CRL Senior Policy Counsel

Who We Are:

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a nonprofit,
non-partisan organization working to ensure a fair, inclusive
financial marketplace that creates opportunities for all. Through
research, legal analysis, policy development, and state and
national advocacy engagement, CRL fights for economic equity for
underserved communities—particularly Black and brown communities
and low-to-middle income families. CRL’s staff, allies, and funders
reflect a collective commitment to eliminating systemic injustice
in America’s financial services.

CRL provides a strong voice on both the state and national
levels for these families to expand family wealth and financial
stability through sustainable homeownership, affordable higher
education, and support for small businesses, and protect their
financial stability by preventing abusive products that trap
families in debt and strip away their income, by ending payday
lending and other predatory high-cost lending, exorbitant bank
fees, and abusive debt collection practices. CRL is an affiliate of
Self-Help, a community development lender founded in 1980 that has
provided more than $9 billion dollars in financing to help 164,000
low-wealth borrowers buy homes, build businesses, and strengthen
community resources.

We are seeking a Senior Policy Counsel to join our
Washington, DC or Durham, NC team!

What You’ll Do:

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY
RECOMMENDATION 

• Develop expertise on issues that are priorities for CRL and
  participate in issue work groups to develop and execute strategies
  to achieve CRL’s policy goals. Work may include serving as issue
  group leader. 
• Monitor legislative and policy developments; play a proactive
  role in identifying and assisting in developing strategy to advance
  legislative and regulatory agendas.  
• Study proposed legislation and regulations to determine the
  possible effect on consumers, particularly people of color and
  low-income people. 
• Make recommendations for draft legislation or regulatory
  proposals; engage in legal research and assist in developing policy
  recommendations. 
• Write or review regulatory comment letters, testimony,
  speeches, articles, and policy briefs. Contribute content or
  editing support on research papers and editing support of peer’s
  policy materials. 
• Review and advise on coalition sign on letters. 
• Work with teams to advance CRL’s legislative and regulatory
  agendas at the state and federal level.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND ADVOCACY 

• Build and maintain key/critical relationships with senior level
  staff at other organizations, trade groups and companies with an
  interest in lending policy; in concert with other teams and issue
  groups, take a leadership role in gaining ally support of CRL
  positions and defend or defeat legislative and regulatory
  proposals. Viewed by internal and external partners as a subject
  matter expert on assigned issues. 
• Perform outreach to senior level legislative staff and
  legislators, regulators, enforcement officials, and allies to
  advocate for CRL’s policy positions or other action. 
• Represent CRL at meetings and conferences. 
• Represent CRL in the media to advance our policy agenda,
  identify media opportunities, draft informational materials, and
  participate in news conferences to state CRL’s views. 
• Talk with lenders to deepen understanding of financial
  practices and advocate for improved practices.
• Perform other duties that may be deemed necessary.

What You’ll Need:

• J.D. and admitted to bar. 
• At least 1-6 years of experience or demonstrated track record
  that shows the ability to work independently and in leadership role
  on one or more policy issues. 
• Experience in civil rights, housing/mortgage lending, predatory
  lending, consumer law, or banking law, desired, but not
  required. 
• Familiarity with federal and state laws and regulations related
  to the Administrative Procedures Act, civil rights,
  housing/mortgage lending, predatory lending, consumer law, or
  banking law a plus. 
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law, low-income
  families, communities of color, and experience in racial justice
  analysis and understanding of how federal/state/local policies
  contributed to and sustained racial wealth disparities. 
• Based upon experience, the role may be filled at a more
  junior level.

Center for Responsible Lending is committed to providing
equal employment opportunities to all persons, regardless of race,
religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry,
physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic
information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender
expression (including transgender status), age, sexual orientation,
military and veteran status, class or family status.