Policy Advisor

*This position is a one-year appointment*

The Planning Advisory Council (PAC) was created by Mayor Michelle Wu in January 2023 to guide a shared vision for a greener, growing, and more family-friendly Boston. Chaired by the Chief of Planning, the Council functions as the City’s “built environment Cabinet”, bringing together Cabinet Chiefs from departments like Housing, Streets, Arts & Culture, Climate, Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Operations, Equity and Inclusion, Finance, and more to coordinate major planning and investment decisions across the city.

PAC staff form a small, cross-functional division, situated within the City’s Planning Department, that helps Boston move its priorities forward – connecting departments, supporting shared initiatives, and shaping policies and programs that affect how people live, work, and move around Boston.

• Serve as a ‘policy entrepreneur’ helping to develop, drive, or guide new initiatives that have emerged as priorities in citywide plans, where a dedicated set of hands is key to building momentum and coordinating across Cabinets. Projects may be aligned with the City’s recently approved comprehensive neighborhood plans, Boston’s first Anti-Displacement Action Plan, the Franklin Park Action Plan, the Community Safety/Plan to End Violence, or other key planning initiatives.
• Build relationships with staff across departments like Housing, Planning, Streets, Small Business, Arts & Culture, Climate, and Economic Opportunity & Inclusion.
• Help coordinate workshops, events, or other engagement opportunities with City staff, community partners, and residents. One key priority will be convening quarterly sessions with a newly formed cross-departmental Anti-Displacement Working Group to ensure alignment throughout plan implementation.
• Develop public-facing materials that help to improve constituent access to and understanding of city initiatives.
• Ensure the PAC’s work draws from internal expertise, community input, and best practices from other cities.
• Help shape the direction of the PAC’s work by participating in internal strategy and reflection.
• Pitch in as needed – this is a nimble team responsive to City and community priorities.

• Three or more years of experience in relevant fields, such as housing, health, climate, transportation, economic development, planning, policy, or other areas that afford an understanding of the built environment.
• Master’s degree in a relevant field required.
• Excellent communication skills, including experience authoring public-facing reports or other public materials, and an ability to distill complex information into easy-to-understand terms.
• Community engagement experience preferred, but not required, with attention to inclusive engagement practices.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Human-centered, respectful of expertise in all its forms, and adept at building and maintaining strong relationships at all levels within large organizations.
• Detail-oriented doer - highly organized, self-directed, and focused on outputs and outcomes.
• Nimble and adaptive.