What does a policy officer do?
Policy officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real policy officer resumes:
- Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
- Ensure compliance with applicable U.S. Army, DOD, and NSA security policies and directives.
- Coordinate DoD NBC defense actions, initiatives and issues within the U.S. government interagency community.
- Direct operational and administrative improvement initiatives to build a high-performing infrastructure and deliver the highest quality of care to patients.
- Lead a restructuring of the office which encourage greater collaboration between subunits and eliminate redundancies.
Policy officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Policy Officers are proficient in Policy Issues, DOD, and Government Officials. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Management skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Policy Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Policy Issues, 15%
Research for key policy issues using a variety of sources.
- DOD, 15%
Served on the DOD panel chartered to enhance Pentagon antiterrorism force protection measures against terrorist NBC attacks.
- Government Officials, 12%
Drafted correspondence to public and reports to high level Government officials.
- Technical Assistance, 11%
Provided technical assistance to contractors as needed to promote program responsiveness and quality.
- Strategic Direction, 9%
Partner with Senior Leadership to define, implement and communicate strategic direction and initiatives for the organization.
- Policy Changes, 6%
Reviewed fiscal and taxation policies, developed macroeconomic models to test new policy proposals, draft and defended policy changes.
Most policy officers use their skills in "policy issues," "dod," and "government officials" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential policy officer responsibilities here:
Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a policy officer to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Policy officers often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "advised leadership on technical matters relating to dod computer network operations. "
Time-management skills. policy officers are also known for time-management skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to policy officer responsibilities, because "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." A policy officer resume example shows how time-management skills is used in the workplace: "perform duties as ooa cell team chief, supervising 6 logistics analysts, managing and planning workload to meet deliverable deadlines. "
Communication skills. A big part of what policy officers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to policy officer responsibilities because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical policy officer tasks: "developed policy advice and communications on road, freight and transport related issues. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in policy officer job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what policy officers do. Policy officer responsibilities rely on this skill because "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." You can also see how policy officer duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "influenced executive leadership decision making on security plans and actions supporting un security council resolutions (e.g. "
The three companies that hire the most policy officers are:
- Citi4 policy officers jobs
- Morgan Stanley4 policy officers jobs
- ManTech2 policy officers jobs
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Compare different policy officers
Policy officer vs. Executive director
Executive directors are top management employees who usually function as a chief executive officer. This role is usually seen in non-profit organizations. Executive directors provide strategic direction to the organization, and they ensure that the organization's goals are actualized. They provide guidance to the employees and ensure that the employees have the organization's advocacies at the center of every project or program. They oversee the policies of the organization and create strategies that will bring the organization's programs forward. Executive directors are also responsible for making crucial decisions for the betterment of the organization.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a policy officer are more likely to require skills like "policy issues," "dod," "government officials," and "policy changes." On the other hand, a job as an executive director requires skills like "oversight," "patients," "customer service," and "financial management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Executive directors earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $153,889. On the other hand, policy officers are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $83,555.The education levels that executive directors earn slightly differ from policy officers. In particular, executive directors are 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a policy officer. Additionally, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Policy officer vs. Chief deputy
An Executive's responsibilities vary depending on an organization or company. However, most of the time, it involves a great deal of leadership and communication. An Executive must oversee and direct employees towards particular sets of goals and vision, create strategies and plans that will benefit the company's financial gains and workforce, and as well as evaluate and analyze the progress of various company departments. Moreover, an Executive holds the power of decision-making, such as in the aspects of budget, promotions, and policies.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that policy officer responsibilities requires skills like "policy issues," "government officials," "strategic direction," and "policy changes." But a chief deputy might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "oversight," "policy development," "human resources," and "financial reports."
Chief deputies may earn a higher salary than policy officers, but chief deputies earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $151,936. On the other hand, policy officers receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $83,555.In general, chief deputies achieve lower levels of education than policy officers. They're 5.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Policy officer vs. Executive
A Co-Founder is an essential member of a company as they complement the skills, vision, and mission of the Founder. Most of the time, the tasks of a Co-Founder revolve around the financial planning and developing strategies that would be beneficial for the company's financial gain and workforce. Furthermore, a Co-Founder must coordinate with the Founder and other staff and departments to remain aware of the progress or issues, should there be any, to provide timely resolutions.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from policy officer resumes include skills like "policy issues," "dod," "government officials," and "technical assistance," whereas an executive is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "digital transformation," "healthcare," and "customer satisfaction. "
Executives typically earn lower educational levels compared to policy officers. Specifically, they're 11.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Policy officer vs. Co-founder
Types of policy officer
Updated January 8, 2025
