Policy Advisor

Reports to: Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff / Policy

Status: Full-time, unclassified, at-will City of San Diego position

Location: City Administration Building

The Policy Advisor researches, develops, and tracks policy for the office, using quality improvement methods to make sure City services actually work for District 4 residents. This person finds where systems break down, measures the problem, tests fixes and holds the City accountable for results.

The role brings a continuous improvement mindset to the government: define the problem with data, find the root cause, try solutions, measure what changed and adjust.

Key Responsibilities

    • Research assigned issue areas, such as housing, infrastructure, public safety, homelessness, parks, and public health and wrote clear policy memos with recommendations.

    • Draft proposals, Council memos, and budget requests under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Staff/Policy

    • Analyze Council and committee items and prepare briefing materials for the Councilmember 

    • Review best practices from other cities and adapt what works for District 4.

    • Use quality improvement methods, such as PDSA cycles, root cause analysis and process mapping, to diagnose problems in City services

    • Build and maintain a dashboard that tracks District 4 service outcomes, such as Get It Done response times, street repair, park conditions, and illegal dumping.

    • Set baselines and measurable targets for office initiatives, and report progress to the councilmember, staff, and residents.

    • Partner with City departments to test service improvements in District 4 and measure their results.

    • Review constituent casework to spot patterns and repeat problems that point to broken systems.

    • Turn those patterns into fixes: process changes with departments, budget requests, or policy issues.

    • Support the Director of Communications and Cultural Affairs with facts, data, and plain language explanation for rollouts.

Qualifications

Required:

  • Experience in City of San Diego departments, services and the Council legislative process.

  • Strong data skills, including building spreadsheets and dashboards and turning data into clear findings. 

  • Excellent research and writing skills, with the ability to explain complex issues in plain language. 

  • Ability to manage several projects, follow through and meet deadlines. 

  • Degree in public policy, public administration, urban planning or a related field.

  • Quality improvement experience in government

Preferred:

  • Quality Improvement certification.

Working Conditions, Compensation, and How to Apply

Working Conditions: This role is M-F with some evenings and weekends. It requires travel throughout District 4. 

Compensation: $90,000-$120,000, plus City of San Diego benefits.

How to Apply: Click the link below to send a resume and cover letter and three professional references. 

Apply Here