Legislative Analyst IV

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• Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is seeking an experienced Legislative Analyst with excellent writing and communication skills to assist the Legislation Department with advancing SCAG’s policy interests and planning priorities through regional, state, and national engagement and advocacy. The Legislative Analyst IV will be responsible for navigating complex political environments to increase the visibility and success of SCAG’s legislative efforts. If you are knowledgeable in transportation, housing, and climate policy and have the ability to communicate how issues will affect the SCAG region, we encourage you to apply!  
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• Under general direction of the Manager of Legislation, the Legislative Analyst IV will support the advancement of SCAG’s legislative and budgetary priorities at the regional, state, and federal levels by coordinating with other SCAG departments to develop analyses and comment letters on state and federal legislation and policies and communicating emerging and current legislative issues to SCAG’s staff, management, and executive team, Legislative/Communications and Membership Committee (LCMC), and Regional Council (RC). This position will assess the impact of proposed legislation, budget, and appropriations bills and work with the Manager to coordinate a response to priority proposals. Additionally, the Legislative Analyst IV will be responsible for assisting in the development and execution of in-person and virtual legislative advocacy meetings and delegation visits to the furtherance of SCAG’s legislative and budgetary priorities.
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• The Legislation Department is comprised of three full-time staff, including this position, and is under the umbrella of the Government and Public Affairs Division. The Legislative Analyst supports the Legislation Department’s role to “Advance Southern California’s policy interests and planning priorities through regional, statewide, and national engagement and advocacy.”  

 
As a mission-driven organization, SCAG is committed to attracting and retaining talent who embody SCAG’s values. SCAG's workforce is passionate and committed to innovation that improves the quality of life for all Southern Californians. When you join SCAG, you can expect a culture where collaboration and teamwork is fostered. 
 
SCAG operates as a hybrid organization because we recognize that work can be successfully performed in various locations. Designing a work environment and culture where SCAG’s mission, effectiveness, and collaboration can be more flexibly served demonstrates our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by supporting work-life balance for our employees, retaining our existing dedicated staff, and increasing access to new talent pools.
 
As part of our Work@SCAG hybrid approach, employees eligibility in the three work models (office, hybrid, remote) will depend on the department, position, responsibilities, and duties. All work models require employees to work from a location based within the SCAG region. 
 

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• In this role you can expect to:

Research and monitor pending and emerging legislative, budgetary, or appropriations bills that affect SCAG or our member agencies, or that generally relate to transportation, housing, land use, climate, and air quality.
 

Collaborate with program staff to develop bill analyses with recommended agency positions and comment letters on proposed federal rules and state legislative matters.

Prepare formal reports, memoranda, or informal summaries of pending or emerging legislation, budget, or appropriations bills for SCAG staff, members of the LCMC or RC, and the agency’s stakeholder groups.

Draft verbal reports and present analyses and recommended positions at SCAG’s monthly LCMC meetings and other public meetings, as needed.

Prepare position letters on behalf of SCAG’s President or Executive Director on pending state and federal legislation.

Maintain positive working relationships with SCAG colleagues, elected officials, and SCAG's members and external partners through regular communication and attendance at external meetings.  Serve as a liaison between SCAG and regional, state, and federal elected officials, their staff, other governmental agencies, and external partners on legislative matters.

Collaborate with appropriate planning and legal services staff to draft amendments to priority legislation.

Participate in content creation for SCAG legislative updates and newsletters.

Assist with the preparation of SCAG’s annual state and federal legislative platform.

Draft talking points and testimony for executive team members or SCAG elected officials on priority legislation.

Prepare materials and presentations and assist with the execution of in-person and virtual legislative advocacy meetings and delegation visits to Sacramento and Washington D.C. to the furtherance of SCAG’s legislative and budgetary priorities. 
 

• Other duties as assigned.
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You will be a good fit if you have these must-haves:
Minimum Qualifications:
Candidates with the following qualifications would be a good fit for this position: 

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in government, political science, public administration, communications, law, or a related field.

and 

EXPERIENCE: Five years of professional experience in legislative affairs.

You will hit the ground running in this role if you also have:
First-rate personal, political, analytical, communication and government relations skills.

Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain trusting and collaborative working relations with those connected in the course of work, including but not limited to elected officials, legislative staff, agency staff, stakeholder groups, and members of the public.

Excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to prepare and present various legislative and policy matters to audiences of various sizes. 

Attentiveness to the perspectives of various internal staff and external stakeholders.

Knowledge of current social, political, and economic trends. 

Ability to be adaptable and reliable when managing conflicting and changing priorities. 

Ability to conduct complex research and develop policy recommendations as well as prepare comprehensive and accurate reports varying in type and complexity.

Salary Range: $96,844.80 - $125,923.20 Annually
Click here to apply.