EPI is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on typical families in the United States. Our mission is centering the policy debate on the economic interests of low and middle-income households. EPI is a key institution in the movement for economic justice in the United States and is widely recognized as a source of authoritative analysis on economic trends, with a particular focus on economic inequality.

EPI believes that having a diverse and inclusive workplace not only strengthens the institute’s work, but is also essential for understanding and creating economic policies that support all working people. EPI is an equal opportunity, fair chance, affirmative action employer, committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior history of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, caregiver status, or other categories protected by law.

EPI seeks a skilled and motivated person to join the policy team as a policy assistant. This position will support the government affairs, research, and writing of EPI’s policy team. We are seeking someone with a bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, or other related social science field (e.g., public policy) with strong writing skills, organizational skills, and research skills. Candidates must be comfortable engaging in outreach with key stakeholders, and interested in advancing economic, racial, and gender justice through public policy. The policy assistant will work on a variety of issues, including labor policy, unions and worker power, minimum wage, immigration, unemployment insurance, economic impacts of structural racism, and racial and gender-pay inequities.

This position is based in Washington, DC. Economic Policy Institute staff are currently working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. We will resume in-person work at EPI’s offices in Washington when it is safe to do so.

What You Will Do

• Support the work of the policy team.
• Assist in the development of policy materials including fact sheets, blog posts, issue briefs, presentations, and other policy work.
• Help develop and maintain external contact lists and resources to target outreach activities related to EPI research and policy products.
• Help plan and execute briefings on key policy issues.
• Analyze legislation and prepare fact sheets, memoranda, and other policy products including Congressional correspondence and regulatory filings.
• Provide help on research, data analysis, and technical assistance needs of policy team.
• Produce tables, figures, and research summaries with attention to detail.
• Assist in reviewing, editing, and fact-checking materials from both internal and external authors.
• Support policy team’s programmatic needs: helping to manage projects, tracking EPI’s federal advocacy efforts, helping facilitate webinars and meetings, and assisting policy team as they facilitate EPI’s federal policy strategy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Who You Are

Ideally, you have one (1) to four (4) years of experience. We do not expect that every candidate will have this full range of experience, but the following qualities and experience are highly desirable:

• A bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, or other related social science field (e.g., public policy).
• Experience with and demonstrated commitment to economic justice, worker power and collective bargaining, and racial and gender equity.
• A love of learning and a desire to explore a diverse set of economic, gender, and racial justice policy issues.
• Strong research skills and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with labor market data.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to create materials for a wide range of audiences.
• Facility with the Microsoft Office Suite. Knowledge of WordPress is a bonus.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently, but also able to collaborate and work as part of a team and with diverse partners.

Salary and Benefits .

• EPI is a unionized workplace with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union(NPEU). This position is in the bargaining unit and reports to Director of Policy.
• The salary for this position ranges from $50,000 to $54,600, dependent on experience, plus benefits.
• EPI offers an excellent benefits package, including generous paid time off, as well as retirement contributions, medical, vision, dental, short- and long-term disability, and life insurance.

To Apply

Candidates should send a cover letter highlighting their relevant experience and explaining their interest in working at EPI, resume, and writing sample to policy-jobs@epi.org with “Policy Assistant” in the subject line.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.