Policy Advisor

Overview

Salary: $70-125K, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Comprehensive benefits package including pension, medical, dental, prescription, FSA, life insurance, and more.

Deadline: Resumes should be submitted no later than August 15, 2026

About the Role

The Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) is actively recruiting for a Policy Advisor, a critical role on the City’s housing and economic development team. The JCRA is an autonomous agency of Jersey City, and is the primary vehicle through which the City executes significant and complex housing and redevelopment projects in one of the most active development markets in the New York metropolitan region.

The JCRA manages a large portfolio of redevelopment projects in designated redevelopment areas within the City, negotiates redevelopment agreements and redevelopment project agreements, and has the responsibility to ensure that stakeholders deliver on the community benefits promised in these agreements. The Agency is at the center of Jersey City’s most consequential projects — including Bayfront, Canal Crossing, and Holland Gardens — and is a critical partner in advancing the Mayor’s affordable housing agenda and vision for inclusive economic growth.

The newly elected administration of Mayor James Solomon has set out one of the most ambitious housing and economic development agendas in the state — including a strengthened inclusionary zoning framework, a major affordable housing land acquisition and parcel assembly initiative, PILOT and tax policy reform, and the continued execution of large-scale redevelopment projects across the city. The next several years will define how that agenda is built and delivered.

The Policy Advisor will have a critical and intensive role in helping to define that agenda, and move it from ideas to execution. Working closely with the JCRA Executive Director, the Deputy Mayor for Housing & Economic Development, and the Director of the City’s Housing Department, the Policy Advisor will support the policy initiatives, redevelopment projects, and strategic decision-making needed to advance Mayor Solomon’s affordability priorities.

What We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate will have exceptional analytical and writing skills with strong attention to detail, be highly organized, and be motivated by the mission of furthering a progressive and rigorous housing policy for the City. This is a high-exposure, fast-paced role that blends project management, policy analysis, and strategic support. The Policy Advisor will need to be comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders to advance this agenda, including City officials, external advocacy groups, businesses and developers, and members of the public.

The Policy Advisor will be responsible for keeping a wide array of redevelopment projects and policy workstreams on track, researching and drafting policy analysis and legislation, liaising on behalf of City leadership with internal and external stakeholders including the City Council and business community, and preparing briefing materials, talking points, and meeting agendas for senior Agency and City leadership.

We are open to a wide range of candidates with different backgrounds, with precise title and compensation set depending on experience and qualifications.

Key Responsibilities

Project & Initiative Management

• Track and help drive progress across the JCRA’s portfolio of redevelopment projects and the policy initiatives it shares with HEDC, ensuring deadlines, deliverables, and interagency dependencies stay on schedule.

• Coordinate across the JCRA, HEDC, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, Corporation Counsel, Planning, and outside partners to move complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams forward.

• Build and maintain trackers, project plans, and status reporting; flag risks early and propose solutions.

Policy Analysis & Advising

• Research and draft clear, well-reasoned policy memoranda on housing, redevelopment, and economic development questions — including memos and briefing materials prepared for the Mayor and senior leadership.

• Conduct deep dives into specific policy issues, synthesizing law, data, best practices from peer cities, and stakeholder input into actionable recommendations.

• Help translate policy goals into concrete implementation steps the Agency and its City partners can execute.

Strategic & Executive Support

• Prepare speeches, talking points, remarks, presentations, and correspondence for senior Agency and City leadership across housing and economic development matters.

• Build meeting agendas, briefing books, and read-aheads; staff key meetings, capture decisions and follow-ups, and drive them to completion.

• Liaise with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental actors on behalf of the Agency and the City.

• Serve as a reliable, discreet, and proactive right hand on a wide range of time-sensitive priorities as they arise.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone intelligent, resourceful, and genuinely excited about housing and economic development policy. Specific requirements include:

• Education: A bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced degree — J.D., MPP, MPA, MUP, MCRP, or similar — is welcome but not required, and recent graduates are encouraged to apply.

• Writing: Exceptional written communication skills.

• Analysis: Strong analytical and research skills, with the judgment to distill complex issues into clear recommendations.

• Project management: Highly organized and able to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines at once without dropping details.

• Temperament: Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-stakes political and governmental environment; adaptable, low-ego, and discreet with sensitive information.

• Drive: A self-starter who takes ownership, anticipates needs, and follows through.

Preferred Experience

The following are valued but not required:

• Familiarity with New Jersey housing, land use, or redevelopment policy, or with urban policy more broadly.

• Prior experience in government, a policy organization, a campaign, a legislative office, or a mission-driven housing or economic development organization.

• Coursework or experience in public policy, urban planning, law, real estate, or economics.

• Comfort working with data and translating it into clear narrative and visuals.

Compensation & Level

The salary range for this position is $70,000 to $125,000, commensurate with experience. The JCRA offers a competitive benefits package