Associate Policy Analyst

Position Description

The Policy Department is responsible for facilitating the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) policy development process. This involves many functions, including facilitating committee work, producing policy documents, participating in regional meetings, and leading policy-related advocacy and engagement efforts with OPTN members. The Department engages these stakeholders and other additional experts to identify problems, understand community perspectives, evaluate issues, and develop potential solutions for the transplant community. The Department builds community relationships and advocates for OPTN strategic initiatives. Policy staff guide the OPTN national transplant policy making process including promoting consistency with National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) and the Final Rule. The Department assists with implementing other functions including responding to member inquiries, providing guidance, and education.

The Policy Associate serves as an integral part of a collaborative, cross-functional team in the Department. The Policy Associate performs key tasks in support of documentation, research, interpretation, development, and implementation of transplant policy.

Key Responsibilities

• Policy Research, Analysis, and Development: Identify, or assist with identifying, opportunities for improvement in OPTN policy.
  • Perform, or assist with performing, literature searches
  • Analyze, or assist with analyzing, qualitative and/or quantitative information and present results or stakeholders in order to develop policy.
  • Develop, or assist with developing evidence-based solutions to problems facing the transplant community
  • Support activities and production of deliverables required of the OPTN Contractor
  • Maintain key documentation of discussions, decisions, rationale, and progress of policy project activities
• Committee Management and Facilitation: Coordinate, or support coordinating, committee management operations, including, potentially, serving as committee point of contact
  • Facilitate, or assist with facilitating, OPTN committee meetings (in-person, virtual, or hybrid).
  • Facilitate, or assist with facilitating, internal UNOS committee support meetings (in-person, virtual, or hybrid)
• Writing, Communication and Collaboration: Draft, or assist with drafting, meeting materials, including but not limited to agendas, presentations, internal and external meeting minutes/summaries
  • Draft, or assist with drafting, policy-related documents, including, but not limited to policy memos, proposals, briefing papers
  • Conduct, or assist in conducting, oral briefings to stakeholders of all levels related to committee work and policy projects/proposals
  • Attend meetings with key stakeholders to scope, define, and determine potential policy solutions
• Member Support, Volunteer Engagement and Consensus-buildin: Research, draft, and respond to member or patient inquiries related to assigned subject or policy areas from various stakeholders, including maintaining documentation, according to established internal protocols
  • Support regional meetings in collaboration with internal cross-functional teams.
  • Engage, or assist with engaging, Committee members and enable participation to inform policy development
  • Assist with performing objective outreach to broader transplant and procurement community regarding potential policy proposals
• Project Management: Build, or assist with building, project plans and timelines
  • Lead or support steering multi-functional, cross-department team in development of small -medium or low to moderate complexity/controversial policy proposals
  • Communicate and track milestones, tasks, and deliverables to stakeholders
  • Maintain project documentation. (E.g. OPTN project forms, task assignments, decision log, key milestones, etc.)

Minimum Requirements

• 2 years of policy, business, healthcare, legal or other related experience preferred; or a combination of equivalent, relevant academic and/or work experience
• Ability to travel required, seasonally

Critical Skills

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills required.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills preferred
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team
• Basic research skills, including performing literature searches and the ability to locate and analyze information from multiple sources and synthesize in order to develop policy, address issues and respond to stakeholder inquiries
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize, multi-task, and manage workload to meet specific timeframes and deadlines

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in performing quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Experience in public policy or policy development
• Experience in community relationship development
• Experience in consensus-building processes
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of products, including SharePoint and Teams
• Basic proficiency with virtual meeting platforms such as GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and/or WebEx

Education

• 4-year degree in political science, public policy, public health or related field, or equivalent level of professional work experience required.

Physical Requirements

• General office demands

UNOS provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. It will not unlawfully discriminate or permit harassment against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, familial or marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or any other characteristics or classification protected under applicable law ("protected categories"). This policy applies not only to hiring, but also to working conditions, benefits and privileges of employment, training, appointments for advancement, transfers, layoffs, recalls, terminations of employment and all other terms and conditions of employment.

UNOS is also an affirmative action employer. It takes affirmative action to recruit and provide opportunities for advancement to qualified females and minorities, individuals with disabilities, special disabled veterans and other protected veterans. It hires and promotes based on job-related requirements and individual qualifications. Action is taken to ensure the fulfillment of this policy as to all phases of the employment process including hiring, placement, training, upgrading, transfers and/or demotions, recruiting, layoffs and termination of employment.

UNOS invites individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to identify themselves, if they wish to do so. Such communication will be kept as confidential as possible and will be used only in accordance with the law. Candidates may contact the EEO/AA Officer at human.resources@unos.org to self-identify or request an accommodation.

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