Public Policy Manager - Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago

Who: The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago is the Chicago region's leading business organization comprised of the senior executives of the area's major employers and is dedicated to improving Chicagoland as a place to live, work, and conduct business. The Civic Committee works hand-in-hand with public officials and other civic organizations for the social and economic well-being of the Chicago region and undertakes a wide array of large projects, which are viewed as game- changing efforts.

What: The Public Policy Manager will work with the leadership of the Civic Committee and the Public Policy team to address the organization's public policy initiatives, including public finance, jobs, climate issues such as tax structure and pensions, education, transportation, technology, veteran's employment and other public policy topics. The Public Policy Manager may be asked to specialize and act as the lead on specific policy initiatives. In addition, the Public Policy Manager will work with management in the development of topics and the identification of speakers for the Commercial Club's speaker series, contribute posts for the Civic Committee/Commercial Club's website and social media presence, as well as prepare presentations and other documents for distribution/presentation to the public. Additional responsibilities include:

• Serve as policy point person and researcher for the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President, and other leadership of the Civic Committee and provide regular updates on policy initiatives. 
• Analyze and summarize various governmental budgetary and financial documents. 
• Help develop and implement meetings of member Task Forces formed to address particular topics; work with outside experts to develop meeting substance. 
• Develop Task Force recommendations/proposals and manage the review and sign off processes by Task Force and Civic Committee leadership. 
• Work with external and internal stakeholders to further Civic Committee proposals, including developing legislation. 
• Work with public relations experts to garner public support for Civic Committee initiatives. 
• Evaluate proposals/legislation from external stakeholders that relate to Civic Committee initiatives. 

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree in public policy, law or business, and 6+ years of experience as a policy advisor/associate, public finance or other related experience. Additionally:

• Relevant work experience and substantive knowledge of public policy and research. 
• Previous work experience in a fast-paced environment and demonstrated ability to multi-task and prioritize work across subject areas. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Excellent research and analytical skills, including the ability to comprehend and summarize complex information and data, including census data. 
• Ability to take independent action and assume responsibility. 
• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with a variety of colleagues, members, and policy makers. 
• Proficiency in using software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point, including the ability to design the layout of document text, tables, and perform statistical analyses. Knowledge of GIS/mapping software an advantage. 

Potential candidates should send a resume and cover letter explaining interest and qualifications to Carla Quinones at cquinones@civiccom.org
Find the full job ad online here.