The National Conference of State Legislatures supports American representative democracy by strengthening legislative institutions. Join NCSLs team to help us support state legislators and legislative staff in the 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. NCSL offers careers where you can use your skills, knowledge, and experience to make a difference.
NCSL is the nations most trusted bipartisan membership organization for legislators and legislative staff. Our mission is to strengthen the legislative institution. From informing effective policies and promoting communication among state legislatures, to ensuring states have a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system, we work in service of legislatures. Our success is a credit to our team of passionate, dedicated professionals who work diligently to strengthen the legislative institution.
About the Role:
NCSL is hiring a Vice President of Policy and Research. This is a rare opportunity to come in at the top leadership level of the nations premier membership organization for state legislatures. NCSL has a 45-year bipartisan track record of success. Your experience and initiative will further enhance NCSLs reputation. Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President leads a team of eight directors dedicated to improving the effectiveness of state legislators and legislative staff by supporting them through policy research, educational resources and networking that is nonpartisan and representative of all perspectives in issues before states. The role directs the activities and the staff (approximately 80) of the state policy research division, which includes the Center for Results Driven Governing; Civil and Criminal Justice; Children and Families; Education; Employment, Labor and Retirement; Environment, Energy and Transportation; Elections and Redistricting; and Health. The position provides advice and consultation to the CEO, NCSL officers, and the 63-member NCSL Executive Committee on a broad range of programmatic and administrative policy issues.
The Vice President is part of the eight-member Executive Management Team of NCSL. This leadership group determines key policies and makes decisions on the internal operations of the organization as well as abroad array of NCSL external activities. NCSL has a staff of around 170 and an annual operating budget exceeding $35 million derived from a variety of revenue sources including complex grants.
As the Vice President, you will:
Supports the CEO and fellow senior leaders as a member of the executive management team in developing and implementing products and services to support NCSLs mission.
Projects the shared values of NCSL while focusing on annually established goals in fulfillment of the mission.
Lead, mentor, and evaluate a team of eight directors that mutually support one another, drive high quality work and contribute to a positive and rewarding work culture that embraces learning and professional development for all staff.
Develop a first-rate division team through employee selection, mentoring, training and professional development. Provide support, coaching, feedback, supervision and guidance to direct their teams.
Establish and continually monitor the divisions work and outcomes to ensure excellence and to identify areas for improvement.
Maintain and grow the organizations grants and contracts portfolio in collaboration with the directors, program staff and NCSL members. This portfolio includes over $14 million annually in both federal and private foundation grants focused on the most pressing issues in the states. The Vice President will maintain existing funder relationships, cultivate new relationships and oversee or directly work on the grant application process from proposal to close.
Work in collaboration with NCSLs accounting team to review grant agreements and contracts and constantly improve grant management procedures and systems.
Compile and present regular reports to the NCSL Executive Committee on grant activities.
Introduce and adapt new ideas, approaches, and methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of NCSLs state policy research division.
Represent NCSL with other national organizations and in national forums.
Coordinate and encourage collaboration across the organization, including coordination among the divisions policy programs and activities with other Vice Presidents and executive team staff.
Provide support to the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee, an advisory group to the NCSL Executive Committee representing the nations 30,000 legislative staff.
Conduct high-level analysis on priority projects of NCSL and personally manage complex projects on important and/or cross-cutting issues.
Other duties as assigned by the CEO.
The work environment:
This position is a mostly performed in an office environment, on or off-site, with prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Team members utilize standard office equipment such as copy machines, laptops, printers, scanners, and smartphones. Travel by airplane including overnights and weekends required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
ABOUT NCSL
Are you ready to join an organization with an extraordinary mission? The National Conference of State Legislatures offers careers where you can use your skills, knowledge and experience to truly make a difference. NCSL’s mission is purposeful—strengthening the legislative institution. From informing effective policies and promoting communication among state legislatures, to ensuring states have a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system, our team works in service of legislatures. And, with a commitment to constantly innovating all resources and services to meet the evolving needs of members, NCSL has earned the reputation as the nation’s most trusted bipartisan membership organization for legislators and legislative staff. Our success serving NCSL members relies on our team of passionate, dedicated professionals who work diligently to strengthen the legislative institution. Join our team and contribute to this unique, essential mission.
