Volunteer Director of Policy

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Position: Volunteer Director of Policy, Mentor A Promise
Location: New York, NY (hybrid/remote)
Time Commitment: 10-15 hours per week
Duration: 12 months (with option to renew)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise partners with students experiencing housing instability to provide mentorship, academic support, and social-emotional learning. We cultivate resilience, build community, and advocate for policy solutions that dismantle barriers to opportunity.

Role Overview

As our Volunteer Director of Policy, you will set strategic direction for the Policy Team, translate lived experience into a bold policy agenda, and lead advocacy initiatives that drive systemic change in education, housing, and social services. You’ll oversee research projects, manage volunteer analysts, and amplify students’ and mentors’ voices at the highest levels of government and coalition tables.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership

  • Lead development of an annual policy strategy aligned with Mentor A Promise’s mission and goals.

  • Set priorities for research, advocacy campaigns, and stakeholder engagement.

• Team Management & Capacity Building

  • Recruit, onboard, and mentor a team of volunteer Policy Analysts and interns.

  • Provide regular coaching, set deliverables, and ensure high-quality outputs.

• Research Oversight & Product Development

  • Guide the creation of rigorous policy briefs, white papers, and legislative testimony.

  • Review and sign off on key deliverables, ensuring accuracy and impact.

• Advocacy & External Relations

  • Serve as primary liaison to policymakers, coalition partners, and media on policy issues.

  • Represent Mentor A Promise at advocacy events, working groups, and legislative hearings.

• Stakeholder Engagement

  • Facilitate focus groups and convenings with students, families, mentors, and program staff.

  • Ensure that policy recommendations are grounded in lived experience.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with Communications on messaging, op-eds, and social-media advocacy.

  • Advise Development on grant proposals and reports requiring policy expertise.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 years of policy or advocacy leadership experience, ideally in education, housing, or social services.

• Demonstrated success in developing and executing policy strategies that influenced legislation or funding priorities.

• Strong track record of managing and motivating volunteers or staff in a nonprofit setting.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to diverse audiences.

• Deep commitment to equity and centering the voices of people with lived experience of homelessness.

• Flexible, resourceful, and able to commit 10-15 hours per week for at least one year.

What You’ll Gain

• Direct leadership experience shaping a growing nonprofit’s policy agenda.

• Mentorship from our Executive Team and access to our network of partners.

• Visibility and thought-leadership opportunities (bylined articles, speaking engagements).

• A formal letter of recommendation or certification of volunteer service upon completion.

How to Apply

Please send your résumé and a brief (2-3 page) policy portfolio or writing samples to beranobel@mentorapromise.org with the subject line "Volunteer Director of Policy - [Your Name]". Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; we encourage early submissions.