Policy Manager -- MENTOR

About MENTOR

Potential is equally distributed; opportunity is not. A major driver of healthy development and opportunity is who you know and who’s in your corner.

MENTOR was created more than 30 years ago to expand that opportunity for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement, serving as the expert and go-to resource on quality mentoring. The result — a more than 10x increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships, from hundreds of thousands to millions.

Today, we activate a movement across diverse and broad sectors that seeps into every aspect of daily life. We are connecting and fueling opportunity for young people everywhere they are, from schools to workplaces and beyond.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

MENTOR is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion for all. We embrace our differences and celebrate our common humanity in advancing awareness of the need for a transformative power of supportive relationships for our young people. We believe that varied perspectives, experiences, and opinions are central assets in our mission to close the mentoring gap within the mentoring movement and MENTOR National’s workforce. As we seek to build the most complementary team when it comes to skill, perspective, and experience, we strongly encourage candidates from underrepresented communities to apply.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Policy Manager will support MENTOR’s federal policy agenda by analyzing legislation, developing working relationships with bipartisan Congressional offices and executive agencies, and identifying opportunities to expand youth mentoring programs via federal policy and funding. The role will work closely with the Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer to mobilize coalition and grassroots advocates to advance youth mentoring policy priorities and strengthen engagement with Members of Congress through events, coalition building, and other tactics.

The Policy Manager will have the opportunity to build and grow relationships with Affiliate leaders and as a connector and advocate between Congress and each Affiliate. The Policy Manager will leverage opportunities to advance federal policy and funding goals that benefit MENTOR & its Affiliates and the mentoring movement in collaboration with the Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer and Affiliate staff.

Based in Washington, DC, this role reports to the Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer. Occasional travel, evening and weekend hours are required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitor, research, and analyze policies, proposals and legislation aligned with the priorities outlined in MENTOR’s legislative platform.
• Utilize emerging trends and activities, and share needs and opportunities, from within the mentoring field to help develop MENTOR’s legislative priorities and solicit Congressional support.
• Identify opportunities to expand public investment in youth mentoring and other relationship-centered practices through federal legislation and appropriations.
• Support MENTOR’s federal advocacy coalition-building efforts with direct service and stakeholder organizations, including hosting quarterly Youth Mentoring Advocacy Coalition meetings with partners.
• Build and track relationships and progress with bipartisan Congressional offices and staff to earn their support for MENTOR’s legislative and funding priorities.
• Plan and execute MENTOR’s Congressional briefings and support coalition-led events on Capitol Hill.
• Draft and coordinate coalition sign-on letters, Dear Colleague letters, and other MENTOR-led organizing activities designed to elevate Congressional support for mentoring funding and legislation.
• Manage oversight and facilitation of the bipartisan Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus in coordination with the Chair/Co-Chairs’ congressional staff.
• Contribute to and support MENTOR’s annual campaigns: Capitol Hill Day, National Mentoring Month, and Advocacy August.
• Draft and manage formal grassroots calls to action using tools like Quorum.
• Help identify and promote federal grants and funding opportunities that could benefit MENTOR Affiliates, mentoring programs, their employees, and young people.

QUALIFICATIONS:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. We believe that diverse opinions, experiences, and backgrounds are a key asset. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in policy with a strong understanding of the legislative process.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with an emphasis on being able to quickly distill complex information to various audiences (coworkers, Affiliates, advocates, etc.).
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining relationships with legislative staff or similar stakeholder groups.
• High attention to detail and demonstrated experience coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Highly organized with strong deadline management, sense of responsibility and accountability, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
• Ability to collect and analyze key information to enable informed decision-making.
• Capitol Hill experience strongly preferred.
• Prior experience with Quorum or similar tools is a plus.
• Nonprofit organization, elected candidate’s campaign, or other advocacy experience is a plus.
• Ability to thrive in a mission-driven organization with a strong culture; passionate
• commitment to MENTOR’s mission, vision, values, and strategic direction
• Highly organized with strong deadline management, a sense of responsibility and accountability, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, meticulous attention to details
• Fluency in Microsoft Office Suite preferred including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams

POSITION EXPECTATIONS:

This full-time, exempt position is hybrid-remote with national travel 5% of the time. The Policy Manager will primarily work from a home office and should live within easy commuting distance of Washington, D.C. in order to attend regular in person meetings.

We hope to have phone interviews in December with select candidates followed by virtual interviews with Abbie Evans, Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer in January. Select finalists will have a virtual interview day with other staff and leadership at MENTOR National followed by a thorough reference check process and background check. This position is expected to start in February 2025.

We are committed to conducting an equitable, accessible assessment process. If you would like to request accommodation during the interview process, please email search@positivelypartners.org. Requests for accommodation will be handled confidentially.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The salary for this role will be commensurate with experience, with a range of $65,648-$72,942. Full-time employees are eligible for MENTOR’s benefits package, which includes health, dental, and vision insurance, a 403(b), a commuter stipend, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, student loan repayment assistance, and a generous vacation policy. A summary of MENTOR’s benefits can be found HERE.

-----------------------------EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER------------------------------

MENTOR National is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, cultural heritage, ancestry, political belief, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability or veteran status. MENTOR National is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and we are committed to making special accommodations for your interview or work as a member of our team. If specific accommodations are needed, please notify us and our HR team will work to accommodate your needs.