The New York City Campaign Finance Board manages New York City’s small donor democracy program and educates and engages voters via NYC Votes. The CFB has enjoyed a tremendous arc of progress over its 30-year history, and our updated flagship small donor democracy program is the centerpiece of this progress.
We eliminate barriers to participation by providing access to the resources New Yorkers need to vote or run for office and amplify the voices of small donors with New York City’s small donor democracy program.
We are dedicated to making New York City’s local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable. You would be working with a team that is mission-driven and committed to continuous improvement.
The Policy & Research team performs policy and legislative analysis, supports the agency with policy implementation, produces original, data-driven research on voting and campaign finance issues, and conducts intergovernmental outreach. The team sits within the Strategy, Products, and Innovation division and frequently works on cross-agency projects such as the Voter Analysis Report, the Post-Election Report, the citywide education campaign to familiarize New Yorkers with ranked-choice voting, and continuous improvement of the matching funds program.
The New York City Campaign Finance Board is seeking a Policy Analyst to perform original research and policy analysis to inform the agency’s campaign finance policies and programs. The Policy Analyst will serve as an advisor on existing and proposed policies and legislation, conducting policy analysis and support in agency-wide policy implementation. This role will bridge the work of the Policy & Research team’s data and intergovernmental work and will work with many units across the agency. This position will report to the Policy Manager. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Research policy and legislative issues related to campaign finance and election administration in New York City, New York State, and nationally
- Plan, design, and perform analysis of campaign finance and voting data, with an emphasis on using demographic and geographic data to draw conclusions about voter, contributor, and candidate behavior.
- Produce policy memos that incorporate original and existing research and data analysis and make meaningful policy and program recommendations.
- Assist with qualitative and quantitative data collection and cleaning from a wide variety of sources, including internal data, census surveys, and comparative data from other jurisdictions.
- Write, research, and propose ideas for policy briefs, white papers, and sections of the Voter Analysis Report and Post-Election Report that analyze the City’s campaign finance program and voter behavior.
- Respond to research and data inquiries from staff and external partners.
- Assist in creating and managing the agency’s policy framework to aid in developing positions on new policies and legislation.
- Advise agency staff on the application of campaign finance and election policies and laws, as well as best practices for communicating legal changes to voters and contributors.
- Contribute to a team culture that is mission-driven and values curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.
ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES & OTHER BEHAVIORS (KSAOs)
We're seeking individuals eager to make an impact, even if they don't tick every box on our job description. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives and the unique blend of lived experiences, non-traditional education pathways, practical know-how, and a variety of skills and abilities that each candidate brings to the table. If you're ready to learn and grow with us, we encourage you to apply and be part of our dynamic team.
Knowledge
- Knowledge of and/or demonstrated interest in New York City government and politics.
- Knowledge and understanding of best practices in conducting policy research and developing policy and legislative recommendations.
- Knowledge and understanding of how to incorporate data analysis and visualization into policy writing.
Skills
- Exceptional written communication skills, including the ability to distill complex information and reach different audiences through a variety of communication mediums.
- Excellent verbal communication skills with knowledge of or demonstrated interest in public speaking and presenting.
- Strong research skills, including a high proficiency with internet search and scholarly databases.
- Data analysis skills or any significant experience using aggregated and disaggregated data to generate descriptive statistics, answer multi-tiered research questions, and incorporate data analysis into written work.
Abilities
- Attention to detail, particularly with regards to reviewing and editing written materials and managing spreadsheets and trackers.
- Ability to independently manage long-term research projects and adhere to assigned editing, review, and publication deadlines.
- Strong organizational and operational skills and the ability to plan and execute regularly scheduled tasks with minimal oversight.
Other
- A minimum of one year experience working as a researcher, data analyst, policy analyst, or in another role assessing impacts of proposed policies or evaluating existing programs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior work experience in the elections, ethics, or campaign finance policy space.
- Prior work experience in an elected office, government agency, or on a political campaign.
- Experience writing and editing chapters or sections of a large report in a deadline-driven environment.
- Experience working with U.S. Census Bureau survey data or other large government datasets.
- Experience reading and interpreting governing documents such as but not limited to the New York City Charter, New York State Election Law, and federal Voting Rights Act.
- Interest in evaluating how local, state, national, and international government structures and laws impact policy implementation and real-world program delivery.
- Beginner or intermediate experience designing qualitative or quantitative studies, such as surveys or experiments, including the collection, coding, and cleaning of intake data and interpreting results, is a plus.
- Beginner or intermediate experience extracting statistical information from large datasets, using programming languages like R or Python, and/or statistical analysis software such as Excel, SPSS, or STATA.
- Beginner or intermediate geospatial analysis skills and proficiency in geographic information system application software, such as ArcGIS or QGIS.
- Ability to communicate in a language other than English.
Additional Information
The City of New York provides generous medical benefits (including dental and vision through respective unions or funds), retirement, tuition reimbursement, and additional ancillary benefits. CFB offers a flexible and hybrid work schedule, opportunities for career development, learning & development (leadership training, coaching), wellness programs, and much more!
The CFB is an equal opportunity employer firmly committed to diversity. All individuals are encouraged to apply. If you anticipate needing any type of reasonable accommodation to apply for an employment opportunity, please contact access@nyccfb.info or (212) 409-1800.
How to Apply
All applicants must apply through NYC Government Jobs | Explore Careers | City of New York (https://cityjobs.nyc.gov/)
- Please search and apply to the job ID number listed above.
- Resume and cover letter are required for consideration.
- Note that only applicants under consideration will be contacted.
For more information on careers with the NYC Campaign Finance Board visit our website at https://www.nyccfb.info/ to access the full listing of job opportunities and to learn more about our agency.
Minimum Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by at least twelve-semester credits (or the equivalent of twelve-semester credits) in accounting, auditing, business or public administration, computer science, economics, finance, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related area of study and one year of satisfactory full-time experience in accounting, auditing (including compliance or investigative auditing), business or public administration, business analysis, computer science, database administration, economics, finance, fiscal or economic management or research, statistics, graphic design, personnel or human resources administration, user experience design, or a closely related field; or
- A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five years of experience as described in “1” above; or
- Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
