Director, Policy

Position Description

• Advancing more effective and equitable criminal justice system
• Furthering economic justice, equity, and opportunity for all Harris County residents, especially those often and historically left behind by government programs.
• Ensuring equitable outcomes in health and access to quality, affordable healthcare
• Fighting for environmental and climate justice that keeps all communities safe and healthy
• Equitably investing in developing and maintaining resilient infrastructure and transportation for the 21st century
• Building and defending voting rights and a democracy that ensures equitable representation
• Progressing equity and social and racial justice as common threads through all areas of public policy

• The Director of the Policy Division leads a mission-aligned Policy Division of approximately 12-15 team members that identifies, develops, advances, and defends policies to strategically advance equity, opportunity, health, safety, and justice in Harris County and in Precinct One. The Policy Director reports to the Chief of Staff.
• Establish Organizational Policy Initiative Priorities.
• Developing and Prioritizing Organizational Policy Issues Initiative: Work with Policy team and other Organizational divisions to develop and update policy priority initiatives recommendations.
• Work with Commissioner and Chief of Staff to establish Precinct policy initiative priorities and policy agenda vision and when and how to best elevate those issue priorities.
• Leading and Coordinating Policy Initiative Strategic Advocacy Efforts: Leady policy team members and coordinate with internal organization divisions – including but not limited to the Community Affairs and Advocacy Division and the Communications Division – and external stakeholders in the development and implementation of strategic issue advocacy efforts and strategic communication efforts.
• Lead and manage the Policy Team - Provide daily leadership and management in the planning and directing of the activities of the Policy Division to ensure the team is highly proficient in all team responsibilities, which includes training and developing employees; planning and assigning projects; evaluating performance; administering coaching and progressive discipline; and addressing concerns and resolving problems. Our organizational leadership principles are grounded running a fair, equitable, sustainable, and results-driven organization .
• Hires the right team member for the right job in order to get the best results from the Policy Team. Includes conducting interviews and making hiring recommendations.
• Acts as a transformational leader for the Policy division, inspiring and motivating team members to achieve the division’s goals and objectives.
• Coaches team members by asking questions to engage staff and get them to think about issues and come to successful decisions and outcomes on their own – thereby leading to better learning and acceptance than simply telling them what to do.
• Mentors team members by passing along professional expertise and institutional knowledge to staff and showing and telling the history and the why behind policy, actions, processes and procedures. Develops team members so that they can actively support the strategic policy goals.
• Coordinates training activities, and coaches and evaluates staff with the objective of developing a team committed to adhering to policies and procedures developed.
• Supervises and directs assigned staff, resolves employee concerns and problems, coordinates work, counsels, holds team members accountable, disciplines, and completes employee performance appraisals.
• Develops inter and intra-divisional policies, procedures, workflows and guidelines to provide clear expectations to team.
• Coordinates daily work activities; organizes, prioritizes, and assigns work; monitors status of work in progress and inspects completed work; consults with assigned staff, assists with complex/problem situations, and provides technical expertise.
• Responsible for the efficient organization of the Policy Division, including appropriate supervisory levels and internal controls.
  Liaising with Precinct Leadership and Division, County Staff, and External Stakeholders: Represents Policy team in communications with Precinct leadership and divisions along with other County agencies, departments, and Court offices.
• Serve as Policy team point of contact for Commissioner Ellis, Executive Leadership Team, Precinct directors and divisions, Court staff, and County departments and agencies, and external stakeholders (unless point of contact role is delegated to another Policy division member).
• Maintain awareness across division of key issues to elevate in a policy issue space, the status of work product and adherence to deadlines, and progress on policy research, design and advocacy plans and implementation – and communicate updates, changes and concerns with Chief of Staff
• Ensure Policy division staff provide all expected work product for other divisions in a timely manner and with the highest standards.
• Sets and communicates expectations for interdivisional processes with other Precinct Division directors, adhere to other Divisions’ processes and ensure that Policy staff also adhere to those processes.
• Policy Advising: Maintains Policy portfolio and/or projects to advance Precinct 1 and county priorities
• Remain involved in policy issue area – whether as lead in a project or closely overseeing staff in certain portfolios.
• Policy advising responsibilities may include but are not limited to: conduct research and analysis, draft policy briefs and recommendations, monitor and track developments, organize relevant stakeholders, and propose and implement strategic plans in relevant areas of public policy to aid in advancing reforms.
• Support division members on priority and time-sensitive matters, as needed

• Develop subject matter expertise in assigned policy issue areas.
• Develop and execute monitoring, tracking, outreach, and engagement plans for assigned issue areas.
• Report and communicate important national, state, and local trends and developments in issue spaces (and provide recommendations related policy challenges and opportunities) to leadership in timely manner.
• Perform quality policy research and analysis efficiently and thoroughly.
• Design and develop actionable policy solutions to enhance the quality of life for all Harris County residents.
• Utilize strategic communications to inform key constituencies, advance and defend key policy priorities, complex policy information clearly and concisely to relevant target audiences.
• Develop and implement strategic advocacy efforts plans to advance and defend policy priorities.
• Engage with stakeholders, teammates, and decision makers – including residents, issue area experts, staff of other elected offices, etc. – in a professional and diplomatic manner to advance and defend organizational priority initiatives.

Requirements

Preferences

• Highly proficient in quantitative and/or data analytic skills (preferred)

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Full-time | Regular
• Monday - Friday | Evenings and weekend will be required at times.

What You Get in Return
You will be surrounded by coworkers who bring their best daily. Passionate people who want to make a difference in the communities Precinct One serves and Harris County as a whole. You will be in a mission-driven organization surrounded by colleagues who bring their best to work each day and collaborate to make a difference in the communities Precinct One serves along with Harris County as a whole.

Harris County employees receive a competitive salary plus medical, dental and vision insurance at no cost to the employee after the first two months of full-time continued employment. Vacation, sick time and floating holidays allow our employees to recharge and balance work and personal time. Mandatory participation in our retirement program allows employees to save for retirement. Various other benefits and discounts lead to the satisfaction and engagement of our employees.

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service
  • Accrual rates increase based on years of service
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday
• Professional development opportunities
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan