StriveTogether Inc

Compensation

Full Description

Specialist, Policy - Policy and Partnerships    About StriveTogether    StriveTogether is a national network of community partnerships that bring together neighbors, including youth and families, nonprofits, businesses, schools and more, to work toward a future where youth can thrive in their communities. Cradle to Career Network members change the way their communities work together by building connections, sharing resources and using data to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. Our work helps young people meet seven key life milestones so that they have the opportunities they need to reach their goals, and, ultimately, thrive.     StriveTogether team members are community supporters, difference makers and compassionate leaders. We are champions for every child and committed to personal and professional growth. We thrive by working entrepreneurially — embracing innovation, risk-taking and adaptability — in service of our bold mission. We pursue new opportunities while remaining responsive to a diverse and evolving group of stakeholders, including our network members, national partners and funders. Our team is energized by a dynamic, fluid environment and is committed to courage, progress and results as we work to improve life outcomes for all youth.    About you  You are proactive, dependable, and motivated by the opportunity to turn ideas into impact. You bring experience working in policy and navigating traditional local and/or state government processes, and you thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments. With a proven track record of managing projects and aligning diverse stakeholders, you use your strong communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills to help groups move from vision to action and achieve meaningful results.  At StriveTogether, we’re dedicated to ensuring all children succeed. You’re driven by our mission and passionate about putting millions more young people on a path to economic mobility. To be successful in this role, you must be aware of the complex dynamics of our national educational landscape and the challenges that community members face on the path to achieving economic mobility.  At StriveTogether, we’re dedicated to ensuring all children succeed. You’re driven by our mission and passionate about putting millions more young people on a path to economic mobility. You understand the complexity of today’s educational and economic systems — and you’re eager to roll up your sleeves, work alongside committed partners, and help create lasting change.  About the position  As a Policy Specialist, you’ll play a pivotal role in advancing StriveTogether’s bold 2030 goal: ensuring 4 million more young people are on a path to economic mobility and helping to unlock $70B in public resources to support them. Reporting directly to the Director of State Policy, you’ll be a key contributor to the Policy and Partnerships team, driving strategies at the local, state, and national levels.  In this role, you’ll be at the heart of our policy efforts — coordinating complex projects, tracking progress toward ambitious goals, and making sure partners have what they need to succeed. You’ll help shape convenings, workshops, and trainings that bring people together, generate insights, and move policy forward. You’ll also dig into data and stories from communities, turning them into tools that inform strategy, accelerate progress, and inspire change.  This is a chance to use your project management skills, policy know-how, and passion for equity to help translate local experience into statewide and national impact — and to be part of a mission-driven team working to create lasting change for children, youth, and families across the country.  Responsibilities and Duties     Project Support (~70%)  * Provide critical support to advance core policy and partnership strategies, including but not limited to: * Supporting the development and advancement of state policy coalitions, state infrastructure investments, and implementation communities of practice across priority states, including monitoring deliverables and timelines. * Developing and maintaining meeting and convening agendas, materials, and follow-up processes, as well as capturing and disseminating notes and learnings. * Coaching and supporting Network Members and Partnerships in the development and implementation of local policy agendas to advance cradle-to-career outcomes. * Supporting the planning, development, and delivery of offerings and content for events such as weekly “policy office hours,” periodic outcomes-specific convenings, the annual Policy Summit, and the StriveTogether National Convening. * Contributing to special projects and other duties as assigned.   Team Operations Support (~25%)  * Support the development of documents, presentations, and communications to be shared with internal and external audiences * Staff and/or represent Policy and Partnerships team members at key internal and external meetings, as needed * Provide support to the Policy team’s Director of Operations, including but not limited to: * Managing consultant contracts and deliverables * Tracking project budgets against expenditures * Monitoring and logging local, state, and national funding and policy wins * Maintaining databases and dashboards for key metrics and generating presentations and reports for a range of internal and external audiences * Work closely with colleagues in policy, insights and analytics, mar/com and network to ensure alignment and drive collective results.    Organizational Responsibilities (5%)  * Adhere to company policies and procedures.  * Participate in staff meetings, organizational trainings, cross-functional teams and interview processes. * Other duties as assigned.  Qualifications and skills    Required Qualifications  * Bachelor’s degree with 3+ years of public policy experience  * Demonstrated track record of advocating for and achieving equitable results for children, youth, and families.  * Self-directed, with a track record of taking initiative, and achieving results through collaborative relationships across teams * Proven ability to work on several tasks simultaneously, with experience organizing and prioritizing work quickly in response to changing needs. * Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills, including experience communicating complex topics to a variety of audiences * Strong problem-solving and interpersonal skills * Strong technical skills and keen analytic skills   Preferred Qualifications * Experience in social services, community engagement/organizing, and cross-sector collaboration  * Experience with Salesforce  * Experience managing virtual learning and engagement platforms    Location and Work Requirements        This role can be remote, or hybrid (3 days in office) based out of StriveTogether’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters. We will consider remote applicants from most U.S. locations; however, we’re currently unable to support employment in Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, or Puerto Rico due to operational limitations.         StriveTogether prioritizes candidates from locations proximate to StriveTogether partner locations.      This role will require up to 30% travel for non-Cincinnati staff with slightly less for staff based out of headquarters. Candidates should have the ability to effectively use remote work technology, including Slack, Zoom and other technology.        Compensation and Benefits        This is an exempt role. This role has a salary range of: $68,500 -$76,500.      StriveTogether is committed to fair compensation practices. To ensure consistency, salaries are determined based on the readiness for the position, market competitiveness and fair pay structures across the team. As a matter of policy, StriveTogether makes a best and final offer and does not negotiate.         StriveTogether also provides competitive benefits and professional development opportunities including:    * 15 days paid time off with an additional four personal days, eleven holidays and a five-day break at the end of the year. PTO increases to twenty days after five years and staff members can apply for sabbatical in their seventh year of employment.   * Competitive health and dental benefits with up to $2,500 contribution from the organization for HSA for HDHP participants.   * Automatic 3% employer contribution to retirement plan and up to another 1% based on a total of 5% employee contribution.   * Options for professional development internally and externally including webinars, conferences and trainings.   * Paid parental leave.    * 100% paid vision, short-term and long-term disability, basic life insurance and access to Employee Assistance Program.   * Cell phone, internet and $250 yearly home office stipend        Application and Interview Process        Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a target start date in January 2026. The process below is reflective of the typical process but may adjust slightly based on need and timing.    * Phone screen    * Hiring manager interview * Performance task (candidates are compensated for their time)   * Panel Interview * Reference checks        We encourage candidates to apply by October 13, 2025 for their application to be considered .      If you need assistance completing your application or require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process due to a disability or another reason protected by law, we are committed to ensuring an inclusive process and are here to help. Please contact us at px@strivetogether.org [px@strivetogether.org].        StriveTogether seeks to bring in a talented and engaged workforce from a range of backgrounds. We recognize that you may not have an exact match with every qualification for this role, and that's okay — we encourage you to apply. We value unique experiences and perspectives, and we welcome your application.        Equal Opportunity Employer        StriveTogether provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, domestic partnership status, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.          StriveTogether participates in the E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov [https://www.e-verify.gov/]