Senior Director of Policy

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding.

Guiding Principles (We believe…)

• The people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, full lives. 
• City Government should both recognize its culpability in creating and sustaining inequity and aspire to its responsibility to provide opportunities, represent the best interests, and promote the well-being of all residents. 
• People can offer meaningful insights into both personal experiences and how systems around them function. 
• Poverty is a deliberately created systemic issue and city government can lead in calling for justice and dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities. 

Values (How we work)

• Dignity: We actively respect our individual colleagues and people in the community.
• Inclusivity: Our work is more beneficial, valuable, and valid when our full range of experiences, knowledge, and skills can contribute.
• Persistence: We recognize the challenges inherent in this work, and when we get discouraged, we find ways to be resilient, lift each other up, and push forward.
• Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.
• Honesty: We create a space to have healthy, honest dialogues about systems, people, and misconceptions and then communicate truthfully.

Job Description

The Senior Director of Policy will lead CEO’s efforts to advance policies that create opportunities for stability, economic mobility, and prosperity for Philadelphians in poverty. This includes policy analysis, development, and advocacy on issues in CEO’s published Policy Agenda, as well as other opportunities that align with CEO’s programmatic work. The Senior Director of Policy is an integral part of the City’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO), an agency within the Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. CEO’s work directly supports the Mayor’s goal of improving economic opportunities for all Philadelphians.  CEO’s mission is to advance economic justice through racial equity, to increase mobility out of poverty and to ensure that all Philadelphians can share in the benefits of economic growth. CEO also distributes federal Community Services Block Grant funding and other resources to support this work. This position reports to the Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Programs.

CEO’s Strategic Framework  
The Senior Director of Policy advances CEO’s Overarching Strategy to advocate at the program, operational, and system level for solutions for mobility out of poverty. The Director acts as an internal and external change agent to inform, advocate, and collaborate for policies with a focus on equity, economic mobility, and community inclusion.    

Essential Functions

• The Senior Director of Policy will advance the Mayor’s agenda for the people of Philadelphia through advocacy, policy, and regulatory improvements, and changes in practice and system improvements. Such areas may include:  

• Access to basic needs such as public benefits including Me