert to build and maintain relationships and work collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external partners and stakeholders is required. 

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug Coverage and Vision
• Retirement Savings Pension Plan
• 401(k)
• 2 weeks paid vacation
• 12 paid sick days per year
• 11 paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Mileage & Cell Phone Reimbursement (when applicable)
• Tuition and Licensure Reimbursement is available
• Growth and development through continuous training

Youth Villages is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Youth Villages is committed to not only advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace but also in our work with children and young adults. We know that children, families and young people of color can face inequity in child welfare and justice systems, and we train our employees to build the skills they need to work with the communities that we serve, as well as, other employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Youth Villages is opposed to racism in any of its forms and is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity. We believe that respect for each other is crucial in the work that we do each day.