Job Description: Lone Star Fellowship Program

About Texas 2036

Texas 2036 uses data, research, and leading expertise to enable Texans to make informed decisions to ensure our state continues to be the best place to live and do business through its bicentennial in 2036 and beyond. Texas 2036 is achieving this mission through the creation of robust data resources, a long term state policy strategic framework, and a statewide, non-partisan coalition of Texans advocating for meaningful long-term policy solutions. We are a dynamic, rapidly evolving organization seeking energetic individuals passionate about creating a long-term vision for the future of Texas and developing data-informed, pragmatic policy solutions to solve the state’s long-term challenges.

Summary

The Texas 2036 Lone Star Fellowship Program is an intensive one-year training and career acceleration program that emphasizes making change through data-driven research, effective advocacy, and strong community and business partnerships. Candidates for this fellowship should be prepared to leverage appropriate experience in state government, data use, and communications to engage in creating civic demand for data-based policies and law. Candidates should be prepared to develop, execute, and collaborate on mid- and long-term research and policy development projects aligned with Texas 2036’s Strategic Framework. Successful candidates will have worked at least one legislative session in the Texas Legislature, having served as staff to either a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate. While legislative experience is preferred, equivalent experience in either the Office of the Governor or in the Governmental Relations department of an executive branch agency or higher education institution will be considered. Candidates should have demonstrated success in helping to develop, pass, and/or implement state policy or legislation in Texas.

Responsibilities

A Fellowship program participant will work to evaluate various state policy areas to determine potential changes or recommendations that are likely to sustain Texas as the best place to live and work. As part of the Fellowship program, a Fellows responsibilities will including, but not be limited to:

• • Identifies, collects, and analyzes complex information and data to support data-driven policy analysis and synthesizes that information into concise, layman’s terms for communication to wide audiences.
  • Researches and conducts in-depth evaluations of state policy, including data and state law, rules, and operations to identify opportunities to develop, refine, and advance policy priorities.
  • Writes recommendations, plans, reports, and other briefs on key topics in various policy spaces to inform the public and advance policy.
  • Works with key stakeholders, including policymakers, coalition partners, researchers, and advocates to engage critical partners and to develop and advance data-driven policy solutions.
  • Continually monitors state policy activities and reports concisely on information relevant to policy priorities from a variety of sources, including pending legislation, media reports, reports from think tanks, academic research literature, and advocacy organizations.
  • Participates in public speaking engagements, including but not limited to legislative hearings, speeches, and panel discussions.
  • Performs other duties as assigned to help the organization achieve its long-term goals.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have a combination of the following qualifications and experience:

• • Desire to see Texas be the best place to live and work through 2036 and beyond.
  • 1+ years of public policy experience with the Texas Legislature or relevant executive branch state agencies/institutions.
  • Ability to respectfully engage, support, and collaborate in an intellectually and politically diverse and creative work environment with colleagues and stakeholders of diverse personal and ideological backgrounds. This includes a commitment to constructive dialogue on controversial topics impacting our state.
  • Results-oriented attitude and entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced, collaborative environment while managing and prioritizing many simultaneous projects.
  • Strong communication skills, including team, interpersonal, and public speaking skills.
  • Ability to write clearly and persuasively, and summarize complex information accurately and concisely.
  • Able to develop effective, workable policy solutions supported by data and evidence using appropriate state policy levers.
  • Highly-effective at building relationships and partnerships across sector, discipline, and demography to accomplish shared goals.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills.
  • Available to work extended hours during business peaks, including holidays, nights and/or weekends as required.
  • Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and GSuite applications (Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/etc.).

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary for policy fellows will be at least $50,000. In addition, policy fellows qualify for Texas 2036 benefits including health, vision, and dental insurance, including employee premiums paid by Texas 2036, cell phone reimbursement, a 401k matching program, and paid time off.

Location

Fellows will be based out of Texas 2036’s Austin office and must be willing to travel as needed (up to 10% of the time) to cities across Texas for meetings with various stakeholders. Fellows will be expected to participate in Texas 2036’s hybrid work environment, including meeting in-office expectations several days per week.

To Apply

If you are interested in applying for a position in the Lone Star Fellowship Program, please complete the application found here. As part of the application process, fellows will be expected to complete a short project demonstrating relevant skills and experience as part of the hiring process as well as complete in-person interviews in Austin, Texas.