Senior Policy Advisor - Office of the City Administrator

OPEN:    November 13, 2023

CLOSED:    Open until filled 

This is an Excepted Service position.  Selected candidate must be a District resident or establish residency within 180 days of hire.  

RESIDENCY PREFERENCE:    ** Current District of Columbia residents will receive high preference in all phases of the selection process, including the resume review and interview process.  **

SALARY RANGE:   Excepted Service Grade 0301-09  ($130,000)

INTRODUCTION

This position is in the Office of the City Administrator (OCA). The mission and goal of the OCA is to support the Mayor’s mission to deliver the best possible public services to the residents of the District of Columbia while transforming the nation’s capital into the best-managed city in the United States. OCA has direct oversight over all executive-reporting agencies, along with being responsible for the day-to-day management of the District government, setting operational goals and implementing legislative actions and policy decisions. OCA is also responsible for preparing the District's annual operating and capital budgets, monitoring agency performance, and facilitating the effective and efficient implementation of the Mayor’s policies.

As a member of the OCA’s executive team, serves as Senior Policy advisor to the City Administrator, having both internal and external responsibilities ranging from implementing the Office’s strategic priorities to advising the City Administrator on high priority issues and matters, having policy and programmatic impacts. By collaborating with Deputy Mayors and agency heads, the Senior Policy Advisor leads implementation of the public policy strategies designed to further the mission of the OCA and the District government. The incumbent shares in recommending and formulating policies and strategies, oversees the completion of special projects, and performs data analysis and support on a variety of issues, as needed, for both internal and external stakeholders. The incumbent is a recognize authority in the analysis and evaluation of policy issues.

MAJOR DUTIES

• Plans, develops, and coordinates special assignments and projects on behalf of the City Administrator. Focuses on strategic planning that involves multiple agencies across the entire District Government.
• Studies, coordinates, and recommends resolution of major short- and long-term management and operational problems. Conducts extensive research on best practices, policy issues, and resources to guide and inform on the development of major projects. Conducts research and fact-finding investigations; and analyzes, interprets, and documents projects.
• Responsible for project management, oversight, and direction of projects, ensuring that projects are in accordance with established policies and procedures. Has authority and responsibility for the successful completion of the project, as delegated by the supervisor. Develops and/or facilitates improvement projects with objectives and tasks, establishes completion timelines, and monitors implementation.
• Develops responses to high level inquiries from the City Administrator, the Mayor, City Council, or others, regarding actions pertinent to issues of significant importance and/or consequence, complexity, or sensitivity. Coordinates and manages relationships with regional organizations, institutions, and partnerships.
• Troubleshoots, investigates, and provides recommendations on complex and sensitive issues and problems relative to agencies’ services, activities, and initiatives.
• Develops sources of information; identifies policy matters; coordinates and/or performs in-depth analyses of critical issues; analyzes the consequences of adopting various proposals and policies; and forecasts developments potentially affecting administrative services and activities.
• Develops options and alternatives, coordinates findings and recommendations with other interested/affected parties; and, as necessary, prepares and delivers written and oral presentations. Develops processes to produce reports, fact sheets, and other statistical data on government operations.
• Prepares policy statements, and reviews and assesses the impact of proposed legislation on functional responsibilities and operations of the office, as directed. Assesses, compiles and reviews data, to develop policies, procedures and/or systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of programmatic and administrative control systems such as those designed to achieve anti-deficiency requirements are met, streamline, and simplify regulatory schemes, facilitate inspection, compliance, and enforcement activities, etc.
• Attends strategic planning meetings to discuss the services and activities that impact the overall successful operation of the OCA. Attends executive staff and operational meetings to keep abreast of plans, projects, decisions, problems, etc., pertaining to the various functions of the OCA. Actively, participates in decision-making meetings concerning operations, goals, and objectives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION

• Mastery knowledge of the mission, functional requirements, goals and objectives of the OCA and District government.
• Mastery knowledge and experience in problem solving, and negotiation strategies, to conduct in-depth research and analysis. Mastery knowledge of advanced project management concepts, practices, and methodologies. Demonstrated ability to plan and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously.
• Mastery knowledge of a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of complex processes and systems; and qualitative and quantitative methods to interpret information and data related to the assessment of complex and/or unyielding problem areas.
• Superior skill in applying sound judgment in analysis and in deriving logical conclusions. Demonstrated ability to be responsive to numerous concurrent requests and establish priorities to advance a large body of work. Demonstrated ability to engage and convene diverse stakeholder groups.
• Outstanding communication skills in written and oral presentations, and in developing and adapting materials for specific and diverse audiences. Ability to write extensive memoranda, position papers, and reports in a clear, concise, and timely fashion, with minimal editing required.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with organizational staff, individuals, and interest groups.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS

Work is performed under the supervision of the OCA’s Chief of Staff, who provides policy direction in broad general terms of broadly defined objectives. The Chief of Staff relies on the incumbent to exercise considerable independent judgment in planning, organizing, and executing assignment, which entails determining the approach, methods and procedures that will most effectively and expeditiously accomplish the work. Results of the work are considered as technically authoritative and are normally accepted without significant change.

GUIDELINES

Guidelines include District of Columbia and Federal laws and regulations, and policies and procedures of the OCA. The incumbent demonstrates ingenuity, and sound judgment in interpreting the intent of the guides that do exist and in developing new or innovative approaches or adapting applications to specific problems or areas of the work. The incumbent is recognized as a technical authority in the development and interpretation of guidelines.

COMPLEXITY

The work includes varied duties requiring many different and unrelated processes and methods that are applied to a broad range of activities or substantial depth of analysis. The work consists of problems and issues of exceptional complexity, usually undefined requiring innovative thinking, novel solutions, extensive analysis, seasoned judgment and substantive understanding of the functions, processes, and principles of management theories, and continuing changes. Decisions regarding what needs to be done include largely undefined issues and elements; major areas of uncertainty in approach, methodology, or interpretation and evaluation process; and require extensive probing and analysis to determine the nature and scope of the problems. The work requires originating new techniques, establishing criteria, or developing new information.

SCOPE AND EFFECT

The purpose of the work is to plan, develop, initiate, coordinate and conduct a variety of special studies and projects; to leads implementation of the public policy strategies; to analyze and evaluate major aspects of service, activity, and business processes; and to provide authoritative information and analyses to decision makers. The work affects the OCA operation, and the District government programs and services.

PERSONAL CONTACTS

Personal contacts include the senior and mid-level managers, staff and officials within the OCA, other District and Federal government agencies, the Executive Office of the Mayor, Councilmembers, representatives of professional and judicial organizations, counterparts in other jurisdictions, community groups, and the general public.

PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

The purpose of contacts is to provide advice and guidance on plans and proposals, analysis of policy and regulations; to make recommendations for substantial changes; to research issues/problems; and to solve and/or recommend alternatives. Contacts often require persuasion, diplomacy, and cooperative relationships, explaining and justifying changes.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is sedentary. However, there may be some walking, stooping, bending, and carrying of light items, such as papers, books, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work is performed in a normal office setting. Attendance at designated meetings on days, evenings, and weekends outside of the incumbent's normal tour of duty may be required.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTS

The incumbent of this position will be subject to enhanced suitability screening pursuant to Chapter 4 of DC Personnel Regulations, Suitability – Security Sensitive.

COVID-19 Vaccination: All employees of the District of Columbia must be vaccinated against the Coronavirus disease 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) as a condition of employment.