Senior Research & Policy Associate, CityHealth

## Who We Are

**CityHealth** is an initiative of the **de Beaumont Foundation** and Kaiser Permanente. Our mission is to advance a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth advances a package of evidence-based, health-promoting policies and regularly evaluates cities on the number and strength of their policies. We currently work in the nation’s 75 largest cities.

As part of our effort to advance specific policy issues across these cities, we believe strongly in building partnerships with city leaders, city staff, stakeholders, and advocacy organizations to help drive policy change and advance common goals. The work is aspirational and rigorous given the breadth of issues and areas we work on, and combines government relations, technical assistance, and advocacy to accelerate policy change across the country.

We are a small, highly driven team and value excellence, pushing boundaries, balance, strong communication, and a sense of humor. We are deeply committed to equity and believe strongly that local policy solutions have the potential to improve the lives of millions of Americans.

CityHealth is housed within the de Beaumont Foundation, and the CityHealth Executive Director has primary oversight of the project’s activities. The person hired for this position will be an employee of the de Beaumont Foundation and will report to the Executive Director.

### About the de Beaumont Foundation

The de Beaumont Foundation is a private charitable foundation that advances policy, builds partnerships, and strengthens public health to create communities where people can achieve their best possible health. We create and invest in bold solutions to make public health work better for everyone, through four main strategies:

* **Advancing Policy:** We advance policies that improve health and create thriving communities.
* **Creating Partnerships:** We build partnerships, often among unlikely allies, to help leaders achieve their shared goal of strengthening communities and improving lives.
* **Strengthening the Public Health System:** We support the state and local government public health workforce and create practical solutions that help professionals improve their impact.
* **Improving Communication:** We empower health communicators and build support for public health through research, training, and tools.

We fervently believe that the spirit in which we do our work is as important as the work itself. We pride ourselves on excellence, innovation, fostering collaboration between groups that might not otherwise interact, and a willingness to have fun with our work.

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## Position Overview – What You’ll Do

The **Senior Research & Policy Associate** will work with the CityHealth team to increase the initiative’s impact and bring vital analytical, strategic, and operational capacity as the initiative evolves its next policy package and deepens its focus on equity and impact.

### Responsibilities and Opportunities

Your day-to-day work will include activities such as:

#### Research

* Conduct research and analysis on policy issues (federal, state, and local) directly related and tangential to the CityHealth policy package to assess and forecast challenges and opportunities.
* Analyze CityHealth’s longitudinal datasets and develop metrics and dashboards to track impact and policy trends across cities over time.
* Support the Executive Director’s evaluation of CityHealth’s influence on policy change – e.g., how its tools, partnerships, and/or technical assistance contribute to policy adoption and implementation.
* Apply and operationalize CityHealth’s equity framework to bring an equity lens to all policy research, identifying who benefits, who may be left behind, and how to design more inclusive policy criteria and implementation strategies.
* Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Program Officer – Project Leadership, assessment partners, and other key stakeholders to support the 3.0 policy criteria development and rollout.
* Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Government Affairs Director, Communications Director, and other key partners to provide data and research support for collaborations with public health departments, mayor’s offices, city councils, and advocacy groups.
* Working collaboratively with de Beaumont’s research team, help design and implement internal learning reviews and trainings – testing what works in policy adoption and dissemination.
* Use data to inform strategic planning and continuous improvement.

#### Policy Analysis

* Identify and track emerging policy trends across the 75 largest cities. Monitor federal, state, and local activity in CityHealth’s policy areas to understand implications for local policy adoption.
* Monitor current events, trends, and legislation to inform research and policy development.
* Maintain a living database of policy exemplars, implementation tools, and case studies to support policy change work.

#### Communications

* Prepare written materials, such as policy studies, reports, background briefs, talking points, and memos for internal and external audiences.
* Distill complex analyses into persuasive, equity-centered narratives that resonate with decisionmakers.
* Partner with the Communications Director to translate findings into accessible visuals, infographics, and reports.
* Coordinate with the Communications Director and assessment partners to review and verify policy assessment data for the website and annual report.

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## Qualifications – Who You Are

You will have deep research and policy analysis experience in philanthropy, public health, the non-profit sector, or the public sector. You are intellectually curious, an exceptional communicator with strong interpersonal skills, mission-driven, flexible, highly resourceful, and interested in working on issues that center equity.

### Core Competencies

* **Mission-driven:** You want to make a difference and have experience in successfully leading work that supports health equity. You are a thought leader in creating and promoting program solutions to end inequities in health and the social determinants of health.
* **Ownership:** You care deeply about doing what it takes to facilitate results, including paying attention to small details, managing your own projects, and driving work forward with a sense of urgency.
* **Team player:** You are eager to use your role to advance de Beaumont’s mission and are willing to participate in all-hands-on-deck projects. No job is too small for anyone on our team.
* **Critical thinking skills:** You know how to quickly process information and draw out key points from various publications to summarize for the leadership team.
* **Relationship management:** You have a good sense of how to manage internal and external relationships, handle confidential information, and use discretion.
* **Detail-oriented:** You pay keen attention to detail and accuracy in a fast-moving policy environment.
* **Researcher:** You enjoy conducting in-depth research, analyzing large datasets, and have experience with legal epidemiology or policy surveillance.
* **Flexibility:** You can adapt to the changing needs and priorities of cities as well as the project.

### Professional Experience & Requirements

* Bachelor’s degree is required, advanced degree preferred.
* Minimum of three years of related experience conducting research and policy analysis in a professional or academic setting (policymaking, public health, or philanthropy background).
* Experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis tools such as **Stata, R, SPSS, SAS, Python, NVivo, Atlas.ti, or MAXQDA**.
* Exceptional verbal and written skills; ability to translate complex subject matter for a general audience.
* Strong project management skills in a team-oriented environment.

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## Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time position based in downtown **Bethesda, MD**. de Beaumont follows a **hybrid work model**.

* **Salary Range:** $81,000 – $91,000.
* **Benefits:** 100% paid employee health benefits, AD&D and life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, generous paid time off, 14 weeks of paid parental leave, monthly tech stipend, and health & wellness program.

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## How to Apply

To apply, email your resume, cover letter, and one writing sample to **[email protected]** with the subject of **“Senior Research & Policy Associate”** by **February 16th, 2026**. Early submission is encouraged.

*The de Beaumont Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.*