Public Policy Manager
Posted: January 5, 2021

The National Consumers League (NCL), America’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, is seeking a public policy manager to manage a broad and busy portfolio of consumer protection advocacy priorities. Reporting to NCL’s Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud, the ideal candidate will have a passion for promoting the public interest, a strong desire to advocate on a diverse array of public policy issues, and a strong background in research and writing for both external and internal audiences.

The successful candidate will begin working remotely but will be expected to transition to working in NCL’s Washington, DC offices, likely in the second half of 2021.

Key responsibilities

• Developing and maintaining strong and collaborative relationships with key policymakers in Congress and state legislatures as well as federal Executive Branch agencies;
• Leading departmental advocacy efforts across a diverse portfolio of pressing consumer protection advocacy issues including (but not limited to) automatic renewal clauses, live event ticketing, financial services, insurance, debt collection, pyramid schemes, airlines, telecommunications, privacy and data security;
• Researching, writing, and editing impactful twice-monthly email newsletters, a monthly fraud alert, twice-monthly blog postings, periodic white papers, op-eds, fact sheets, press releases, Congressional and agency letters, and formal comments to federal and state agencies;
• Manage NCL’s Alliance Against Fraud coalition, including organizing quarterly meetings;
• Assisting the Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud in managing the work of interns and public policy fellows;

Qualifications

• A demonstrated passion and commitment to public interest advocacy;
• BA/BS in political science, journalism, communications, international studies or related fields;
• 3-5 years of experience in public policy advocacy settings, particularly on the Hill, at a federal agency, think tank, or progressive public interest organizations;
• Excellent research and writing skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to coordinate successfully with internal and external partners;
• Proficiency in public speaking;
• Excellent organizational abilities, strong attention to detail, and the ability to juggle multiple advocacy portfolios;
• Experience managing or working with internal and external teams;
• Ability to excel at working independently, a self-starter;

Preferred but not required:

• Experience speaking on and off the record to the media;
• Experience advocating on behalf of the public interest before Congress or the Administration;

Salary & benefits

Salary based on experience and education, competitive with other nonprofit public interest organizations. Excellent benefits, including health, dental, short and long-term disability, life insurance, 401(k), employer transportation contributions, annual and sick leave, and federal holidays. NCL is an equal opportunity employer.

To apply

Please submit cover letter, résumé, and at least two writing samples to ncljobs@nclnet.org and reference “Public Policy Manager” in the subject line. If selected for hire, candidates must agree to undergo a background check.

• Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud Intern (2020)
• Child Labor Policy Intern (2020)
• Communications Intern (2020)
• LifeSmarts Intern (2020)
• Health Policy Intern (2020)

The National Consumers League seeks a motivated intern who wants to work with a nonprofit advocacy group. The League is a national membership organization that protects and promotes social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad on issues including telemarketing and Internet fraud, food and drug safety, and fair labor standards. The intern will assist NCL staff with ongoing projects and research related to its public policy, telecommunications and anti-fraud campaigns.  Such projects include researching and drafting content for NCL’s campaign websites, drafting fraud and telecommunications-related content for NCL’s LifeSmarts competition, assisting in organizing a national anti-fraud conference, and helping to coordinate meetings of the Alliance Against Fraud (AAF), a national coalition of non-profit, government, and private sector organizations dedicated to fighting Internet and telemarketing fraud.This internship will provide an opportunity to:

• Gain knowledge about a variety of public policies affecting consumers, particularly regarding consumer fraud;
• Become familiar with the agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders active in combating consumer fraud;
• Understand coordination and management of a national coalition; and
• Be involved in initiatives that advance the public interest and help keep millions of consumers safe from scams and con artists.

In addition, a National Consumers League public policy, telecommunications and fraud internship provides the following areas of experience:

• Because the League’s staff is small, interns are an integral part, and are given responsibilities outside of their research duties, including:  keeping project files up-to-date and providing limited office support (occasional data input, mailing, and filing).
• The League requires from its staff and its interns a high level of oral and written communication skills. Interns are frequently called upon to write brief reports for NCL staff to provide background information on various issues.

Internships are unpaid. We ask that interns make a minimum time commitment of eight weeks, spending at least 20 hours per week working at the League. Of course, we welcome longer time commitments. Work hours per week are flexible for longer-term assignments. Our goal is to tailor your internship to suit your specific needs. The League is happy to consider the particular interests of applicants and will develop specific projects, complete paperwork, etc., as needed for class credit.

Please submit cover letter, résumé, and writing sample to Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud Intern, NCL, 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006, fax: 202-835-0747, email: ncljobs@nclnet.org.

The National Consumers League (NCL) seeks a motivated intern who wants to work with the Child Labor Coalition (CLC), a 31-member group that serves as a national network for the exchange of information about child labor; provides a forum and a unified voice on protecting working minors and ending child labor exploitation; and develops informational and educational outreach to the public and private sectors to combat child labor abuses and promote progressive initiatives and legislation. The CLC has both a U.S. and international focus.

The intern will assist with ongoing CLC projects and research related to our work. The CLC’s domestic agenda includes several related initiatives to strengthening protections for working youth, with specific focus on children working as migrant and seasonal farmworkers, child trafficking for sex work and forced labor, and children in other worst forms of child labor.

This internship will provide an opportunity to:

• Gain knowledge about child labor issues, both international and domestic;
• Become familiar with various non-governmental groups and relevant government agencies, and their role in addressing child labor issues;
• Attend congressional hearings and briefings and work with congressional offices;
• Practice social media skills;
• Write for the public;
• Understand coordination and management of a national coalition; and
• Be involved in international campaigns on child labor and basic education for all children.

In order to succeed in this internship, interns should possess superior skills in the following areas:

• Communication skills. Interns must possess high level oral and written communication skills. Interns will be asked to write blogs and articles.
• Research skills. Interns are frequently called upon to write brief reports for NCL staff to provide background information on various issues. We are also in constant need of web site updates and basic statistical “facts about” lists.

A typical day might include attending a meeting with other NGO groups, writing a blog, conducting internet research, working to expand our social media outreach, and providing web site updates.

Internships are unpaid. We ask that interns make a minimum time commitment of eight weeks, spending at least 20 hours per week working at the League. Of course, we welcome longer time commitments. Work hours per week are flexible for longer-term assignments. Our goal is to tailor your internship to suit your specific needs. The League is happy to consider the particular interests of applicants and will develop specific projects, complete paperwork, etc., as needed for class credit.

NCL is a national membership organization that protects and promotes social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad on issues including telemarketing and Internet fraud, food and drug safety, and fair labor standards.

Please submit your cover letter, résumé, and writing sample to Child Labor Policy Intern, NCL, 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006 or via email: reidm@nclnet.org.

The National Consumers League seeks a motivated intern who wants to work with a nonprofit advocacy group. The League is a national membership organization that protects and promotes social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad on issues including telemarketing and Internet fraud, food and drug safety, and fair labor standards.

The communications department of the NCL is looking for an intern with good communications and marketing skills. The intern’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Marketing NCL publications and promoting NCL’s consumer education materials. This will include calling former buyers, finding prospective buyers, and publicizing publications in the media.
• Press Releases Drafting press releases to help promote publications, and possibly, for other NCL events.
• Communications Materials Writing and gathering information for an NCL press packet.
• Press Files Maintaining clips and releases.
• Press Outreach Checking existing lists for accuracy by calling reporters.
• General Outreach Conducting outreach with members and answering general consumer questions.

Internships are unpaid. We ask that interns make a minimum time commitment of eight weeks, spending at least 20 hours per week working at the League. Of course, we welcome longer time commitments. Work hours per week are flexible for longer-term assignments. Our goal is to tailor your internship to suit your specific needs. The League is happy to consider the particular interests of applicants and will develop specific projects, complete paperwork, etc., as needed for class credit.

Please submit cover letter, résumé, and writing sample to Communications Intern, NCL, 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006, fax: 202-835-0747, email: ncljobs@nclnet.org.

The National Consumers League seeks a motivated summer intern to support the LifeSmarts program. The intern will assist NCL staff with ongoing projects and research in support of LifeSmarts. This internship will provide an opportunity to:

• Develop LifeSmarts materials such as study aids to be posted at www.lifesmarts.org.
• Write questions for the LifeSmarts online quiz and live competitions.
• Work on special projects such as LifeSmarts program outreach, recruitment of state coordinators, and assessment of the program.
• Work with NCL’s other summer interns to prepare for the upcoming LifeSmarts program year.