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Senior Policy Director

Healthier Colorado

Job Description

Senior Policy Director

Full Job Description

Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer

Healthier Colorado is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the voices of Coloradans in the public policy process to improve the health of our state’s residents. We believe that every Coloradan should have an equal opportunity of living a healthy life. Healthier Colorado aims to make meaningful change to improve people’s health throughout our state’s diverse communities.

We are the only health advocacy organization in the country that deploys the full range of political activity—from political giving, to grassroots organizing, to lobbying, to running an in-house canvass to further our mission. We believe in the power of public policy and in the power of voters being informed participants in our democracy. Mixing politics and health is uncommon work, but we’re comfortable being a bit of a unicorn.

Healthier Colorado is the flagship, 501(c)(4) nonprofit entity in a family of separately branded organizations. The family includes The Fund for a Healthier Colorado, our 501(c)(3) sister organization; Healthy Air and Water Colorado, dedicated to addressing climate change for the sake of public health; Colorado’s Health Capitol, a collaborative workspace that is home to dozens of mission-aligned organizations; and Open Answer, a non-profit that provides field services and strategy to provide communities with the power to make change.

Position Overview

Healthier Colorado is looking for an individual who is excited at the prospect of leading a team to identify the barriers people face in becoming or staying healthy and developing the public policy solutions to help overcome identified challenges. The policy director will serve as Healthier Colorado’s leader of a team dedicated to local and state policy issues who are dedicated to policy research and analysis to help inform our ballot and legislative campaigns. They will serve as an issue expert to key decision makers, and, as appropriate, testify on behalf of the organization in support or opposition to policy decisions. This individual will also represent Healthier Colorado externally in coalition efforts to help in identifying challenges and help shape the solutions.

Job Duties

Team Management

  • Lead a team of policy staff to meet the goals of Healthier Colorado’s state and local policy agenda.
  • Can function well in a culture of servant leadership, in which a leader’s goal is to set up teammates for success.
  • Foster the professional development of the policy staff.
  • Create and maintain an environment that is consistent with the culture and values of Healthier Colorado.

Policy Responsibilities

  • Responsible for Healthier Colorado’s overall local and state policy portfolio, and will also assume primary responsibility for the health care and behavioral health care pieces of the portfolio, with the support of the policy team.
  • Identify opportunities for Healthier Colorado to lead local and state public policy campaigns in the immediate-, short- and long- term.
  • Develop public policy goals and bottom lines for priority local and statewide policy campaigns.
  • Collaborate with the Vice President of Public Affairs (who is responsible for legislative lobbying strategy), the Chief Strategy Officer, the policy team and others to create Healthier Colorado’s annual local and state policy agenda.
  • Evaluate local and state legislative and regulatory developments and assess its impact on Healthier Colorado’s public policy goals.
  • Make recommendations to Healthier Colorado’s leadership team on policy positions the organization should take on introduced legislation, regulations and ballot measures.
  • In collaboration with the policy team and other organizational departments, provide policy research, and develop supporting materials needed to advance policy campaigns.
  • In collaboration with the policy team, this person is responsible for the creation and maintenance of research documents on Healthier Colorado’s annual policy priorities.
  • Work with all Healthier Colorado departments to ensure accuracy and consistency in messaging key policy campaigns to external audiences.

Coalition and Stakeholder Management

  • Lead the policy team to identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with key stakeholders to advance Healthier Colorado’s legislative, regulatory and other public policy objectives.
  • Lead the recruitment of Healthier Colorado members and build coalitions to advance local and state legislative and ballot campaigns.
  • Coordinate the policy team to effectively represent Healthier Colorado on local and state coalitions to assist in the development of key public policies.

Leadership Roles

  • Coordinate the policy team to effectively represent Healthier Colorado in key legislative or regulatory venues.
  • Provide necessary updates and relevant policy information on upcoming legislative or ballot measures with Healthier Colorado’s Development Director in order to support fundraising.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
  • At least 6 years of experience in policy, government affairs, lobbying, legislative work or similar.
  • At least 2 years of experience managing people in a professional environment.
  • Familiarity with Colorado’s legislative process.
  • Demonstrated experience in high quality policy research and analysis.
  • Experience leading coalitions and stakeholder meetings.
  • Experience in tracking legislation and/or regulatory policies.
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including effectively communicating complex issues.
  • Strong time management and organizational skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects, simultaneously.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $95,000 and is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits

Healthier Colorado offers a very generous benefits package. We value the opportunity for our employees to support their physical, mental, and social health as well as practice a work and life balance. Our benefits package includes:

  • Health, vision, and dental insurance;
  • Retirement plan;
  • Generous PTO and paid holidays;
  • Professional development stipends;
  • Wellness reimbursement; and
  • Paid sabbatical after five years of employment

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