Director of Policy and Legislation (NCS) - Comptroller's Office

THIS IS A NON-CIVIL SERVICE POSITION

Salary Range:

$89,994.00 - $143,864.00 Annually

Hiring Salary Range:

$89,994.00 - $116,929.00 Annually

Get to Know Us

Welcome to the City of Baltimore! Experience the reward of a fulfilling career and enjoy the added element of excitement in a vibrant, diverse atmosphere. The City of Baltimore offers limitless opportunities to help drive social impact, both on the job and in the community, while serving its citizens. Join us in making Baltimore a great place to live and work. In the City of Baltimore, we hire great people and provide them with the skills and opportunities to grow toward their career aspirations. If you are looking for a career change or are interested in learning more, explore our opportunities and benefits programs. We are excited to have you as a part of the City of Baltimore Team! The city offers medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, optional life, AD&D, and FSA plans. This office also supplies wellness programs, support groups, and workshops. You can learn about our benefits here: https://humanresources.baltimorecity.gov/hr-divisions/benefits

Job Summary

The office of the Comptroller of Baltimore City leads efforts to modernize systems and to increase transparency, information accessibility, government accountability and efficiency.The Comptroller’s Central Office and its teams work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to continuously improve and modernize government processes, demystify City business, make information available to the public, and communicate clearly and proactively with our internal and external customers.  Our Team, of which this position is an important part, adds value through attention to detail, timeliness and thoughtful responses to our customers and the everyday challenges our administrative and analytical work presents – all in service to the people of Baltimore City. The Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs supports the Chief of Staff and Comptroller directly and reports to the Deputy Chief of Staff on matters of legislative affairs, special projects, community affairs and policy initiatives. This is a non-civil, at-will position of trust.

Essential Functions

• Provides oversight, administration and coordination of all aspects of policy work for the Office of the Comptroller.
• Collaborates internally and externally to inform and implement policies that enhance the transparency, accountability and effectiveness of City government.
• Acquires subject matter expertise through research, experience and internal and external relationships.
• Collects, organizes and interprets information for persuasion and presentation in both formal and informal reports.
• Prepares and/or coordinates with a team of colleagues, quantitative reports on a wide range of City government policy, practice and policy issues.
• Evaluates policies, programs and procedures that address issues of transparency, accountability and efficiency of government for comparative and best practice assessment purposes, those of other municipalities.
• Undertakes literature reviews on a range of governance issues and prepares written and verbal reports on the subject.
• Collaborates with the Comptroller’s Data Manager to examine, manipulate, format and query existing City government and external databases to produce narrative reports and thematic mapping efforts.
• Designs, plans, implements and prepares special research projects as directed.
• Prepares correspondence and works with the Deputy Director of Communications to inform speaking notes on a range of governance issues, problems and resources for elected officials and agency staff.
• Represents the agency at meetings and events.
• Provides oversight, administration and coordination of legislative affairs on behalf of the Comptroller and office of the Comptroller.
• Develops and maintains relationships with City Council members and staff and other elected officials to facilitate the exchange of information and support the Comptrollers legislative and policy priorities.
• Serves as liaison with Baltimore City Council and Maryland General Assembly on legislative issues.
• Monitors and analyzes proposed legislation and initiatives that may impact City government policies and operations; recommends actions and leads response.
• Collaborates with other City legislative offices when appropriate.
• Leads preparation of testimony and represents the Office of the Comptroller at legislative hearings.
• Provides oversight of the planning, organizing and coordination of community engagement on behalf of the Comptroller and office of the Comptroller. 
• Manages, with direct and indirect staff, a variety of special projects, events and engagement activities by creating and executing plans of action and prioritizing multiple tasks effectively.
• Represents the department or program at meetings and community functions in a liaison capacity with other city managers and officials.
• Attends and represents the Comptroller at community and stakeholder meetings, community events, and other special events across Baltimore City, including evenings and weekends as needed.
• Coordinates the Comptroller’s participation in public events, develops talking points and manages logistics for events hosted by the Office of the Comptroller.
• Develops short- and long-term goals for community engagement.
• Provides oversight of constituent services on behalf of the Office of the Comptrollers.
• Manages direct customer service to constituents via phone, email, and written correspondence; logs & tracks interactions, outcomes, and follow-up in a centralized data system. 
• Maintains organized records and files of constituent inquiries and requests. and constituent service program to meet the objectives of the Office of the Comptroller. 
• Leads special projects that can include drafting or oversight of special reports at the direction of the Comptroller and/or Chief of Staff and in collaboration with other members of the Central Office Teams.
• Examples include analysis of City legal settlements, recommendations for prompt grant payments, revenue reports for real property sales.
• Drafts plain language summaries of audit reports.
• Collaborates with Communications, IT Systems Management and other internal and external colleagues on deliverables.
• Manages staff consistent with City HR policies; participates in management training as required, meets regularly with operational team; provides consistent and timely feedback to staff including timely evaluations coordinated via the City’s current HR management system (Workday).
• Participates in annual budgeting processes to ensure appropriate budget levels and requests for staffing and operational needs.
• The position also meets regularly with peer managers to coordinate and collaborate on shared work and/or special projects.
• Performs other related work as required. The position may require some or all of the examples shared in this description depending on the organization of work within the agency.
• This description is not intended to be all inclusive.  A position may require related duties not specified, if necessary, to accomplish the work of the agency.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.

AND

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience or transferable skills and experience applicable to public administration/policy/legislation. Familiarity with the Baltimore and Maryland legislative processes.

OR

Equivalency Notes: Have an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Licenses, Registrations, and Certificates: Have a valid Maryland Class C Noncommercial driver's license or an equivalent driver's license and be eligible to obtain a Baltimore City driver’s permit. PROVISIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. 

NOTE: YOU MUST UPLOAD A COPY OF YOUR VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION AT THE TIME OF APPLYING. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong interest in public service, government; government policy and Baltimore City politics.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Reliable, diligent, detail-oriented, and organized.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to perform work with tact, speed and discretion with strict adherence to confidentiality policies
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with government officials and employees
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends as necessary or assigned.
• Detail-oriented, reliable and capable of handling multiple responsibilities independently and efficiently
• Demonstrated competence in organizing and management events, meetings and schedules
• Possesses valid Maryland Drivers License – required
• Familiarity with the Baltimore and Maryland legislative processes

Additional Information

Background Check

Eligible candidates under final consideration for appointment to positions identified as positions of trust will be required to complete authorization for a Criminal Background Check and/or Fingerprint screening, and must be successfully completed.

Probation

All persons, including current City employees, selected for this position must complete a 6-month mandatory probation.

Financial Disclosure

This position is required to complete a Financial Disclosure pursuant to Sections 7-7, 7-8, and 7-9 of the City Ethics Law.

Baltimore City Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The City of Baltimore prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.  Applicants requiring accommodation during the hiring process should contact the Department of Human Resources directly. Requests for accommodation should not be attached to the application.

BALTIMORE CITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER