Strategy Officer for State Policy

Lumina Foundation is pleased to see applications and nominations
for the position of Strategy Officer for State Policy. 

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana (preferred)
or Washington, DC with a willingness to consider other work
locations within the contiguous US. All staff work at least three
days per week in the office.

Salary Range: $87,200 – $100,000
(final offer commensurate with experience)

 

ABOUT LUMINA

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation
committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school
available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate,
delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through
a broad range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for
informed citizenship and success in a global economy.

Lumina is working with partners to design a learning system that
gives every person—regardless of race and ethnicity, income, or
other socioeconomic factors—the opportunities that only education
and training after high school can provide. We work with
governmental, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations to
achieve our mission. Our work relies on strategic communication,
empowering leaders who can bring about change, policy outreach to
state and federal officials, investments in proven and promising
practices, and targeted efforts to measure and evaluate
progress.

Lumina is among the nation’s largest private foundations, with
an endowment exceeding $1 billion and offices in Indianapolis, IN
and Washington, D.C. Lumina has a passionate and committed staff
who value candor, collaboration, and connection.
Click here to
learn more about our core values.

 

STRATEGY OFFICER FOR STATE POLICY ROLE
OVERVIEW

The Strategy Officer for State Policy works to develop and
implement Lumina’s strategy, approach, and portfolio of state
policy grants and contracts designed to increase postsecondary
credential attainment and student preparedness for today’s global
economy. The Officer works within a collaborative and integrated
Federal and State Policy portfolio.

The Officer will lead a strand of work providing management and
guidance on a portfolio of state-level policy projects. Through
this leadership, the Officer will work across all other areas of
the Foundation to advance the goals of Lumina’s Strategic Plan and
public policy agenda, using grantmaking, thought leadership, and
other available tools and assets to assist states in making
significant improvements in credential attainment, targeting
efforts for historically marginalized student
populations. 

As the Foundation enters a year focused on strategic planning,
the Officer will also support strategy development and
implementation planning and will work collaboratively with the Vice
President for Public Policy to support special projects, such as
providing analysis on strategic policy questions, supporting
integrated state and federal policy projects, or supporting other
team-wide initiatives. Many of Lumina’s strategies have important
policy dimensions, and the Officer will also support efforts to
align and share policy insights across the Foundation. 

 

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

This position reports to the Strategy Director for State Policy
and works in a collaborative and integrated manner with the policy
team and across all other areas of the Foundation. The Officer will
provide leadership in the following areas:

• Commitment to Racial Equity:
  Advance Lumina’s
  commitment to ending systemic racism and barriers to
  learning beyond high school for Black, Latino and Native American
  individuals. Promote racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion
  in hiring, grantmaking, contracting, and decision-making and pursue
  fair and just outcomes for students through Lumina’s work.
  Communicate Lumina’s commitment to racial justice and equity with
  external partners in clear and thoughtful ways.

• Strategy Conceptualization & Leadership:
  Draw from a thorough understanding of the overarching,
  multi-faceted state policy subject areas to help conceptualize,
  build out, and execute work designed to support states in gaining
  awareness, adoption, and implementation of Lumina’s state policy
  agenda. Support Strategy Directors of State and Federal Policy and
  the Vice President of Policy in developing opportunities to
  integrate and align state and federal policy work and to amplify
  the policy team’s efforts. Proactively collaborate with policy
  colleagues and across the Foundation to advance Lumina’s policy
  agenda and maximize the impact of the Foundation’s resources.

• Portfolio Design &
  Management: Cultivate new partnerships
  and leverage relationships with trusted colleagues to develop a
  portfolio of grants and contracts. Collaboratively develop metrics
  and targets to ensure grants and contracts are designed to produce
  results. Manage a portfolio of grants and contracts through the
  grantmaking lifecycle to maximize results. Stay aware of key issues
  and players in the field to assess how the portfolio can be
  enhanced.

• Strategy Analysis & Synthesis: Analyze
  strategic policy questions, synthesizing information across a
  variety of sources including extracting key lessons from past or
  current work. Inform strategy and make recommendations about the
  design, development, and launch of new initiatives. Write
  persuasively and clearly to advise on Lumina’s approach related to
  state and federal policy issues.

• Thought Leadership & Relationship
  Management: In collaboration with the Strategy Directors,
  Vice President for Public Policy, and other Foundation leaders,
  engage in field-level thought leadership opportunities such as
  contributing to Lumina’s blog, social media presence, speaking
  roles, and other engagements. Aid and support the planning of
  convenings to share and disseminate pertinent work and
  concepts.  Clearly communicate and advocate for Lumina’s
  policy agenda to internal and external audiences. Build and
  maintain respectful relationships across the field that reflect a
  thoughtful, humble, and collaborative approach grounded in an
  understanding of the power dynamics of the sector.

 

CORE QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five (5) years of experience creating, advocating for,
  or implementing state-level higher education policy in the public,
  nonprofit, and/or philanthropic sectors.
• A track record of promoting racial equity in postsecondary
  education and/or workforce development, with the ability to
  communicate and work across various audiences.
• Experience with state legislative processes and some knowledge
  of federal legislative and regulatory processes.

Additional Desired Skills, Competencies, and
Characteristics

• Experience influencing, affecting, and implementing public
  policy change, including building diverse networks that support
  efforts to produce systemic change.
• Demonstrable commitment to racial equity and justice, including
  the ability to articulate an understanding of systemic racism and
  possible solutions to eradicate barriers to equity and justice,
  especially through the lever of state policy.
• Ability to synthesize and share policy and political insights
  and information in a clear, succinct, and nonpartisan manner.
• Ability to make decisions independently and in collaboration
  with a team, sometimes with incomplete information.
• Motivated by an outcomes-oriented, continuously evolving work
  environment in which planning and flexibility are necessary to the
  job.
• Project management skills with demonstrated ability to achieve
  intended results by setting and executing workplans, following
  through on commitments, prioritizing work, and managing time and
  resources well.
• Verbal communication skills that allow for accurate and
  effective exchanges with a broad set of audiences, including
  elected and appointed state and federal officials.
• Experience with persuasive and concise written communications
  with the ability to review, revise, and synthesize a variety of
  information and materials.
• Experience communicating policy concepts to a wide audience is
  a plus.
• Ability to work collegially and diplomatically across an
  organization and audiences and to build and sustain collaborative
  relationships, including at state, federal, tribal, and university
  system levels. Experience working and relationships in Southern
  states and/or with tribal governments is a plus.
• Exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive or confidential
  information.
• Ability to use technology effectively.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

• Work is performed in an office environment, mostly
  sedentary.
• Extensive use of various forms of technology.
• Travels 10-20%, including overnight stays.
• At least three days per week in the office.
• The preferred location for this position is Indianapolis,
  Indiana, but candidates based out of the Washington, DC office and
  other locations within the contiguous US will be considered.

 

SALARY & BENEFITS

The annual full-time salary range is $87,200 – $100,000 and is
set commensurate with experience. Benefits include, but are not
limited to Health Insurance (medical, dental, and vision), 401(k),
Pension, Vacation and Sick Time, Paid Leave, 100% Employer Paid
Group Life, and Long-term Disability.

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

This search is being supported by Callie Carroll of CLC
Endeavors. Please send application materials to LF-SOSP@CLCENDEAVORS.COM.
Applications should include a resume and cover letter that
communicates your interest and qualifications for the role.

Priority will be given to applications submitted by March 11th
though applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the
position is filled.

Lumina Foundation provides equal employment opportunity for
all, regardless of race or ethnicity, gender or gender identity,
health conditions, sexual orientation, religion, national origin,
age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other
bases protected by local, state, or federal law. Lumina also
prohibits retaliation and harassment of any individual based on
these characteristics.