Senior Associate, Infrastructure and Transportation, PolicyLink Programs
Department: Infrastructure
Reports to: Infrastructure & Transportation Justice Director
Status: Full Time / Exempt
Location: Remote; Must reside and be authorized to work in the United States of America;
About PolicyLink
PolicyLink is a national research and action institute working to build a future where all people in the United States of America can participate in a flourishing multiracial democracy, prosper in an equitable economy, and live in thriving communities of opportunity.
Our disciplined approach for moving from aspiration to impact is reflected in an organizational-wide results-based accountability framework that articulates the future we are trying to achieve in the next 20+ years, the root causes, and how we would know if we are making progress. This strategy includes lanes of work to advance a new design, new values, and governing power:
We are supporting a new design of the legal and regulatory framework of the nation so that it governs for all.
We are advancing a values system and political philosophy that is grounded in love for, and the flourishing of, all.
We are working to ensure that economically insecure people in our nation can build and exercise governing power at the scale necessary to change the rules.
Altogether, these fundamental changes in design, values, and power aim to help us collectively change the material reality for the nearly 100 million people living in or near poverty, so we can see all people flourishing.
Position Overview
PolicyLink is seeking a Senior Associate to join our Infrastructure Justice team. This role is central to advancing federal, state, and local policies and practices that enhance the health, resilience, and economic well-being of low-income communities and communities of color across the United States and its territories.
Please note that this is a three-year termed position with the possibility of being renewed, dependent on funding and program needs.
The Infrastructure Justice team at PolicyLink is dedicated to transforming how infrastructure policies and programs are crafted and investments deployed. Our work establishes standards for creating resilient, prosperous, equitable, and inclusive communities prepared for climate change impacts. We are committed to a Reckoning, Repair, and Transformation framework, focusing on understanding past harms caused by infrastructure and transportation projects, repairing these damages, and transforming policies to prevent future injustices. The team collaborates extensively with community partners, coalitions, and other stakeholders to build a movement for infrastructure and transportation justice.
The Senior Associate will support the growth, strategy development, and priorities of our infrastructure and transportation program. This includes:
Supporting research projects and developing key policy agendas and political campaigns aimed at federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
Collaborating closely with the Infrastructure Director and program team focusing particularly on transportation, climate, and land use issues.
Facilitating cross-program collaboration within PolicyLink, particularly with the Winning on Equity in Place program and the Governing for All team to innovate local and state policies that promote equitable capital investments.
Serving as a critical point of coordination, information sharing, and leadership across external partners, particularly in the transit and transportation fields. This role involves positioning grassroots leaders as essential voices in decision-making processes, especially for communities of color and historically disinvested areas.
The Infrastructure team currently includes a Director, a Senior Associate, Associate, and a Coordinator. This new role will add a second Senior Associate to further increase our capacity.
Responsibilities
Program Strategy and Vision
Support the design and implementation of PolicyLink’s infrastructure and transportation program areas inclusive of clear goals, timelines, and program evaluation metrics
Support the implementation of program area strategies related to mobility justice, transportation and land use
Community and Coalition Building
Partner with national organizations, grassroots coalitions and groups to identify best practices and alignment opportunities
Develop a transportation justice strategy that centers Black, Indigenous and people of color leadership, in target geographies, inclusive of the Midwest, South and Southeast, to ensure the experience and expertise of these communities are centered in transportation policy design
Build a national transportation justice coalition of grassroots organizations, which includes revising recruitment, retention, and evaluation measures and metrics of the coalition, and developing mechanisms to support their capacity building and advocacy efforts for equity-centered transportation policies
Align the coalition around a broader coordinated transit and transportation justice policy platform and agenda
Research and Advocacy
Conduct research to inform policy development, create a policy agenda, and engage in advocacy efforts to promote infrastructure and transportation justice
Evaluate the federal Surface Transportation Act Reauthorization process and develop strategic intervention points for embedding transportation equity and mobility justice principles and standards into federal transportation funding
Communications and Outreach
Partner on strategic communications, create content, and participate in conferences and summits to raise awareness and influence the field
Lead or co-author research briefs, analyses, and articles, to inform policy development championed by PolicyLink and our partners
Act as a PolicyLink spokesperson on transportation policy, representing the organization in meetings, conferences, and before policymakers, government leaders, advocates, and funders
Cultivate necessary current and prospective donor relations
Team Collaboration and Management
Collaborate with cross-organizational teams and external partners and consultants, facilitate decision-making, and manage project budgets and evaluations
Design in-person learning offerings and convenings with the field, including offerings at relevant summits and conferences such as the PolicyLink Equity Summit and other infrastructure and transportation related convenings
Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge Required
Ability to travel approximately 25% of the time
Demonstrated experience facilitating democratic processes in multi-partner teams
Highly skilled at establishing work plans and facilitating work-flow for complex programs and projects
Exceptional decision-making skills at a leadership level, including assessing risk and using good judgment to inform decisions and recommendations to leadership, and working collaboratively to seize opportunities or solve problems
Highly skilled in designing and articulating project results and participant outcomes, assessments, and to coach subject matter experts in delivery aligned to a vision of a participant-centered model
Excellent coalition building skills with an ability to communicate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
Knowledge of federal, state and local transportation and transit programs, policies and practices and political campaign development such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) , formulas and equity efforts such as the Justice40 Initiative.
Able to manage a constantly evolving landscape, and shift priorities accordingly
Passionate about work at the intersection of infrastructure, transportation, racial wealth equity and climate change, advancing approaches to community co-creation, and developing strategies to mitigate extraction and harm
Sense of humor and a passion for prioritizing joy
Experience Qualifications
A minimum of five years of experience in program and project design, with an emphasis on place-based efforts, infrastructure and transportation programs, urban planning, or equivalent
Experience working to support local government or community-based organizations and/or other frontline organizations in advancing equitable public infrastructure and/or transportation and transit policy solutions
Demonstrated commitment and experience advancing successful racial and economic justice policies and standards
A graduate degree in urban planning, economic development, public administration or related disciplines preferred
Compensation and Benefits
PolicyLink offers competitive salaries commensurate with the experience and skills of our employees. The starting salary range for this position is $90,000 - $130,000.
To Apply
We accept online applications only. Please note that the application includes two written prompts that are required. Candidates should provide complete responses to the prompts; incomplete answers will not be considered.
No phone calls please. Only those selected to participate in our hiring process will be contacted.
Learn more/APPLY here!
