Policy and Project Associate

HouseATL seeks a full-time Policy and Project Associate to support county and city housing policy work and special projects by its growing, mission-focused membership coalition. The person in this position will advance housing affordability policies working with HouseATL’s members in specific jurisdictions around HouseATL’s 5-county service area. This staff member will also help identify, pursue and manage project opportunities that support HouseATL’s strategic recommendations. This is a hybrid work situation, with some office hours and many in-person meetings and events, but also time for remote work.

HouseATL is a cross-sector membership coalition of civic leaders committed to building the public will for a comprehensive and coordinated housing affordability action plan for Atlanta. The organization is fiscally sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and its offices are co-located with the Community Foundation. HouseATL has its own Advisory Board, elected by the membership, and it is currently staffed by an Executive Director and a Membership Associate. More information is available on the website at www.houseatl.org.

Responsibilities:

-       Draw on personal expertise about county and city government operations and local level political environments to support local affordable housing policy development in cooperation with HouseATL members

-       Advance HouseATL’s strategic recommendations at the local level by building relationships with key stakeholders and local government officials to advance policies that fit their communities

-       Identify data and information needed by policy makers to support affordable housing policies and connect decision makers to the appropriate HouseATL members and resources as needed

-       Convene local housing stakeholders as needed and help them organize advocacy structures. Provide support with developing policy strategies, creating meeting agendas and planning outreach and communications. Help connect local efforts to HouseATL’s Policy Working Group to maintain regional coordination

-       Assist with preparing local policy recommendations for approval by HouseATL’s Board.

-       Develop policy materials in cooperation with local housing stakeholders, such as advocacy letters, policy briefs, op-eds, and key messages

-       Organize and support meetings with elected officials and local government staff, as well as other key stakeholders, including meeting logistics, background research, and follow-up information

-       Provide testimony at public hearings and support the testimony of HouseATL members and stakeholders with tailored talking points

-       Identify needed state policies to better enable local successes, in collaboration with local housing organizations, and share information with the Policy Working Group

-       Track local level policy opportunities and advancements in specific jurisdictions and report on those as needed

-       Develop and support local events such as candidate forums and other types of gatherings to build local policy momentum

-       Provide education and training as needed on local level housing issues and needed policy solutions

-       Identify resource opportunities for projects that will support local level efforts, in particular for opportunities that will cross jurisdictions

-       Work with staff, members and stakeholders to pursue request for proposals

-       Manage the development and implementation of special initiatives that may span across multiple jurisdictions

-       Develop project timelines, coordinate resources, conduct planning sessions, track the achievement of milestones, report on progress, etc

-       Support the planning and execution of community convenings, roundtables, and forums, including outreach, content development, and documentation.

-       Maintain organized files and meeting records

˗  As part of the HouseATL staff team, help support HouseATL Member Convenings, special events, working group meetings and Board meetings

˗  Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

-       Mission aligned with a strong sense of purpose

-       Minimum of 4 years of experience in city or county housing operations, planning or policy

-       Preferred prior experience in policy advocacy and in project management

-       Demonstrated ability to navigate local political environments and tailor strategies to specific jurisdictional contexts

-       Bachelor’s Degree required, advanced degree in related field preferred

-       Excellent written and oral communication skills

-       Experience conducting independent research, preparing briefing documents and presenting findings

-       Experience using Microsoft Office, Zoom, Outlook, file sharing software, meeting scheduling software

-       Ability to interact professionally and effectively with a diversity of external stakeholders

-       An enthusiasm for collaboration and coalition building

-       Very organized and able to work on, and prioritize, multiple tasks at one time

-       Reliable and trustworthy – follows through on responsibilities in a timely and ethical manner

Compensation:         

To be determined based upon experience and qualifications within the anticipated salary range of $54,000-$59,000. This position is exempt and employee is eligible for the Foundation’s competitive health and benefits plan that includes:

·      Paid time off:

o  Two weeks accrued paid vacation (3 weeks after 2 years of employment)

o  Two weeks accrued paid sick leave

o  Four mental health days

o  Two personal day

o  Two floating holidays

o  Ten holidays

·      Benefits:

o  All benefits effective on date of hire – no waiting period

o  100% employer-paid benefits (medical, dental, vision) for employee-only insurance plans

o  100% employer-paid life insurance and AD&D

o  100% employer-paid short-term disability and long-term disability

o  100% employer-paid parking in downtown Atlanta or monthly MARTA card

o  Affordable plans for legal insurance, critical illness, supplemental life and more

o  Employee Assistance Program

·      Retirement:

o  Immediate eligibility for employee contribution to 403(b) plan

o  After one-year anniversary with organization, all employees receive an employer-paid contribution of 6% of their salary to the 403(b) plan regardless if the employee contributes to retirement

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter describing your interest in the role and a resume for consideration to nkeiser@houseatl.org with the subject line of “Policy and Project Associate”.

As HouseATL is fiscally sponsored by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the person in this role will officially be a Community Foundation employee.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta provides equal employment opportunities to all

employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any

type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics,

protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other

characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta values diversity and inclusion; therefore we honor the diverse needs, strengths, voices, and backgrounds of all individuals in our regional community.