Senior Associate, Home Financing

The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. For more than 70 years, we have focused on serving the public, invigorating civic life, conducting nonpartisan research, advancing effective public policies and practices, and achieving tangible results. Through rigorous inquiry and knowledge sharing, we inform and engage public-spirited citizens and organizations, linking diverse interests to pursue common cause. We are a dedicated team of researchers, communicators, advocates, subject matter experts, and professionals working on some of today’s big challenges – and we know we are more effective and creative collectively than we are individually. With Philadelphia as our hometown and the majority of our staff located in Washington, DC, our U.S. and international staff find working at Pew personally and professionally rewarding.

Wise stewardship of resources allows Pew employees to pursue work that strategically furthers our mission in significant and measurable ways. We collaborate with a diverse range of philanthropic partners, public and private organizations, and concerned citizens who share our interest in fact-based solutions and goal-driven initiatives to improve society. Pew attracts top talent, people of integrity who are service-oriented and willing to take on challenging assignments. We provide competitive pay and benefits, a healthy work-life balance, and a respectful and inclusive workplace. Pew employees are proud of their colleagues, proud of where they work, and proud of the institution’s reputation.

Job ID 2020-6404

Pew’s government performance work identifies and advances effective approaches to help solve complex challenges at all levels of government in the United States.

The portfolio’s work can be traced back to our founders’ early efforts to improve the lives of Americans by supporting efforts that promoted health, civic engagement, and democratic ideals. Today, we conduct research on emerging topics, develop data-driven reports, and highlight innovative, non-partisan approaches in addressing complex problems at the federal, state, and local levels as well as the interplay that can occur between jurisdictions. Current initiatives focus on health, fiscal and economic policy, and safety and justice, and take into account significant trends such as evolving technologies, and the increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States population.

Our teams explore and advance effective, evidence-based policies using credible, timely, and accessible research, assessing public support for change, identifying approaches that have proved successful elsewhere, and bringing together diverse perspectives to find common ground. We work in collaboration with organizations that share our commitment to rigorous research, measurable results, and public service, and we focus on developing durable policy change. In addition, our teams use strategic outreach and dissemination to ensure that good information is widely communicated to decision-makers, media, influential stakeholders, and the public.

The home financing project conducts research on the financial arrangements people use to purchase homes and examines the hurdles lenders face to offering small mortgages. Today, millions of families use alternative financing arrangements such as contracts-for-deed or rent-to-own to purchase a home, but these options often cost more and offer fewer protections than mortgages. This project aims to help inform policymakers and other stakeholders about market practices, evaluate borrower experiences and the efficacy of consumer protections, and promote access to safe, affordable home loans. To learn more about the home financing project, please visit the project’s webpage.

Specifically, the project will:

The Philadelphia research and policy initiative enables policymakers to identify and enact policies that improve city government and the well-being of the city’s residents. Central to this work is the production of timely, well-documented reports for the benefit of policymakers, the news media and the public at large. Working directly with stakeholders, the initiative conducts in-depth research, looking beyond the city and region for relevant information from comparable cities. Our approach includes researching important policy topics and solutions, benchmarking demographic data and polling to measure progress, holding policy-oriented convenings, and engaging extensively with policymakers to increase the impact of our work. The goal is to strengthen housing quality and stability for Philadelphia residents, with a particular focus on informing efforts to innovate, modernize, and expand programs that finance home purchases and repairs. To learn more about the Philadelphia research and policy initiative, please visit the project’s webpage.

The two projects collaborate by bringing to bear findings from Pew’s home financing project with a focus on implications for local governments, specifically the city of Philadelphia.

The senior associate will support the home financing project based in Washington, D.C., and the Philadelphia research and policy initiative based in Philadelphia.

The senior associate will help conceptualize, conduct, and review research and analysis with a focus on producing material intended to convey complex information clearly for stakeholders, media, and policymakers in service of both projects’ goals. Depending on project needs, products may include issue briefs, visual data representations, revenue models, or other works of analysis in addition to full-length research reports.

The senior associate will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of research on financial arrangements for home purchases and home repair. The position collaborates closely with peers overseeing other components of the home loans research plan as well as policy analysts, government and community group liaisons, communications professionals, and other team members to help achieve both projects’ goals.

The position, based in Pew’s Washington, D.C., office, reports to the manager, research, consumer finance. The position has a set time frame that could be extended based on the success of the program, funding sources, and board decisions on continued support.

The position is based in Washington, D.C., and is anticipated to require at least quarterly travel to Pew’s offices in Philadelphia, PA as well as anticipated occasional domestic travel for meetings and conferences as needed.

We offer a competitive salary and benefit program, including: comprehensive, affordable health care through medical, dental, and vision coverage; financial security with life and disability insurance; opportunities to save using health savings and flexible spending accounts; retirement benefits to help prepare for the future; and work/life benefits to maintain a good balance.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pew considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to age, sex, ethnicity, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity, military/veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.