Director, State Policy

Job Title: Director of State Policy Team: External Affairs Location: Hybrid in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NYC), Washington, DC or Newark (NJ). Employment Type: Full-time FLSA Classification: Exempt Start Date: (ASAP)

About Braven Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs.

About the Role In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director of State Policy to lead the day-to-day execution of its state policy work. As a member of the External Affairs Team, you will work closely with regional Executive Directors, contracted lobbyists, and national leadership to advance policies that strengthen college-to-career pathways and improve economic mobility. The Director of State Policy will serve as Braven's primary state-level policy lead, responsible for setting strategy, advancing legislative and administrative priorities, cultivating high-stakes relationships with policymakers, and coordinating advocacy efforts across Braven's regions. You will work with state legislators, governors' offices, higher education agencies, workforce development agencies, and other stakeholders to identify and pursue opportunities aligned with Braven's mission. Working in partnership with the Head of Public Policy, you will help develop and implement regional policy agendas, provide guidance to regional Executive Directors, and coordinate the work of contracted state lobbyists. You will serve as a trusted thought partner to regional leaders and the Head of Public Policy, bringing political judgment, state government expertise, and an understanding of the different legislative and administrative environments in which Braven operates. This role requires someone who understands how state government works, can navigate complex political environments, and can move policy priorities from planning to implementation. The ideal candidate is comfortable engaging directly with elected officials and senior government staff, managing multiple state policy priorities, and representing Braven independently in external policy discussions. The Director of State Policy reports directly to the Head of Public Policy and does not have direct reports.

What You’ll Do State Policy Execution and Advocacy (35%)

• Lead the day-to-day execution of Braven's state policy priorities across its regions, ensuring that legislative and administrative advocacy efforts remain aligned with the organization's broader policy agenda.
• Work closely with regional Executive Directors, contracted lobbyists, and regional staff to advance established policy priorities, set political strategy, identify legislative opportunities, and coordinate advocacy activities.
• Monitor, analyze, and respond to state legislative, regulatory, and administrative developments affecting higher education, workforce development, and college-to-career pathways. Identify opportunities to advance Braven's priorities through state legislatures, governors' offices, higher education coordinating bodies, workforce development agencies, and other state entities.
• Serve as the primary ongoing liaison with Braven's contracted state lobbying firms, coordinating legislative engagement, monitoring advocacy activities, and tracking progress toward established policy goals. Work with lobbyists and regional leaders to prepare for legislative sessions, coordinate policymaker meetings, and identify opportunities for Braven to participate in relevant legislative and administrative processes.
• Represent Braven in legislative meetings, policy discussions, public hearings, coalitions, and coordinated advocacy campaigns. Maintain familiarity with state legislative calendars, committee proceedings, agency activities, and emerging policy developments so Braven can respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.

Stakeholder Management and Government Relations (30%)

• Cultivate and steward relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, gubernatorial administrations, state agencies, and other policymakers whose work intersects with Braven's policy priorities. Establish Braven as a credible resource on college-to-career pathways, higher education outcomes, workforce development, and economic mobility.
• Develop and maintain relationships with government affairs professionals at Braven's higher education partners, relevant think tanks, advocacy organizations, coalitions, and trade associations. Identify opportunities to strengthen Braven's presence in state policy discussions and build partnerships that advance shared policy objectives.
• Serve as a trusted policy thought partner to regional Executive Directors, providing guidance on legislative opportunities, stakeholder engagement, political considerations, and advocacy priorities. Work collaboratively with regional leaders to ensure that state policy activities reflect local political environments, institutional relationships, and regional needs.
• Coordinate with contracted lobbying firms to strengthen relationships with policymakers and advance agreed-upon legislative priorities. Support regional teams in preparing for meetings with elected officials and government leaders, identifying appropriate advocacy opportunities, and maintaining productive relationships with key stakeholders.
• Engage Braven alumni, higher education partners, and other stakeholders in state-level advocacy opportunities when appropriate. Represent regional policy interests in internal discussions and ensure that the Head of Public Policy and other national leaders remain informed of significant state policy developments.

Regional Policy Strategy and Coordination (25%)

• Lead the development and execution of Braven's regional policy strategies, agendas, and goals in partnership with Executive Directors, contracted lobbyists, and regional staff.
• Identify and evaluate emerging state policy opportunities, assess legislative and regulatory developments, and develop advocacy strategies that advance Braven's priorities.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Head of Public Policy and regional Executive Directors, providing recommendations on policy priorities, political dynamics, and government engagement.
• Direct and coordinate state policy initiatives across Braven's regions, ensuring strategic alignment, measurable outcomes, and responsiveness to each state's political and higher education landscape.
• Develop and lead strategies to engage state higher education coordinating boards, workforce development agencies, and other government entities to advance legislative and administrative policy priorities.

Policy Intelligence, Reporting, and Operations (10%) Develop and maintain systems to track state policy priorities, legislative activity, stakeholder engagement, and progress toward regional advocacy goals.

• Provide timely, actionable policy updates and strategic recommendations to the Head of Public Policy and regional Executive Directors.
• Monitor state lobbying firm deliverables, advocacy activities, and stakeholder engagement through Salesforce and other project management tools.
• Prepare state policy updates and accomplishments for board, funder, and stakeholder communications while strengthening coordination across regional and central teams.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• 5+ years of professional experience in state policy, government relations, legislative affairs, public affairs, or advocacy.
• Experience working in a state legislature or directly engaging with state legislators and legislative staff to advance policy priorities.
• Experience developing, advancing, or implementing state-level legislative or administrative policy initiatives.
• Ability to participate in meetings outside regular working hours to accommodate multiple time zones and stakeholder schedules.

Preferred Qualifications

• MPP, MPA, JD, or other relevant advanced degree.
• Experience working in a state legislature, governor's office, state agency, or legislative leadership office.
• Experience in higher education, workforce development, economic mobility, or nonprofit policy and advocacy, with knowledge of state legislative and administrative processes.
• Experience working with state lobbying firms, coordinating government relations consultants, or advancing policy priorities across multiple states.
• Demonstrated ability to develop policy strategies, exercise sound political judgment, and navigate complex political environments.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence policymakers, advise senior leaders, and engage diverse stakeholders.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to independently lead multiple initiatives and deliver measurable results.
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong, welcoming cultures that develop others, exemplifying Braven's core values, and bringing experiences that inform your belief in Braven's mission and prepare you to work with or for Braven's student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Atlanta (GA), Washington, DC, Chicago (IL), New York City (NYC), or Newark (NJ) 3 days per week
• Travel: The Director of State Policy must be able to travel several times per month, as needed, to support legislative sessions, regional site visits, policymaker meetings, and other stakeholder engagements. Travel demands may increase during active legislative sessions or significant policy campaigns.
• Non-traditional hours: The role may require occasional evening or weekend work to support legislative activities, regional events, stakeholder engagements, and organization-wide volunteer opportunities.

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Total Rewards Braven provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include:

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 20 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff
• Monthly $75 reimbursement for cell phone or internet
• Access to funding for continued career development

Compensation

Braven offers opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly relative to one another, their qualifications, and their impact on the organization, and we take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each offer is carefully determined using external and internal benchmarks. The hiring range is determined by role scope, qualifications, and internal equity, with annual growth based on performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The hiring ranges for this role by geographic market are set forth as $87,200-$93,700 in Atlanta, $92,000-$98,800 in Chicago, and $101,200-$108,700 in Newark and New York City. This is based on a 50-hour work week. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits-eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply.

Location We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta, Chicago, Newark, New York, or Washington, D.C. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week. Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.