Partnership for the Bay’s Future: Challenge Grant Fellowship

PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity by Lifting Up What Works®. Please visit our website at: www.policylink.org to learn more about our work, values, and impact.

 

Challenge Grant Fellowship Overview

Now more than ever, leaders across California and the nation are looking toward the Bay Area for transformative solutions that will lead our communities toward a more inclusive and just future. At the same time, the region is at a crossroads. Our economy is one of the strongest on the planet, yet inequality is skyrocketing, and we face a housing and displacement crisis that has hit low-income and communities of color particularly hard, which has had a ripple effect throughout the region. The COVID pandemic and resulting economic crisis are exacerbating this problem.

Partnership for the Bay’s Future is a collaborative regional effort to address these pressing challenges and is one of the most ambitious investment and policy initiatives in the nation. Through two separate funds, the Partnership focuses on both policy, such as tenants’ rights, and investments in housing development, to tackle these issues holistically and at an unprecedented scale. The San Francisco Foundation selected seven jurisdictions that propose high-impact, achievable plans, to receive Challenge Grant support. Challenge Grant jurisdictions are matched with a mid-career fellow to increase the city’s capacity to pass meaningful protection and preservation legislation.

This fellowship creates an opportunity for ambitious leaders to work with the nation’s most forward-thinking housing and economic leaders to advance the next generation of housing policy in one of the most influential regions in the world. Fellows will be responsible for championing the development, adoption, and implementation of innovative and high‐impact policies in collaborative partnership with community and staff from departments across the jurisdiction. Apply your skills to build an equitable Bay Area where everyone can be housed.

Fellowship Support

In partnership with the San Francisco Foundation, PolicyLink – a research and action institute that advances racial and economic equity – will manage the fellowship program. This includes recruiting, hiring and managing the Challenge Grant fellows, while supporting them with technical assistance necessary to advance the work in their assigned jurisdictions. PolicyLink will also convene the CG fellows cohort regularly to foster the exchange of ideas, in addition to convening the fellows’ jurisdiction and community partner teams.

Specifically, PolicyLink supports fellows with:

• Professional development with an emphasis on data analysis and racial equity, as well as help responding to emerging technical and adaptive needs.
• Providing ongoing support for fellows as they navigate varied political and legislative realities.
• Providing comprehensive technical assistance support for fellows and their jurisdictions, including data driven policy impact analysis, strategic best practices and case studies to advance the work.
• Hosting monthly meetings for fellows to provide best practices, identify gaps and areas of opportunity for regionalism and advancing the work.
• Hosting quarterly convenings of the Challenge Grant jurisdictions from across the region to share critical analysis and strategy recommendations, best practices, access to relevant education and advance regional strategy.

The Position:

This is a one-year, limited-term position focused on managing a regionally specific policy project in the City of Oakland. The Fellow will work with city staff and leaders and a committed team of community partners to design and implement improvements to Oakland’s housing protection and preservation programs to advance racial equity. This will include enhancing administrative implementation of existing policies to further racial equity and supporting the development and adoption of new or revised policy legislation.

Challenge Grant Fellow Qualifications:

• Strong desire to advance, pass and implement progressive tenant protection and preservation policies within local government.
• 5+ years of experience working in/with local or county level government or on affordable housing issues.
• Familiarity with financing of non-profit housing and affordable housing development and acquisition.
• Experience conducting data analysis and research to support policy development, advocacy, or organizing.
• Demonstrated adaptive leadership skills and the ability to work collaboratively with local and regional partners.
• Policy experience, with a preference for experience in housing and the development and implementation of protection and preservation policies.
• Demonstrated experience working in integrated partnership with community and advocacy organizations, related to governmental planning or policy processes.
• Understanding of, and demonstrated commitment to, racial equity.
• Experience working with low-income and communities of color.
• Experience with/commitment to working with grassroots leaders.
• Familiarity with the cultural, political, policy and market dynamics at play in the Bay Area.
• Demonstrated personal integrity and commitment to the work and the ability to engender trust, credibility and confidence with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong communications skills, including public speaking, critical thinking, diplomacy and discretion.
• Contributes to the diversity of the cohort.

Position Type

Full-time at 100% (exempt)

Compensation

PolicyLink offers competitive salaries based on the experience and skills of employees. Additionally, PolicyLink provides an excellent and comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401k match, ancillary benefits, access to Flexible Spending Accounts, commuter expenses, and generous leave benefits.

To Apply:

We accept online applications only. Please apply here: https://policylink.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=14&source=aWQ9MjM%3D

Please note:

No phone calls please. Only those selected to participate in our hiring process will be contacted. ***Please check your spam folder for correspondence related to this position***

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

PolicyLink strongly values equity and believes in a just and fair society where all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. We work towards a more inclusive world and as such we are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. PolicyLink is committed to maintaining a diverse and multicultural working environment.