Region Senior Manager, State Government Affairs

The R Street Institute—a free-market think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. and with regional offices around the country—seeks a Mountain West/Plains region manager to join our State Government Affairs team. We are accepting candidates based in or near a state capital in the Mountain West/Plains regions of the United States. If you want to join an energetic organization and do something impactful, this may be just the opportunity you need!

Your typical day could include:

• Speaking with elected officials at the state and local level
• Drafting an op-ed or testifying before legislative committees on issues like competition in electricity markets or automatic expungement in the justice system.

A good candidate will be a fantastic networker, a self-starter, a quick study on a wide range of policy areas, and able to handle situations in a creative, entrepreneurial manner. If you are the right fit, you will report to the director of State Government Affairs.

Other Aspects of Your Role

• Educate state and local lawmakers and executive branch officials about R Street policy positions on harm reduction, criminal justice reform, and a variety of other topics
• Testify before legislative committees
• Track and evaluate legislative and regulatory developments
• Build ideologically broad coalition partnerships with other organizations to promote R Street messages
• Arrange speaking, meeting, and legislative testimony opportunities for R Street senior policy staff and R Street associates
• Write papers for publication by R Street and others, as well as pieces for the popular and ideological press
• Remain vigilant against ninja infiltrations

Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in government affairs in a Mountain West/Plains legislature. This might take the form of work as a legislative staffer, a lobbyist, a trade association professional, or other related work
• Demonstrated understanding of free markets and the practical application of free-market policies
• Excellent writing ability, ideally demonstrated by a record of published work
• Strong public speaking skills
• Ability to articulate complex topics in easily digestible forms
• Knowledge of, and connections with, civil society and industry groups within the Mountain West/Plains regions
• No particular educational background is required; a proven track record of achieving results is far more meaningful than credentials
• Passion for free markets and limited, effective government
• A sense of humor and a desire to grow with a multifaceted organization

R Street works to bolster American innovation, increase consumer choice, and protect individual liberty by supporting a smaller, smarter government. We focus on deep scholarship and pragmatic policy solutions that many groups tend to neglect. Our goal is to publish timely, relevant research and analysis that advances a market-oriented society and limited, effective government. To that end, our motto is: “Free Markets. Real Solutions.”

Workplace

We offer a flexible working arrangement. This is a full-time position that can either work the majority of the week in our D.C. office or be fully remote.

Compensation, Benefits, and Perks

R Street strives to provide a compensation package superior to those at other think tanks and nonprofits. In addition to a competitive salary, we provide the following:

• Unlimited paid time off policy, including all federal holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, and two weeks holiday closure in December
• Alternating Fridays off
• A health insurance option entirely paid by the employer (even for families)
• Dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) contributions with up to a 4 percent match
• HSA employer contribution match
• Quarterly wellness reimbursement
• Mobile equipment/mobile plan reimbursement
• Internet subsidy
• Annual educational and professional development reimbursement
• An option among child care assistance, pet care assistance, or student loan repayment assistance reimbursement

R Street is committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe having a more diverse workforce will strengthen R Street’s ability to innovate, achieve our mission, and support long-term systemic change. As people dedicated to limited, effective government and free markets, we understand that a free society achieves its greatest triumphs by allowing and facilitating a wide variety of approaches to public policy problems. The concept of “broad coalitions,” one of our core operating principles, stems from that insight. People of all races, religions, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, life experiences and socioeconomic backgrounds perform at the highest levels in every type of work that we do and have shaped the principles to which we subscribe. We believe that searching for talent everywhere is an integral part of living up to our principles.

We currently plan to accept applications for this job until filled. We will contact qualified individuals for telephone interviews and conduct them on a rolling basis. Interviews will take place virtually via Zoom.

To apply, you must upload a cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

The R Street Institute stands for free markets, limited, effective government and pragmatic solutions to difficult problems. We envision:

• A free society, where public policy begins with freedom as its initial premise and governments exist primarily as guardians of inherent, inalienable rights.
• An inclusive society that provides a place, a voice, and equal opportunity for all.
• A just society that holds everyone accountable to the same laws.

Our Values

The following values are the principles that guide how R Street fulfills its mission and operates. Our organization believes in these values and we live them:

• Always be better
  • We want to achieve preeminence in every area where we work. We encourage a bias for action, innovation, creativity, and courage in everything that we do. We measure ourselves by the quality, credibility and impact we achieve as a result.
• Different is good.
  • We believe that great minds think differently and building broad coalitions has made us who we are. Making progress on policy requires that we operate outside of the echo chamber and take non-traditional approaches to policy making. We apply this same principle to the way we operate and how we build our teams: with a focus on diversity and inclusion. We are all unique but belong to the same team.
• Serious(ly)
  • We’re serious about our work, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We believe in the intellectual rigor, free inquiry and honesty, that is required to achieve our mission, but having fun doing it is equally as important.
• One Team
  • We all work together and work with humility. We strive to cultivate trust and transparency at all levels, between ourselves as individuals and as an organization, with our stakeholders, and in our work. We demonstrate respect and openness in our actions at all times. We are all unique but belong to the same team.