POLICY ANALYST - The Center for Financial Services Innovation

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) is the nation's leading authority on financial services for underbanked consumers. Since 2004, its programs have focused on informing, connecting and investing - gathering enhanced intelligence, brokering and supporting productive industry relationships and fostering best-in-class products and strategies. CFSI works with leaders and innovators in the business, government and non-profit sectors to transform the financial services landscape. CFSI is a non-profit affiliate of ShoreBank Corporation, America's first and leading community development and environmental banking corporation. For more on CFSI, go to www.cfsinnovation.com. For more on ShoreBank, go to http://www.shorebankcorp.com/.


CFSI has embarked on a new policy initiative to advance federal financial services policy to spur product innovation and market competition, address impediments to access to high-quality, reasonably-priced financial services, and educate policymakers about low income consumers' financial services needs. Specific policy activities will include ensuring that the needs of the 40 million underbanked households in the U.S. are addressed in the current financial reregulation debate; educating policymakers about underbanked consumers and the industry that serves them; and developing and informing policies to improve underbanked consumers' access to and use of reasonably priced financial services. Areas of focus will include the regulatory environment for nonbank financial firms; short-term credit policies; and transaction and savings products.

The policy analyst is responsible for working with the Policy Director in the Washington, D.C. office to develop and implement the policy agenda. The policy analyst's primary responsibility will be to conduct research and analysis of public policies and financial services industry practices; write briefs and background papers on pertinent policy and industry topics; and create other materials, including presentations and one pagers as needed to develop and advance the policy agenda. A significant portion of this position will entail engagement with key stakeholders, including policy offices, the financial services industry, nonprofits, and others. The analyst will also have responsibility for leading the execution of at least two policy events in 2010.

Major responsibilities include:

1. Research and write on a variety of financial services policy issues.

2. Managing projects on discrete policy topics, which will typically include analysis of the topic, assessment of current policies related to the topic, and engagement of stakeholders to develop policy concepts.

3. Create effective presentations and content to share these analyses with policymakers, national partners, financial services industry and others.

4. Lead the development and execution of two public events, with engagement of the CFSI Communications team.

5. Keep current on financial services policy developments and industry practices.

6. Serve as a resource to external stakeholders, providing advice and information to both for-profits and nonprofits; interface with industry experts and leaders on policy developments and ensure that pertinent information is disseminated to CFSI staff.

7. Work collaboratively with other members of the CFSI team.

Qualifications & Characteristics

1. Three to five years of experience in public policy, preferably with a focus on financial services policy. Policy/regulatory expertise and/or a financial services background a plus.

2. The ability to balance longer-term policy projects with short-term policy analysis and research needs, as policy developments occur and require quick and adept analysis and response.

3. Excellent writing and oral communications skills.

4. Strong organizational skills.

5. Ability to work independently but also to be comfortable in a highly collaborative environment.

6. Ability to synthesize data to advance policy objectives. Quantitative and qualitative research skills and an ability to use statistical software packages a plus.

7. Financial services industry knowledge strongly preferred.

8. Strong desire to be engaged in federal policy work.

9. Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred.

This is a full time position, based in Washington, D.C. It provides a competitive salary and benefits package.


Please submit cover letter and resume, with a writing sample, to resumes@cfsinnovation.com. Please include "policy analyst" in the subject line.