Policy Associate (Oregon)

• Conducts federal policy analysis and monitors congressional, regulatory, and administrative matters related to relevant federal policy issues.
• Actively participates in state legislative and administrative processes; attends committee hearings, lobby visits, budget hearings, floor sessions, commission meetings, and other meetings relevant to TNC conservation priorities and in support of advocacy goals and objectives.
• Monitors legislative, regulatory, and administrative matters related to relevant state and federal policy issues; provides research, policy analysis and recommendations on state public policy issues, policy options, agency budgets, and the potential impacts of proposed legislation, rulemaking efforts, and changes in agency policies.
• Develops policy communications assets to support the Oregon Business Unit’s and Western Division’s policy advocacy and strategic communications needs, including talking points, testimony, one-pagers, letters to the editor and social media posts.
• Attends and takes notes at committee hearings, lobbying visits, floor sessions, agency commission meetings, and other relevant venues in support of TNC conservation priorities.
• Works with Marketing and Communications and Government Relations teams to produce state and federal policy briefs to help educate elected officials, partner organizations, board of trustees members, and the general public.
• Assures compliance with all state and federal lobbying laws and regulations, including reporting and tracking state lobbying activities.
• Some overnight out of state travel for trainings and Washington, D.C. fly-ins, frequent travel to Salem, OR during state legislative session, and occasional travel for organizational retreats. Overnight/out of state travel up to 10% of time.
• Hybrid work arrangement with an expectation to work onsite at the Portland office at least once every two weeks.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree and 3 years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with policy, advocacy, or strategic communications.
• Experience communicating with government officials and/or agency staff, partners and stakeholders, or organizational leaders.
• Experience researching information from varied sources and compiling it into communications materials, memos, and issue briefs.
• Experience in verbal and written communications, with strong analytical, writing and critical thinking skills.
• Experience cultivating and sustaining relationships and working effectively with a wide variety of teams.
• Fluency in English.

Desired Qualifications:

• Self-starting, independent worker with experience coordinating complex projects in a fast-paced, decentralized organization, working across teams, operating units and functions to achieve optimal results.
• Experience with legislative, policy or strategic communications initiatives at two or more of the following levels: local, regional, state or federal.
• Experience working with lobbyists and policy professionals in the nonprofit, conservation, environmental, or sustainability sectors.
• Experience building networks or organizational capacity, facilitating informational sessions, increasing internal knowledge and capacity, and identifying key stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience appreciated.