Job Description

Position Summary

The Manager of Policy, within the Office of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, supports the Commerce Department’s needs related to policy and legislative affairs, while also supporting critical strategic initiatives.

Essential Functions

• Support policy and legislative affairs at the local, state, and federal level.
  • Track relevant legislative actions, with a primary focus on City Council.
  • Evaluate the impact of pending and enacted legislation on the local business community.
  • Increase awareness of pending legislation by compiling and distributing a weekly newsletter.
  • Engage the business community and external partners on pending legislative proposals.
  • Synthesize business feedback, research, and other learnings to inform the position of the Commerce Department.
  • Prepare testimony and talking points on behalf of the Commerce Department.
  • Prepare for and attend legislative hearings and meetings.
  • Proactively support policy research and development.
  • Identify business requirements that could be improved via legislative change, regulatory change, or process improvement.
• Conduct research on economic development legislation, initiatives, best practices, and business requirements in other geographies.
• Monitor state, federal, and philanthropic funding opportunities.
• Support initiatives aligned to the Commerce Department’s Grow Philly strategy and PHL Open for Business executive order. Responsibilities may include project management, communications, developing presentations and reports, conducting data analysis, and supporting implementation.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships both within city government and with external stakeholders to ensure the successful execution of projects.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Organized: Demonstrates ability to manage multiple projects, estimate timelines, rework a project approach based on unforeseen challenges, work well under pressure, and set/meet reasonable deadlines.
• Action-oriented: Ability to see opportunities, navigate barriers, be self-directed, and problem solve solutions that enhance the City’s deliverables, processes, and practices.
• Excellent communicator: Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to synthesize multiple sources of information, write and speak clearly, and translate findings into actionable and understandable recommendations.
• Rigorous: Driven by thoughtful, quality, and detail-oriented processes, project output, and client/team interactions.
• Data-driven: Understands the relationship between data and narrative and acts strategically to ensure that data and evaluation are appropriately informing and being informed by narrative
• Collaborative: Ability to work with a variety of people and personalities, listen and ask questions to identify new inquiry opportunities, and cultivate strong relationships to ensure seamless collaboration and continued project support.
• Resilient: Ability to have a sense of humor, learn from mistakes, and/or return to work after experiencing a setback.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite products. MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, preferably in public policy, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, statistics, urban planning, or another field of relevance to local government, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience conducting policy research, project or program management; doing so in a public sector setting preferred.
• Understanding of and interest in the connection between data, evaluation, and public policy.
• Experience managing projects, particularly those that require collaboration across different groups or teams.
• Experience working in government or other community-serving organizations preferred.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal; proficient using Microsoft Office Suite.

Additional Information

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $64,000-$70,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation : City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

_ *The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire_

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@phila.gov.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx