Legislative And Policy Associate

National Council on Aging

Looking to innovate, grow, and make a positive impact on the lives of others? Join a nonprofit service and advocacy organization whose mission is to improve the lives of older adults, especially those who are struggling.
We Are NCOA and we believe every person deserves to age well. That’s why we’re on a path to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. The National Council on Aging, a national voice for every American’s right to age well, has an exciting opportunity for a Legislative and Policy Associate in its Arlington, VA/Crystal City office.
The Legislative and Policy Associate will work directly with the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy to help advance National Council on Aging (NCOA) policy priorities with multiple stakeholders, including Congressional and Administrative staff, coalitions, and other partners. The Legislative and Policy Associate will collaborate with the Policy, Advocacy, Research, and Evaluation (PARE) team and other NCOA staff across the organization on policy and advocacy activities.
Key responsibilities include the following:

• Represent NCOA at coalition meetings.
• Organize and execute digital and in-person advocacy mobilization events.
• Collaborate with program teams and community leaders to identify potential advocates with subject matter expertise, including story collection, related to the organization’s public policy priority areas.
• Assist with crafting action alerts, social media content, website content, toolkits, summaries of legislation, and other related materials.
• Help develop grassroots advocacy relationships in key target states and congressional districts.
• Advocate for NCOA policy priorities on Capitol Hill, including income security and health policy issues.
• Coordinate with the Advancement team to leverage the editorial calendar to amplify public policy and advocacy messaging.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Professional Experience/Qualifications:

• Interest in policy and advocacy focused on social change, particularly related to equity across the life span, including older adults.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively; must be a team player.
• Experience working with Congress, including with key committees or policy and advocacy organizations.
• Experience developing and cultivating relationships with federal officials, health care groups, and agencies.
• Bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years of relevant work experience.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, presentation, and interpersonal skills, including an ability to communicate ideas clearly and concisely to different audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (especially Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and web-based tools and platforms.
• Demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse audiences.
• Strong commitment to aging policy issues.

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public policy, government, or public health).
• Experience working as a Legislative Assistant.
• Experience working on federal public policy related to older adults’ health, economic security, and community service needs.
• Willingness to embrace the collaborative leadership and coalition-building commitment/competency of the organization to further public policy goals.
• Interest in advancing public and private solutions to foster equity among older women, people of color, LGBTQ+, low-income, and rural individuals.

NCOA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals and in which personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, military service status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. NCOA believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

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