Senior Policy Analyst – State Budget

MassBudget’s mission is to advance equitable policy solutions that create an inclusive, thriving Commonwealth for all. This is an exciting time as MassBudget continues its journey toward being an antiracist organization and explores what that means for our research, advocacy, communications, partnerships, operations, and our development work.

The Senior Policy Analyst takes initiative to help advance equitable policy solutions through the state budget and related policy. The Senior Policy Analyst will lead MassBudget’s work with MassBudget analysts and external partners in and outside of state government towards making the state budget more antiracist and inclusive. The Senior Policy Analyst will report directly to the Policy Director and work closely with the Deputy Policy Director, Director of Advocacy, and Director of Communications.

This position will require the employee to become a registered lobbyist in the state of Massachusetts as soon as possible after hiring. Additionally, due to the relationship-building nature of this position and occasional meetings at the State House, the Senior Policy Analyst is required to reside in Massachusetts or within a reasonable driving distance from Massachusetts.

There is a priority application deadline of Friday, March 15, 2024. Applications received before this deadline will be prioritized.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES

 

State Fiscal Analysis

 

• Lead MassBudget’s state budget and revenue analysis, which may include writing briefs, press releases, and reports on the topic. This work happens in close collaboration with other analysts and the Director of Advocacy to ensure analyses are equity-centric, accurate, and accessible.
• During the state budget process, work closely with MassBudget’s Director of Advocacy and executive and legislative staff to provide the MassBudget team with updated information about state budget proposals in readily-accessible formats.
• Lead the budget analysis in one or two specific state budget areas, such as non-tax and federal revenue sources.
• Serve as a technical expert to MassBudget staff and external partners on state budget-related questions
• Integrate findings from outreach or other MassBudget partnership work to incorporate community voice and antiracist and equity perspectives into budget analysis.
• Support MassBudget’s participation on state commissions or committees related to the state budget as needed.

 

State Budget Data Management

 

• Maintain MassBudget’s state budget and revenue data to be a highly accessible resource for MassBudget staff, community partners, and advocates. This includes updating inflation data used for MassBudget’s budget analysis, as necessary.
• Oversee, maintain, update, and troubleshoot MassBudget’s online Budget Browser tool, which includes working with MassBudget’s contract web developer to ensure timely, accurate uploading of the data.
• Lead a process to redesign MassBudget’s Budget Browser web tool to ensure it is modernized and as accessible as possible to key stakeholders. This will be done in coordination with communications staff, other research analysts, and key external partners.

 

State Budget Public Education

 

• Lead the development of highly accessible and relevant education materials on the state budget and ensure that all MassBudget analysts are prepared to present the material to others as needed.
• Conduct presentations and training sessions about the state budget process as needed for external audiences across Massachusetts.

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND HOW TO APPLY

 

Required Skills and Experience:

 

• Minimum of 3-5 years of dedicated economic or policy analysis experience, preferably on issues that relate to improving the lives of individuals and families who are low- and middle-income
• Strong technical skills in Microsoft Excel, specifically when used to analyze large datasets
• Commitment to antiracism and to building racial and economic equity in alignment with MassBudget’s mission
• Understanding of local and state policy and how data is used to inform them
• Detail-oriented collaborator who has proven experience managing projects and deadlines effectively
• Very strong written and oral communication skills

 

Desired Skills and Experience:

 

• Experience analyzing Census microdata to better understand racial and economic trends
• Proficiency with statistical and/or data visualization softwares, such as SQL, R, Stata, and Tableau
• Knowledge of a second language that is prevalent in Massachusetts
• Experience with – and enthusiasm for – public speaking

 

MassBudget is on its journey to becoming an antiracist organization, one that is a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. Some candidates may see a long list of job requirements and feel discouraged because they don’t match every single bullet point. We encourage you to please apply anyway.

 

Salary and Benefits

 

MassBudget has a 35-hour work week; this position is full time. MassBudget is a remote-first organization; though, staff may be required to attend in-person meetings and events as needed during the course of business.

The salary range is $87,000-$100,000 based on qualifications and experience. In an effort to increase equity and because salary negotiations tend to have an unfair bias, MassBudget will not participate in a salary negotiation process for any position. MassBudget will make its best offer, and it will use the same criteria regardless of the staff member or position, current or potential.

MassBudget currently provides generous benefits including: paying 100% of health, vision, and dental care premiums; short-term family and medical leave; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; accidental death insurance; wellness benefit; employer contribution to a flexible spending account or health savings account; at least 3 weeks of vacation annually; 15 paid wellness days annually; and employer contribution 5% of salary to employees’ 401k plans.

 

How to Apply

 

Please email résumé and cover letter to jobs@massbudget.org. Put “LAST NAME, FIRST NAME, Applicant for Senior Policy Analyst” in the subject line of the email. This position is open until filled.

MassBudget does not discriminate basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, age, ancestry, traits historically associated with race, citizenship, marital or veteran status, uniformed military service, genetic information, handicap or disability, or any other protected status as defined by law. As part of its work on building an antiracist organization, MassBudget is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the organization and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. We encourage applications from persons whose background and experiences will increase the diversity of voices in our organization.