Policy Analyst

Location: Columbus, Ohio

% of Travel: 10-15%

Organization: The Ohio Children’s Alliance

Position Type: Full-Time, Hybrid—Staff residing within the state of Ohio will be expected to attend meetings and events as required by their position or requested by their supervisor. These meetings may be held anywhere in Ohio, typically in Columbus.

Compensation: $48,000, negotiable, commensurate with experience. Generous paid time off, health/dental/vision/life insurance coverage, 401(k) retirement benefit, professional development opportunities, public service student loan forgiveness options.

Through its mission, the Ohio Children’s Alliance fosters a brighter future for Ohio’s children and families through advocacy, innovation, and collaboration with health and human services organizations. Collaborate and advocate with great people! We are a team of talented and diverse people, who are passionate about building innovative solutions to challenges facing kids and families. With community agencies as our partners, we are empowering families to raise Ohio’s next generation of leaders.

Join us!

We are seeking a collaborative, detail-oriented, and mission-driven individual to serve as Policy Analyst (Child Welfare & Behavioral Health). Reporting to the Chief Advocacy Officer, this role is ideal for someone with a background in child welfare, behavioral health, or related policy areas who is passionate about supporting Ohio’s children and families through research, monitoring, and communication. The Policy Analyst will play a key role in helping our organization remain a trusted leader in child welfare and children’s behavioral health.

This position focuses on keeping our membership informed and engaged on critical issues, providing technical assistance, and supporting internal teams. While the analyst will not set advocacy priorities, their work is essential to shaping conversations and supporting decision‑making across the policy team. The role is primarily internal‑facing, collaborating closely with policy, marketing and communications, membership, and data teams to deliver timely updates and actionable insights.

This position does not require lobbyist registration with the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (JLEC).

• Policy Monitoring & Research:
  Track and analyze legislation, administrative rules, and regulatory changes impacting child welfare and behavioral health, guided by the policy team's priorities. Prepare clear summaries and detailed reports that inform strategy and empower members. Identify emerging trends and provide context to support organizational decisions.
• Advocacy Support:
  Contribute research and context for legislative sessions and stakeholder meetings. Support internal strategy discussions with analysis and recommendations.
• Membership Support:
  Respond to member inquiries and provide technical assistance on complex state regulatory or policy issues. Help members navigate policy‑related concerns with clear, practical guidance. Collaborate with the membership team to ensure member needs are documented and addressed.
• Information Management & CRM:
  Prepare accessible policy briefs and issue summaries for members. Assist in implementing and using the new CRM system to track member policy needs, concerns, and demographics. Use CRM insights to identify trends and inform policy team priorities.
• Committee Support:
  Provide research and background materials for member committees. Assist in drafting talking points, position statements, and resource documents.
• Cross‑Team
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Work with marketing and communications to ensure accurate dissemination of policy updates. Partner with membership team to strengthen engagement and responsiveness. Collaborate with the data team to integrate data‑driven analysis into policy work.

• Experience (work or academic) in child welfare, behavioral health, or related policy areas.
• Experience in state government is a plus but not required.
• Strong research and analytical skills; ability to synthesize complex information into actionable insights.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with…