The right person for this job is a strong thought partner and writer, knowledgeable about governmental processes, and driven to understand and improve statewide policy to help individuals with autism be safe, healthy, and happy. They will be joining a well-established and effective team that includes government affairs counsel and colleagues who make Autism New Jersey a great place to work.

Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Public Policy Director is responsible for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the agency's public policy initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public administration, political science, psychology, education, or a related field from an accredited college or university
• Excellent advocacy, consensus-building, coalition-building, and leadership skills
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with staff and other organizations
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and oral; experience as a public spokesperson and advocate; ability to analyze and articulate complex concepts and issues and to communicate them to a variety of audiences; a “quick study” on a dynamic array of issues
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously and adjust to changing demands

Desired Qualifications

• Experience of increasing responsibility in government service, human services, special education, or a related field
• Experience analyzing and interpreting legislative and regulatory language
• Experience building relationships with both public policy and autism community stakeholders across the political spectrum
• Knowledge of legislative and administrative processes
• Knowledge of autism, effective treatment, and privately and publicly funded service delivery systems

Responsibilities

Public Policy Agenda

• Influence social and fiscal policy in priority areas to improve the lives of individuals with autism, their families and the professionals who support them
• Develop, implement, and evaluate a robust policy agenda that includes broad goals, specific objectives, estimated timelines, and resources needed
• Lead the cultivation of powerful relationships with key policymakers and influencers in Trenton
• Provide reliable and timely analysis and strategic guidance to shape legislation and regulation
• Inform, strategize with, and evaluate the agency’s government affairs counsel
• Cooperatively work with the greater autism community (e.g., parents, professionals, agency partners and members, board members, sister agencies) to achieve tangible progress in priority areas

Communications

• Serve as a spokesperson for public policy initiatives (e.g., deliver testimony, participate in media inquiries)
• Work collaboratively with the communications team to develop and disseminate information and materials that explain and advance our initiatives to partners, policy makers, the media, and the community
• Author status reports of advocacy initiatives for internal and external purposes with the intention to increase the autism community’s policy literacy (i.e., the degree to which individuals have the capacity to access and understand basic policy information needed to effectively advocate for change)

Partner Engagement

• Serve as the lead staff person for the agency’s partner organizations
• Maintain current relationships and develop new ones
• Host meetings to inform and engage partners (typically three per year)
• Communicate agency and policy updates to partners in a timely manner

Planning and New Opportunities

• Engage in strategic and operational planning
• Build new strategic partnerships and leverage existing partnerships with political and community leaders, sister agencies, and funding sources

Administration

• Monitor, reconcile, and forecast budget lines in collaboration with the Operations Manager and others as appropriate
• File quarterly and annual reports and maintain active registrations with the Election Law Enforcement Commission
• Identify, co-author, and manage policy-related grant opportunities
• Collaborate with staff on special projects such as conferences, fundraising events, autism awareness, etc.
• Engage in professional development activities
• Maintain all professional standards including ethics and confidentiality
• Carry out other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• In-person
• Office

Ability to Relocate:

• Robbinsville, NJ 08691: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person