SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR - 67181

Executive Service

Who we are and what we do:

Mission: The mission of the Office of the Secretary of State is to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and accountability in a customer-centered environment. Supervisor: Secretary of State

Job Overview:

Summary: The Senior Policy Advisor will provide research and policy analysis on a variety of subjects, including higher education, government finance, real property transactions, and overall legislation. The role includes advocating for the providing staff support on behalf of the principal on a variety of boards and commissions that focus on higher education and finance-related subjects.

Key Responsibilities:

Duties/Responsibilities

• Work independently and collaboratively to plan, formulate, conduct, evaluate, and carry out various technical policy research and development related to higher education, economics, and state finance priorities often in time-sensitive situations.
• Develop and prepare a broad set of policy papers, including briefing memoranda, official reports, speeches, and legislative testimony, clearly and concisely.
• Represent the department on various state boards and to other state agencies.
• Provide staff support for various boards and commissions, including briefing the principal on upcoming agenda items and other matters of fiduciary duty.
• Special projects or other duties as assigned.

Additional Skills:

• Ability to deal tactfully with the public, co-workers, and legislature members, to exercise sound judgment in decision-making, to express ideas clearly, concisely, and convincingly, and to maintain adequate documentation of work performed.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage and coordinate several projects simultaneously, support team members, and track complex tasks across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to monitor email and text messages and respond in a timely manner.
• Strong written and verbal communicator with great attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to plan effectively and the flexibility to handle the unexpected.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license and be willing and able to travel independently throughout the state, including occasional overnight travel.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications Education, Experience, and Abilities:

• A degree from an accredited four-year college or university in economics, finance, public administration, higher education administration, business administration, or other related fields.
• At least five years of relevant legislative and policy work experience in higher education, economics, or government finance. -Demonstrated aptitude to learn specific state and local governments' operations, public administration, government finance, and the legislative process.
• Knowledge and experience with general research methods and databases.
• Ability to distill board and commission agenda items into talking points and decision briefings.
• The above qualifications express the minimum standards of education, experience, and abilities required for this position.
• Other combinations of education, experience, and abilities, if valued as equivalent, may qualify an applicant for consideration.

Preferred Qualifications Education, Experience, and Abilities:

• Advanced degree in economics, finance, public administration, higher education administration, business administration, or other related fields.
• Relevant legislative and policy work experience in higher education, economics, or government finance.
• Familiarity with higher education policy issues and the ability to provide in-depth analysis and recommendations regarding postsecondary policy matters.
• Technical knowledge in higher education matters relative to capital outlay, tuition setting, and academic program approval.
  

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.