The R Street Institute—a free-market think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. and with regional offices around the country—is seeking a Northeast region manager to join our State Government Affairs team. We are accepting candidates who are based in/or near a state capital in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic regions of the US —or who are willing to relocate to the area. If you want to join an energetic organization and do something impactful, this may be just the opportunity you need. If you are the right fit, you will report to the director of state government affairs.
The role
You would serve as the R Street Institute’s regional ambassador and government relations point person for all our programs, with an emphasis on integrated harm reduction and criminal justice reform. Your typical day could include speaking with stakeholders on alternatives to incarceration, educating elected officials on policies that promote less harmful alternatives to combustible cigarettes, drafting an op-ed on free-market principles or testifying before legislative committees on our initiatives.
Key roles and responsibilities
A good candidate will be a fantastic networker, a self-starter, a quick study on a wide range of policy areas and able to deal with new situations in a creative manner. We actively seek out diversity in all roles across the organization and are particularly eager to consider candidates who bring a diverse background (in all its forms) to this role.
Responsibilities
- Educate state and local lawmakers and executive branch officials about R Street policy positions on harm reduction, criminal justice reform and a variety of other topics.
- Testify before legislative committees.
- Track and evaluate legislative and regulatory developments.
- Build ideologically broad coalition partnerships with other organizations to promote R Street messages.
- Arrange speaking, meeting and legislative testimony opportunities for R Street senior policy staff and R Street associates.
- Write papers for publication by R Street and others, as well as pieces for the popular and ideological press.
Experience and skills
- At least three years of experience in government affairs. This might take the form of work as a legislative staffer, a lobbyist, a trade association professional or other related work.
- Demonstrated understanding of criminal justice reform and integrated harm reduction policies.
- Excellent writing ability, ideally demonstrated by a record of published work.
- Strong public speaking skills.
- Ability to articulate complex topics in easily digestible forms.
- Knowledge of, and connections with, civil society and industry groups within the Northeast region.
Other useful information
Workplace
R Street offers a flexible working arrangement. Candidates can work remotely and can be based anywhere in the Northeastern coast of the U.S. When convening in person is safe and as COVID-19 travel guidelines are updated, travelling to represent R Street at key stakeholder meetings and events will be expected and required.
Compensation, Benefits and Perks
R Street strives to provide a compensation package superior to those at other think tanks and nonprofits. In addition to a competitive salary, we provide the following benefits and perks:
- Unlimited paid time off, including all federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving and two weeks holiday closure in December
- Alternating Fridays off
- A health insurance option entirely paid by the employer (even for families)
- Dental and vision insurance
- 401(k) contributions with up to a 4 percent match
- HSA employer contribution match
- Quarterly wellness reimbursement
- Mobile equipment reimbursement
- Home internet subsidy
- Monthly mobile plan reimbursement
- Annual educational and professional development reimbursement
- An option between child care assistance, pet care assistance or student loan repayment assistance reimbursement.
R Street does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, era of military service, gender identity, relationship structure or anything else that’s illegal, immoral or nonsensical to use as a basis for hiring.
While we impose no political litmus test for this job or any other, candidates should be comfortable communicating free-market messages. As such, applicants are strongly advised to review our webpage to assure they are comfortable with our work and our approach to it.
Candidates in whom we are interested will be contacted for telephone interviews, which will be conducted on a rolling basis, this will be followed by asking selected candidates to complete a writing test and will be further screened via virtual interviews. Candidates who believe they are highly qualified and haven’t heard back from us should follow up.
To apply, you must upload a cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format.