Director of Asset Building Policy

Department: Economic Policy

Position classification: Exempt, Full-Time

Summary

American Progress has an immediate opening for a Director of Asset Building Policy.

The Director is responsible for creating policy and funding momentum and strategies for American Progress’s asset building portfolio, and engaging with relevant policymakers and influencers on asset building and consumer finance issues. The Director is specifically responsible for developing a Sustainable Asset program at American Progress that seeks to use debates on housing finance reform and tax expenditures as an opportunity to advance asset policy, drawing upon and coordinating with the work of others in the assets community as well as producing proposals and analyses unique to American Progress. To this end, the Director will work closely with the Tax Policy and Housing Finance teams at American Progress. The Director will also serve as American Progress’s designee to the Asset Building Council convened by the Corporation for Enterprise Development.

As the country has come to appreciate the consequences of over-reliance on debt, the asset building and financial security movement has a critical opportunity. But federal and state fiscal conditions limit the tools we have to take advantage of the bipartisan appeal of asset building strategies.

American Progress sees two federal policy avenues through which we might advance the ability of families to build assets and gain economic security. The first is the debate on housing finance, where the structure and ground rules of the system will be rewritten over the next five years. We face the serious threat that access to homeownership and the opportunity it presents for asset building will be closed to low-wealth families. American Progress already has a significant and important program in that area. We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that policymakers do not close doors to sustainable homeownership for underserved borrowers. But we also think there might be a way to use the debate about the role of homeownership as an opportunity to open new doors to mechanisms to advance low- and moderate-income savings through affordable rental housing.

The second opportunity for advancing asset policies is the emerging debate about tax expenditures. Driven by our fiscal challenge, we approach a moment when the efficacy of many "upside down" tax incentives will come under scrutiny. In each case the debate will focus on whether the public benefit merits the expense, but that could present an opportunity to show how a targeted policy aimed at building assets for lower-income families would have a significant impact for comparatively few dollars in revenue foregone. A well-designed and executed strategy could result in better policy to support lower-income wealth development.

Responsibilities of the Director include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Author policy analyses, papers, op-eds, and other reports.
• Develop ideas for and oversee production of policy proposals, research papers, and other analyses.
• Coordinate and plan conferences, private meetings, and public events.
• Oversee outreach with a wide array of related interest groups.
• Develop and maintain foundation and individual donor relationships, develop funding proposals, and win support.
• Provide expertise and accessible information to print, online, radio, and television media.
• Work in coordination with CAP external affairs, online communications, and communications professionals to advance the analyses and ideas that CAP and its allies produce.

Requirements:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Ability to set priorities, multitask, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to take initiative and work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Demonstrated knowledge of asset building policy.

Qualifications:

• 10 to 15 years work experience.
• Four to seven years of work experience specifically in asset building, financial access, and/or financial services.
• Experience managing programs, timelines, budgets, and staff.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required; advanced degree in economics, law, social science, or public policy preferred.

Additional Information

American Progress operates two separate nonprofit organizations to maximize our progressive agenda: The Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. This job posting refers collectively to the two organizations under the name “American Progress.” The Center for American Progress is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) tax-exempt research and educational institute. It undertakes research, public education and a limited amount of lobbying. The Center for American Progress Action Fund is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization dedicated to achieving progress through action. It works to transform progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing, political advocacy and partnerships with other progressive leaders. The organizations share office space and employees.

American Progress is an equal opportunity employer; women, minorities, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

For more information on the Center for American Progress, please go to www.americanprogress.org.

For more information on the Center for American Progress Action Fund, please go to www.americanprogressaaction.org.

To apply, simply e-mail your Word resume and cover letter attachments to: jobs@americanprogress.org.

Or you may write to:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street, NW, 10th Floor – Economic Policy Search
Washington, DC 20005

In your correspondence, please reference the exact title of the job you are applying for in the subject line. This announcement will remain posted until the position is filled. No phone calls please.

Please note that only those individuals whose qualifications match the current needs of this position will be considered applicants and will receive responses from American Progress.

Thank you for your interest in American Progress.