Job Opening: Director for Entitlements Reform – Niskanen Center

Director for Entitlements Reform – Niskanen Center – Washington, DC

February 11, 2015 by Talent Market

The Niskanen Center seeks a Director for Entitlements Reform with excellent communication skills to oversee the Center’s entitlements reform projects and initiatives; serving as the point-person for the organization to policymakers; and conducting outreach and building coalitions to advance the Center’s reform agenda.

The ideal candidate will have an interest in improving federal entitlements programs by economizing on taxpayer expenditures, improving the efficiency in which services and support is provided to recipients, minimizing disincentives to work, and providing the greatest room possible for recipient autonomy and choice given the current political landscape.

The ideal candidate will not be content with forwarding theoretically attractive reforms. Rather, he/she will be primarily interested in crafting and promoting politically realistic and attractive reform ideas that advance the Center’s objectives.

The Director of Entitlements Reform will report to Vice President Joe Coon. The candidate must be willing to live in the Washington metropolitan area and the position will include occasional travel.

Key job responsibilities will include:

• Researching, analyzing, and writing policy studies, issue briefs, and commentaries on current, significant policy issues
• Overseeing the production of model legislation
• Monitoring state and federal legislation
• Making media appearances, including radio, television, and print
• Building and joining coalitions of important stakeholders to advance the Center’s policy agenda

Requirements
The ideal candidate will possess the following attributes:

• Five-plus years of experience working on entitlement policy in business, academia, public policy, or government
• Firm grounding in free market economics
• Familiarity with the academic literature pertaining to the topic
• Strong analytical and research skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Established project management skills and ability to multi-task, set priorities, and follow-through
• Experience interacting with policymakers in Washington
• Firm commitment to the principles of personal responsibility and free enterprise
• An advanced degree in public policy, economics, or related field preferred
• Media experience a plus but not required

To Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF file:

• Résumé
• A cover letter detailing your philosophical interest in the organization and your salary requirements
• Writing sample which demonstrates an ability to communicate complex concepts to other policy experts
• Links to media appearances, if applicable

Materials should be emailed in one PDF file to Claire Kittle Dixon, Executive Director of Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: claire@talentmarket.org.

While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. No phone calls please.

About the Niskanen Center (http://www.niskanencenter.org)

Established in 2014, the Niskanen Center is a libertarian 501(c)(3) think tank that works to change public policy through direct engagement in the policymaking process: developing and promoting proposals to legislative and executive branch policymakers, building coalitions to facilitate joint action, and marshaling the most convincing arguments in support of our agenda.  The Center’s main audience is the Washington insiders – policy-oriented legislators, presidential appointees, career civil servants in planning, evaluation and budget offices, congressional committee staff, engaged academics, and interest group analysts – who together decide the pace and direction of policy change.