Policy Associate

### Description

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is seeking a Policy Associate to advance our campaigns for stronger, evidence-based food safety policies addressing unsafe food chemicals, fraudulent and dangerous dietary supplements, and food-borne pathogens. This is a 24-month, grant-funded, full-time position with a likelihood of extension. The Policy Associate reports to the Director of Regulatory Affairs and collaborates with colleagues across the organization involved with CSPI’s food safety and regulatory campaigns. CSPI’s office is in Washington, DC, but many of our staff work remotely at locations across the United States. The preferred location of this position is DC, but we welcome candidates available to work remotely across the country.

### About CSPI

CSPI, your food and health watchdog, is one of the nation’s leading public health advocacy organizations with a 50-year record of fighting for science in the public interest. We’ve led efforts to win passage of many federal, state, and local policies to improve food safety and nutrition. Our victories include successfully petitioning the FDA to ban partially hydrogenated oils and carcinogenic flavorings; lobbying states to ban harmful food additives; spurring the FDA to take enforcement action against retailers that illegally marketed supplements to treat COVID, opioid addiction, and infertility; and lobbying successfully for the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act. We do not take corporate donations, allowing us to serve as an independent voice for consumers in the food system.

### Essential Duties and Responsibilities

– Draft letters, fact sheets, regulatory comments, and other written materials in support of food safety initiatives.
– Conduct policy research including tracking federal and state bills, reviewing regulatory comments to dockets, monitoring trade press, and applying emerging science to policy campaigns.
– Coordinate work with external partners and stakeholders, including FDA, state agencies, legislators, and allied organizations.
– Develop and implement systems and processes to increase productivity and enhance communication and coordination across the Regulatory Affairs Department, the Science Department, and other teams across the organization.
– Support the food safety team by scheduling, planning for, and following up on internal and external meetings; and coordinating events.
– Update and maintain a hub of shared documents, databases, and resources for the food safety team.

### Qualifications

The ideal candidate would possess:

– A graduate degree in public policy, law, public health, environmental health, toxicology, food safety, food science, risk assessment, or a related field; or a bachelor’s degree with extensive coursework and/or 1-4 years professional experience in these areas.
– Strong written communication skills and ability to produce high-quality written materials that are ready for public consumption with minimal editing.
– Ability to understand scientific studies, key findings, and limitations, and translate for various audiences (including colleagues, policymakers, journalists, and the public) with guidance from CSPI’s Science Department.
– Proactive, highly organized, and detail-oriented: keeps track of details and follows up.
– Commitment to transparency, accuracy, and scientific rigor.
– Good at multitasking and adapting in a fast-paced environment, with a track record of successfully managing multiple projects and deadlines.
– Interest in food and supplement safety, regulatory policy, and public health.
– Ability to work across teams and with partners in a positive, inclusive, collaborative, and strategic organizational culture.
– Interest and commitment to CSPI’s work and mission and embracing of CSPI’s core values (described below).
– Willingness to participate in CSPI’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
– Ability to take initiative, exercise good judgment, and use diplomacy and discretion.
– Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications (SharePoint, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and research databases, such as PubMed.
– Experience working for a non-profit organization or academic institution preferred.

### CSPI on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CSPI is committed to including and valuing diverse voices and fostering a culture that ensures all staff feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to be their best selves. In that spirit, each of us is committed to putting in constant work to live up to our organization’s core values:

– We are inclusive. We seek to foster an environment where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are affirmed. We are not looking for everyone to think and look the same. We actively welcome and value staff with different experiences, backgrounds, attributes, abilities, and perspectives.
– We are open. We are honest and direct in how we communicate with each other in order to build trust and integrity within our organization.
– We are accountable. We acknowledge and assume responsibility for our actions.
– We are kind. We communicate and treat one another in a respectful, generous, considerate, and compassionate way.
– We are collaborative. We work together for the common good and shared success.

### COVID Policies

As a public health organization, CSPI makes efforts to maintain a safe workplace for employees and visitors. We require all employees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are eligible, and the vaccine is available to them. Proof of vaccination is required during the onboarding process.

### Compensation

The salary range is $58,000 to $65,000, based on experience. CSPI offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes: 3 weeks of annual vacation leave; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8 weeks of paid parental leave; excellent medical and dental insurance with CSPI paying a significant portion of employee and dependent premiums; and a 3% employer match contribution to the retirement plan after six months of service. We also offer ½ day Fridays, which means full-time staff work 36 hours per week.

### To Apply

Please utilize CSPI’s Paylocity Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to apply for the position. You are required to submit a resume and cover letter highlighting relevant experience and interest. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with priority to applications submitted by July 16, 2024.

CSPI is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills and encourages people of diverse ages, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, disabilities, religions, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, work, and life experiences to apply.

### Salary Description

$58,000 to $65,000, based on experience