Director of Policy Operations

Chapin Hall seeks a leader to oversee and integrate the organization’s policy portfolio and lead a large team in this work. This position is designed to ensure the effective operation of a dynamic and growing organization.

FUNCTION – SCOPE STATEMENT

Chapin Hall seeks a Director of Policy Operations to lead responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Chapin Hall’s policy portfolio and oversight of more than 50 policy staff, with direct line supervision of the Senior Policy Fellows. Chapin Hall policy staff come from a variety of academic, government, and non-profits backgrounds and work collaboratively in over 25 states and localities. Their breadth of experience, combined with the work of Chapin Hall’s research staff, provides Chapin Hall with a distinctive blend of academic rigor and practical problem solving.

The primary focus of the position is to ensure that the organization’s policy portfolio is optimally managed, on budget, and staffed to meet the highest standards of quality. This includes leading the development and implementation of enhanced operational infrastructure and business processes to support the policy staff in the growth and execution of Chapin Hall's policy portfolio and adherence to administrative requirements. The ideal candidate will have senior management experience, as well as outstanding organizational, communication, and leadership skills, an ability to develop pragmatic solutions to everyday challenges, and an understanding of the use of evidence and potential for change through its application in federal, state, and local policymaking.

A parallel position, the Director of Research Operations, supports the research portfolio. The two leaders work closely with the Executive Director and the organization’s full administrative leadership team to ensure alignment of Chapin Hall’s entire portfolio with the organization’s vision, strategic goals, business needs, compliance requirements, and staff development goals.

The Director of Policy Operations reports to the Executive Director. This is a nationwide recruitment search without geographic residential requirements. This position allows for remote work. Periodic travel is expected.

Chapin Hall embraces a “Work from Anywhere” approach which offers flexible remote work from anywhere in the United States. Chapin Hall also offers in-person opportunities for staff to build: 1) connections, 2) team cohesion and creativity, and 3) a sense of belonging to the organization. All staff are expected to travel to and engage in a minimum of two annual 2-day “All Hall Convenings” featuring shared learning, teamwork, and fellowship. Reasonable accommodations are made for those who require modifications.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise and collaborate with Senior Policy Fellows to lead the policy portfolio
  • Foster exchange of ideas and strategies in support of rigor, integration, innovation, and influence
  • Partner with the Senior Policy Fellows and Director of Research Operations to identify opportunities to integrate Policy and Research project teams and future work
  • Ensure overall effective management of policy staff, including ensuring understanding and successful integration of organizational practices and adherence to organizational policies
  • Provide thought partnership and support to policy project leads in business development and proposal writing
     
• Promote a talent management culture of high performance, continuous improvement, and sense of belonging
  • Create infrastructure and processes that effectively establish and meet internal and external policy staffing priorities, take full advantage of, and develop the range of staff skills and talents, and embed transparency, support, consistency, and collaboration
  • Create and implement enhancements that support policy staff work quality, productivity, and engagement in all work settings
  • Support targeted recruitment, retention, of policy staff with the required competencies, experiences, and attributes, as well as professional development
• Collaborate across leadership roles to put into place innovative, rigorous, and responsive operational supports
  • Ensure that the policy portfolio is in consistent compliance with all organizational policies and practices; support and create necessary educational opportunities and accountability mechanisms
  • Ensure the development and implementation of a transparent and consistent quality review process for Chapin Hall policy proposals, partnerships, and products
  • Identify potential points of friction with administrative offices and work to find solutions that ensure consistent compliance and ease burden
     
• Provide leadership toward stable, balanced, and predictable sources of income across the policy portfolio
  • Lead annual policy portfolio budget, goal setting, and forecasting
  • Monitor overall progress of policy portfolio; suggesting and collaborating to make mid- course adjustments when necessary
• Perform other duties as assigned

• Minimum of a master’s degree in public policy, law, or the social sciences preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential job duties may be considered
• Fifteen to twenty (15-20) years of relevant experience in public policy and change management with at least five (5) years in a senior management and leadership role with significant supervision responsibilities
• Deep understanding of and experience with grants and contracts requirements and the unique compliance responsibilities of and requirements for federal, state, and local level government engagements
• Expertise in organizational change and structuring effective operations via strong facilitation, consensus-building and strategic thinking skills
• A demonstrated track record of creating and implementing successful project management and staff management structures
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, flexibility, and attention to detail
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office suite

MINIMUM PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Chapin Hall is committed to ensuring the health and safety of our staff. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to operate a computer extensively for four (4) or more hours per day.
• Must be able to travel locally and out of state occasionally.

Pre-employment background checks are required for all Chapin Hall positions. Formal expressions of interest are accepted online only. A cover letter, resume, writing sample, and reference contact information are required to be considered for this position. Individuals in need of reasonable accommodations to complete the application process should contact Human Resources by sending an email to recruiting@chapinhall.org.

Chapin Hall is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that values and actively seeks diversity in its workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, citizenship status, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, status as an individual with disability,  ancestry, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law. Per U.S. Department of Labor regulations, Chapin Hall offers visa sponsorship in limited instances for hard-to-fill specialty occupation roles. If you have questions about visa sponsorship at Chapin Hall, please reach out to humanresources@chapinhall.org

Regarding the salary range

Chapin Hall adheres to a competitive market-aligned salary structure for all its administrative, policy, and research roles. Starting salaries within posted ranges are determined by the Chapin Hall Human Resources Department using a consistent, rigorous, and equitable review process.

Benefits
Chapin Hall provides a strong benefits program that addresses the diverse needs of our staff. The Chapin Hall Benefits Program offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options that allow you to design your own plan, to balance individual needs with affordability and support long-term financial stability for staff and their family. Our benefits include comprehensive health plans, paid time off, sick time, parental leave and retirement options. For more information on our benefits visit our Chapin Hall Website.