Policy Specialist (Remote)

Title: Policy Specialist

Department: US Policy & Programs

Reporting to: Sr Director, U.S. Policy

Compensation: $74K - $80K USD Annually

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Remote - USA

 

Who We Are:

World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students. For 50 years, WES has set the standard for international academic credential evaluation, supporting millions of people as they seek to achieve their academic and professional goals. Through decades of experience as a leader in global education, WES has developed a wide range of tools to pursue social impact at scale. From evaluating academic credentials to shaping policy, designing programs, and providing philanthropic funding, we partner with a diverse set of organizations, leaders, and networks to uplift individuals and drive systems change. Together with its partners, WES enables people to learn, work, and thrive in new places. For more information about WES, please visit our website at www.WES.org.  

 

About the Opportunity: 

In partnership with other Departments and teams in the Social Impact Division, the US Policy team envisions a world in which individuals can thrive anywhere. The team works collaboratively with partners and policymakers to advance reforms that foster economic and social inclusion for immigrants, refugees, and international students and help receiving communities realize mutual benefit to build shared prosperity and resiliency. Our current policy focus areas include ensuring the recognition of occupational credentials (such as in healthcare) of internationally trained newcomers (refugees, other displaced persons, and immigrants); the creation and expansion of state-level Offices of New Americans to help build welcoming and economic integration infrastructure; and workforce access and inclusion.

Our policy team aims to be proactive and strategic; future-oriented; impact-focused; and collaborative work environment to support federal, state and local policy makers and advocates. This position works in close collaboration with the policy team on research and data analysis, policy evaluation, strategic advocacy efforts and other support duties.

 

What You'll Do:

Knowledge Management – 65%

• Support the Senior Policy Managers, in coordination with the Director of US Policy, with information, research and other knowledge needs to help move the discrete policy agendas and goals forward
• Identify and review state and federal bills of interest in discrete policy areas and share knowledge with Policy team members
• Actively provide input to Senior Policy Managers and other team members that helps insert knowledge and best practices into policy-oriented conversations in discrete policy areas.
• Suggest research and other knowledge gathering efforts that can help hone policy goals and outcomes, including from sources such as partner publications, academic institutions, and social media of policymakers and advocacy leaders
• Lead work in Quorum as an input to policy conversations, such as the identification of legislative action, social media alerts, potential bills, and bill tracking
• Maintain Policy Map as an information, sharing tool for WES team members and partners and support its utility across partner ecosystems
• Support with policy analysis for advocacy alerts, take actions and letters of support to IMPRINT Coalition and other WES partnerships

Reporting and Coordination Support – 25%

• Support on lobbying reporting by tracking state engagement and collecting lobby logs that represent the policy team’s national and state level work
• Support with the reporting of Key Performance Indicators as well as other output and outcome driven work
• Support meeting prep, coordination, and virtual logistics, notating follow up action items, as needed for knowledge management and reporting needs
• Represent the Policy team in internal collaborations with other teams, such as Performance Learning, Management and Evaluation and other USP&P programs
• Support Policy Director and Senior Policy Managers and other team members in updating key tools and reports required, including by the WES Senior Leadership Team, and/or WES Board.
• Proactively work with other key team members to develop visual and other tools that help tell the story of the impact of Policy on WES-wide and other goals
• As requested, develop documents that explain and support policy team goals, such as for use by the comms team in developing strategic communication plans or position papers.