Policy Associate

About the HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance:

Co-founded by the Food Chain Workers Alliance, the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, Real Food Challenge, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, HEAL is a multi-sector, multi-racial coalition building collective power to transform our food and farm systems, with racial justice and community self-determination at the core. We are led by our member organizations, who represent over 2 million rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fishers, farm and food chain workers, indigenous groups, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, community organizers, and activists nationwide.

HEAL is committed to achieving food and farm systems that are nourishing for our families, accessible and affordable for all communities, and fair to the working people who grow, distribute, prepare, and serve our food — while protecting the air, water, and land we all depend on.

Our staff team is strong and growing — we are highly accountable to our members and to each other. Each of us contributes to the overall functioning of the organization, maintaining relationships with members, and adapting workflows to support one another’s needs. For more about how our team operates, please see our protocols and principles.

Position Overview

HEAL seeks a motivated Policy Associate to join us, working with our diverse member organizations to build our collective power for food and farm systems transformation through policy advocacy. This role supports and engages in efforts to advance HEAL’s overall policy initiatives in collaboration with our Policy, Organizing, and Campaigns team.

The Policy Associate will primarily be responsible for 1) analyzing and ensuring understanding of relevant policy 2) articulating the need for policy action 3) drawing connections between intersectional policy issues (esp. climate, labor, BIPOC producers, and corporate control) 4) advocating on policy issues important to our members.

This position reports directly to the Policy Director.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES. The core responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Policy Advocacy and Analysis (60%)

• Research, analyze, and track policy, legislation, and other relevant issues at the federal and state/local levels to advance HEAL’s platform
• In collaboration with the Policy Director, act as HEAL’s DC-based representative to represent HEAL in policy groups and meet with key decision makers on Capitol Hill and federal agencies, serving as a key spokesperson on relevant policy issues. This includes scheduling meetings, notetaking, and follow-up action items
• Develop legislative or regulatory briefings, reports, public comments, factsheets, action alerts, and other educational/policy materials on HEAL’s policy priorities to educate HEAL members, policymakers, and the general public
• Uplifts HEAL member priorities with policymakers using materials created
• Assist in HEAL’s strategy development by identifying policy opportunities to advance HEAL’s policy priorities

Policy Organizing and Education (25%)

• Work with the communications team to write, edit, and/or distribute online content and messaging
• Collaborate with the organizing team to identify, develop, and nurture relationships with HEAL members, partners, and ally organizations
• Work with the policy team to drive the process of integrating HEAL’s policy work with Political Education, Campaigns, and Communications platforms
• Represent HEAL at public events, conferences, and coalition meetings when needed.
• Work with HEAL’s Policy, Organizing, and Campaigns Team to organize action on priority policies

Overall Effective Functioning of HEAL (15%)

• Assist in creating metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of HEAL’s policy advocacy
• Work with HEAL staff to produce and convene HEAL member summits, webinars, member calls, and other member activities.
• Attend and contribute to weekly meetings across teams to design and implement infrastructure critical to the continuation of HEAL’s policy work.
• Maintain competency in issue areas.
  • Maintain and update working knowledge of issues related to gender, economic, environmental, and racial justice to ensure relevance of HEAL campaigns and communications.
• Apply a core understanding of racial equity concepts and the importance of building political leadership for food systems change.
• Participate in planning and strategy sessions to achieve HEAL’s goals, using the experience and learning in this position to inform HEAL’s workplan, infrastructure development, and strategic planning
• Contribute to foundation proposals and reports
• Maintain relationships with HEAL member organizations, including local member organizations
• Participate in collective administrative duties, such as helping track publications and timelines, coordinating meetings and events, note-taking, and managing meeting calendars.

The ideal candidate

• Has 2-3 years of direct policy experience and familiarity with relevant federal and/or state policy work
• Brings a demonstrated commitment to dismantling white supremacy
• Has strong project management skills and project tracking, and experience with project management systems
• Recognizes the importance of base-building, and brings an intersectional approach to policy change
• Enjoys and excels at translating complex policy ideas into accessible language
• Is self-directed but enjoys working in a highly collaborative environment
• Has the ability to work efficiently and accurately through many tasks, with guidance but limited supervision
• Is comfortable working remotely on a computer for an extended period of time

Location: Washington, DC Area (Remote)

Hours: Working hours are Monday through Friday, with an expectation to be available online 12pm-5pm Eastern Time. Evenings and weekends may be required for specific in-person events.

Travel: Travel 2-3 times per year to attend in-person staff retreats and member meetings

MSC reserves the right, at any time, with or without notice, to alter or change job

responsibilities, reassign or transfer job positions, or assign additional job responsibilities.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

This is a full time salaried exempt position with annual gross pay of $75k - 85k.

• MSC’s full time benefits package includes:
  • Accrual of 13.33 vacation hours per month.
  • Accrual of 8 sick hours per month.
  • 13 standard holidays.
  • 2 personal days per year (your personal days are designated as your birthday and hire date anniversary).
  • Medical, vision, dental for employees and dependents (Eligible the first day of the following month from date of hire)
  • 100% employer sponsored basic life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance coverage.
  • Access to a 403b retirement plan.
  • Access to FSA plan.
  • MSC Paid Family and Medical Leave.

HEAL also loans a laptop for work use, provides a home office stipend, including partial internet and cell phone reimbursement. HEAL also closes down our office for a winter hibernation period and a summer rejuvenation period.

HEAL is a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center (MSC). MSC is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. People of color and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

For external postings

To apply for this position, please complete the application form on our website at healfoodalliance.org/work-with-us by April 4, 2025.

The ideal candidate

• Has 2-3 years of direct policy experience and familiarity with relevant federal and/or state policy work
• Brings a demonstrated commitment to dismantling white supremacy
• Has strong project management skills and project tracking, and experience with project management systems
• Recognizes the importance of base-building, and brings an intersectional approach to policy change
• Enjoys and excels at translating complex policy ideas into accessible language
• Is self-directed but enjoys working in a highly collaborative environment
• Has the ability to work efficiently and accurately through many tasks, with guidance but limited supervision
• Is comfortable working remotely on a computer for an extended period of time