Policy Change Director jobs in California

In order for your application to be considered, please attach a cover letter and resume to you employment application.

Job location: USC University Park Campus, Los Angeles, CA or USC Capital Campus, Washington, DC

The Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy and Government Service, launching July 1, has been established by a historic gift from USC Trustee Leonard D. Schaeffer. It will house two existing programs under one umbrella—the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service.

Working with the Public Affairs team, the Director, Communications will report to the Director of the Schaeffer Institute. This position will oversee the institute’s communication to key audiences including the media, the USC community (students, staff, and faculty), policymakers, peer research institutions, and the general public. This position will oversee editorial planning and production of content for the website, newsletters, e-blasts, and social media channels.

This position will produce evidence-based research reports and engage with researchers to create compelling communication that promotes their research (i.e., press releases, op-eds and other creative products) targeted to specific audiences, including policymakers, peer institutions and the general public. The Director, Communications will promote and utilize innovative ways to tell stories – including writing content for websites, social media, email, newsletters, podcasts, videos, program brochures, promotional materials, and the annual report.

This is a full-time, hybrid work arrangement, two year fixed term position.

Key duties/areas of oversight include but are not limited to the following:

• Developing and executing public communications goals and strategies for the Schaeffer Institute and participating in long and short-term strategic planning

• Designing and producing comprehensive media elements through current best practices, platform determination, benchmarking, messaging and audience

• Directing the generation of content in all areas of media, including social media, to aid in the translation of research into meaningful and impactful policies on local and national levels. Discovering, pitching and writing news stories for the Schaeffer Institute channels and for broader USC media

• Interfacing with news outlets, social media and community channels

• Overseeing website content and strategy

• Managing the brand of the Institute and the Center, including producing elements to elevate the brand and managing the style guide

• Managing writers and working in collaboration with the communications teams at USC, particularly that of the Price and Mann Schools, in order to increase impact and visibility

• Collaborating with Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service staff to advance communication goals, promote program visibility across media platforms, design promotional materials and develop assets for publication

• Working in collaboration with the leadership of the Institute and schools, developing strategy and managing all crisis communication

The Director, Communications will be expected to work effectively on multiple projects, be resourceful, and take the initiative to address and resolve issues. This position will be an integral member of the Schaeffer Institute’s leadership team, and successful candidates will be flexible and possess a willingness to pivot as needed.
 

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree

Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

Minimum Experience:

5 years

Minimum Fields of Expertise:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Management experience in journalism and public relations

• Familiarity with health policy

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree

Preferred Experience:

7 years

Preferred Expertise:

• Communications management experience within an university setting

• Experience with writing/producing content on health policy

• Familiarity with website content management and with Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign and Photoshop

• Familiarity with different social media audiences/channels and experience creating social media content

• Familiarity with enhancing stories with photography, video, audio and social media-native content.

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this position is $143,493 - $172,658. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Position is 100% FTE

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Required Documents

Cover letter Resume/CV

About the USC Schaeffer Institute

The USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy and Government Service, launching July 1, has been established by an historic gift from USC Trustee Leonard D. Schaeffer. It will house two existing programs under one umbrella—the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics and the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service.

The Schaeffer Institute will serve as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by Price School faculty, staff, and students. It will provide a forum to reach federal policymakers in D.C.  And—perhaps most importantly—it will build our capacity to offer government service opportunities to our students.

The Schaeffer Institute will bridge USC research in Los Angeles with federal policy in Washington, DC. Its mission is to:

• Develop and promote strong public leaders;

• Support civic engagement;

• Provide evidence-based policy solutions to the nation’s most pressing political, social, and economic issues; and,

• Amplify the reach and impact of USC scholarship.

About the USC Schaeffer Center

Since its establishment in 2009, the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics has served as an intellectual hub for health policy and health economics research at USC. A collaboration of the USC Mann School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sol Price School of Public Policy, the Schaeffer Center’s mission is to measurably improve value in health through evidence-based policy solutions, research excellence, and private and public sector engagement. As the home to about 150 faculty, staff, and fellows—including 3 Nobel Laureates—the Center produces some of the leading academic research in its field. As of June 2023, the Schaeffer Center was ranked #5 out of 2,711 institutions in health economics by IDEAS, the largest bibliographic database dedicated to economics. This places the Schaeffer Center in proximity to the economics departments of Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and University of Chicago. Schaeffer Center experts are also frequent advisors on national policy.

In 2023, Schaeffer-affiliated faculty testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Senate Finance Committee; and the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health. Center experts are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on health policy issues.  Schaeffer Center faculty are the recipients of approximately $75 million in NIH funding.

About the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service

The Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service program exposes undergraduate students to government work and its impact through 10-week, full-time, high-level internship placements with elected officials and agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. While not all Schaeffer Fellows pursue a career in government, the program creates the opportunity for participants to become engaged citizens and develop an informed view of government service and operations.

Schaeffer Fellows are selected from five universities – Harvard University; Princeton University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Southern California; and the University of Virginia. Fellows represent a diversity of backgrounds, political perspectives, and academic disciplines. Common among them is their interest in learning more about public service and the role of government. Since 2015, the program has supported 368 undergraduates in over 190 different government offices and agencies. The program supports up to fifty Fellows each summer, and Schaeffer Fellow alumni remain engaged through program events and as mentors.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The School is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Estate Development; and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Our departments and research enterprise provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Our graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from diverse people and opinions.

About the Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is located on the USC Health Sciences Campus, which includes the Keck Hospital of USC, the Norris Cancer Hospital, Doheny Eye Institute, and the flagship LAC USC Medical Center, along with directing five university- and community-based pharmacies, adding a sixth in South Los Angeles in 2023. Ranked by US News and World Report as the #1 private pharmacy school in the United States, and the #2 overall school according to World Scholarship Forum, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is recognized for its more than century-long reputation for innovation and leadership in pharmaceutical education, practice, research, and service to the community and to the profession. The school uniquely spans the entire spectrum of pharmaceutical development and clinical care – from drug discovery to regulatory approaches that promote safety and innovation, from delivery of contemporary patient care services to evaluating the impact of care provision on patient outcomes and costs. The school’s dynamic faculty is involved in all levels of pharmacy education: from undergraduate majors to multiple MS and PhD graduate programs, from the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program with dual degree options to a wide variety of advanced clinical residency and fellowship training, and from laboratory to bedside learning experiences. The school has recently received a $50 million endowment from the Alfred E. Mann Foundation to name the school and to support student scholarships, faculty development and recruitment, and integrated biomedical innovation.

The University of Southern California values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment.