Who We Are 

CityHealth is an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. Our mission is to advance a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities. CityHealth advances a package of evidence-based, health promoting policies and regularly evaluates cities on the number and strength of their policies. We currently work in the nation’s 75 largest cities. As part of our effort to advance specific policy issues across these cities, we believe strongly in building partnerships with city leaders, city staff, stakeholders, and advocacy organizations to help drive policy change and advance common goals. The work is aspirational and rigorous given the breadth of issues and areas we work on, and combines government relations, technical assistance, and advocacy to accelerate policy change across the country. We are a small, highly driven team and value excellence, pushing boundaries, balance, strong communication, and a sense of humor. We are deeply committed to equity and believe strongly that local policy solutions have the potential to improve the lives of millions of Americans.

CityHealth is housed within the de Beaumont Foundation, and the CityHealth Executive Director has primary oversight of the project’s activities. The person hired for this position will be an employee of the de Beaumont Foundation and will report to the Executive Director.

The de Beaumont Foundation is a private charitable foundation that advances policy, builds partnerships, and strengthens public health to create communities where people can achieve their best possible health. We create and invest in bold solutions to make public health work better for everyone, through four main strategies:

  • Advancing Policy: We advance policies that improve health and create thriving communities.
  • Creating Partnerships: We build partnerships, often among unlikely allies, to help leaders achieve their shared goal of strengthening communities and improving lives.
  • Strengthening the Public Health System: We support the state and local government public health workforce and create practical solutions that help professionals improve their impact.
  • Improving Communication: We empower health communicators and build support for public health through research, training, and tools.

We fervently believe that the spirit in which we do our work is as important as the work itself. We pride ourselves on excellence, innovation, fostering collaboration between groups that might not otherwise interact, and a willingness to have fun with our work.

Position Overview – What You’ll Do 

The Senior Research & Policy Associate will work with the CityHealth team to increase the initiative’s impact and bring vital analytical, strategic, and operational capacity as the initiative evolves its next policy package and deepens its focus on equity and impact. The role will report to CityHealth’s Executive Director.

Responsibilities and Opportunities

Your day-to-day work will include activities such as:  

Research

  • Conduct research and analysis on policy issues (federal, state, and local) directly related and tangential to the CityHealth policy package to assess and forecast challenges and opportunities.
  • Analyze CityHealth’s longitudinal datasets and develop metrics and dashboards to track impact and policy trends across cities over time.
  • Support the Executive Director’s evaluation of CityHealth’s influence on policy change – e.g., how its tools, partnerships, and/or technical assistance contribute to policy adoption and implementation.
  • Apply and operationalize CityHealth’s equity framework to bring an equity lens to all policy research, identifying who benefits, who may be left behind, and how to design more inclusive policy criteria and implementation strategies.
  • Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Program Officer – Project Leadership, assessment partners, and other key stakeholders to support the 3.0 policy criteria development and rollout.
  • Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Government Affairs Director, Communications Director, and other key partners to provide data and research support for collaborations with public health departments, mayor’s offices, city councils, and advocacy groups.
  • Working collaboratively with de Beaumont’s research team, help design and implement internal learning reviews and trainings – testing what works in policy adoption and dissemination.
  • Use data to inform strategic planning and continuous improvement.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Policy Analysis

  • Identify and track emerging policy trends across the 75 largest cities. Monitor federal, state, and local activity in CityHealth’s policy areas to understand implications for local policy adoption.
  • Monitor current events, trends, and legislation to inform research and policy development.
  • Maintain a living database of policy exemplars, implementation tools, and case studies to support policy change work.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Communications

  • Prepare written materials, such as policy studies, reports, background briefs, talking points, and memos for internal and external audiences.
  • Distill complex analyses into persuasive, equity-centered narratives that resonate with decisionmakers.
  • Partner with the Communications Director to translate findings into accessible visuals, infographics, and reports. Coordinate with the Communications Director and assessment partners to review and verify policy assessment data for the website and annual report.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications – Who You Are 

You will have deep research and policy analysis experience in philanthropy, public health, the non-profit sector, or the public sector. You are intellectually curious, an exceptional communicator with strong interpersonal skills, mission-driven, flexible, highly resourceful, and interested in working on issues that center equity. You can think and work independently, while also collaborating as part of a team. You are committed to seeing the work through, even if that may mean working outside of routine business hours. The strongest candidate will also have public policy, political science, public administration, economics, public health, and/or city-specific knowledge.

To be successful in this job, you excel in these areas:

  • Mission-driven: You want to make a difference and have experience in successfully leading work that supports health equity. You are a thought leader in creating and promoting program solutions, including but not limited to those centered on communications, to end inequities in health and the social determinants of health. You believe in CityHealth’s mission, and you have experience in advocacy-related, or cause-driven policy efforts and communications.
  • Ownership: You care deeply about doing what it takes to facilitate results, including paying attention to even small details, managing your own projects (or pieces of bigger ones), driving work forward with a sense of urgency, anticipating problems, and course-correcting when needed
  • Team player: You are eager to use your role to advance de Beaumont’s mission, and look for ways to help beyond your own core responsibilities. You are ready and willing to participate in all-hands-on-deck projects, which frequently come up. No job is too small for anyone on our team and your attitude reflects that.
  • Critical thinking skills: You know how to quickly process information and draw out the key points of various publications/documents to summarize and share with the leadership team on a host of public health related issues.
  • Relationship management: You have a good sense of how to manage internal relationships (i.e. with senior leadership, colleagues, and direct reports) and grow external ones. You know how to handle confidential information, use discretion around what information you share both internally and externally, and routinely apply good judgment as to when to involve others in decision-making.
  • Detail-oriented: You pay keen attention to detail and accuracy in a fast-moving policy environment with national reach.
  • Passion: You are deeply committed to public health, improving health equity, reducing disparities, and supporting the mission and work of the de Beaumont Foundation.
  • Researcher: You are strategic and enjoy conducting in-depth research, analyzing large datasets, and using critical thinking to solve problems and think strategically about opportunities and impact. You have considerable experience working with legal epidemiology/policy surveillance and/or academics and other researchers to identify research methods and variables, analyze and synthesize complex data to appeal to diverse audiences, and maintain data integrity.
  • Resourceful: You can manage skillfully and quickly new or challenging situations, prioritizing conflicting needs and following through on projects to successful completion while meeting deadlines.
  • Entrepreneurial: You anticipate challenges and opportunities and raise them proactively to optimize outcomes. You take initiative and run with new ideas.
  • Flexibility: You can adapt to the changing needs and priorities of cities as well as the project.
  • Policy analysis: You can skillfully monitor and analyze legislative text and policy trends locally and at the state and federal levels that may impact CityHealth’s work.

The ideal candidate will possess the attributes above and many of the following professional abilities and experiences.   

  • Bachelor’s degree is required, advanced degree preferred.
  • Minimum of three years of related experience conducting research and policy analysis in a professional or academic setting with a background in policymaking, public health, or philanthropy. An understanding of municipal policymaking is strongly preferred.
  • Experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis and research tools such as Stata, R, SPSS, SAS, Python, NVivo, Atlas.ti, MAXQDA or other platforms/software.
  • Exceptional verbal and written skills. Ability to translate complex subject matter for a general audience.
  • Ability to build and maintain relationships with the team and strategic partners.
  • Strong work ethic and desire to produce an excellent product.
  • Possess strong analytical and research skills with proficiency in quantitative and/or qualitative methodology.
  • Strong project management skills in a team-oriented environment.
  • Commitment to advancing health equity and strong public policy.

Compensation and Benefits 

This is a full-time position based in downtown Bethesda, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. de Beaumont follows a hybrid work model, with employees working in the office on some days and from home on others; individual schedules are confirmed with direct supervisors.  All employees are required to attend (at a minimum) in-person bi-monthly team meetings, as well as annual weeklong all-staff meetings at the Bethesda office.

The compensation offered for this role is competitive and is commensurate with the candidate’s experience. The salary range for this position is $81,000 – $91,000. In addition to competitive compensation, the Foundation provides outstanding benefits that include 100% paid employee health benefits, AD&D and life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, generous paid time off, 14 weeks of paid parental leave, monthly tech stipend, and health & wellness program. The Foundation fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment and has been designated a “Great Place to Work”.

How to Apply

To apply, email your resume, cover letter, and one writing sample to [email protected] with the subject of “Senior Research & Policy Associate” by February 16th, 2026. Early submission is encouraged as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until February 16th, 2026. 

The de Beaumont Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.