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Senior policy analyst skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Elizabeth Sasser,

Elizabeth Sasser

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior policy analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for senior policy analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 7.2% of senior policy analyst resumes contained public policy as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior policy analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior policy analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Public Policy

Public Policy is refers to a public course of action created and seen-through by a government or government organization in response to a public issue, such homelessness, discrimination, poverty, other forms of bigotry, and public health issues like pandemics. The process of coming up with, and designing a public policy can alone often take quite a while, especially as governments may take quite a lot of time to notice public issues in the first place.

Here's how senior policy analysts use public policy:

Managed grant recipients, analyzed public policy, conducted research and organized activities.
Researched, analyzed and influenced public policy on energy and environmental issues.

2. Policy Issues

Policy issues are key issues that influence the economic, social, and political life of a place where conflicts arise over the direction of government policy. Often the policy issues are general, dealing with broad approaches to problems, such as whether the federal government should increase spending on national defense or whether social security should be privatized in some fashion.

Here's how senior policy analysts use policy issues:

Provided guidance and analysis on a variety of policy issues dealing with pending and proposed legislation and bill referrals to Committees/Councils.
Conducted and analyzed surveys of municipal officials and others on specific policy issues.

3. Project Management

Here's how senior policy analysts use project management:

Assisted with Project management documentation, schedules, and budgets for Meaningful Use implementation and Electronic Health Record certification.
Provided project management assistance with other Division activities including stakeholder relations, section management and, issue coordination.

4. Policy Analysis

Policy analysis is a method of identifying or determining a possible policy basis or conclusion that can solve a particular issue or problem. It includes monitoring, assessing, and evaluating policies intended to improve the quality and development of a project. After analyzing the data collected, such as the cause of the problem, they need to choose is the most effective and efficient solution.

Here's how senior policy analysts use policy analysis:

Reconstructed insurance history including: review of historical corporate records, policy analysis and preparation of policy coverage charts.
Provided guidance in policy analysis and approval of new and existing academic programs.

5. Data Analysis

Here's how senior policy analysts use data analysis:

Bolstered FRAC's data analysis capabilities with expertise in using public use data on demographics and program participation.
Provided technical assistance, training and data analysis to advocacy groups and service providers.

6. Public Health

Here's how senior policy analysts use public health:

Subject matter expert on military humanitarian assistance, disaster response, public health care infrastructure, intelligence and disease surveillance.
Subject matter expert public health initiatives, humanitarian assistance, disaster response.

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7. Policy Development

A pоlісу dеvеlорmеnt is thе process оf dесіdіng what tо achieve, what tо be dоnе tо асhіеvе іt, how to асhіеvе it efficiently and economically, who should do іt, еtс It аіmѕ tо develop policies gеnеrаllу tо hеlр buѕіnеѕѕеѕ run еffісіеntlу іn achieving thеіr оbjесtіvеѕ and tо соmрlу wіth the lеgаl and social еnvіrоnmеnt in whісh they ореrаtе.

Here's how senior policy analysts use policy development:

Led staff policy development and implementation on a wide variety of state and federal initiatives effecting Telecommunications Policy and Regulation;.
Assisted with consumer protection issues and advocacy in addition to research and policy development.

8. Medicaid

Here's how senior policy analysts use medicaid:

Established Medicaid and state regulatory affairs monthly electronic newsletters that had higher read rates than established publications.
Research new Medicaid regulations to ensure compliance with all federal requirements.

9. Medicare

Medicare is a federal government insurance program that offers health care coverage to people who are 65 and above. In some cases, younger people with disabilities whose status is identified by the SSA can also avail the insurance program. Medicare covers the health expenses of people who are not able to afford it plus it protects the payee from rising health care costs.

Here's how senior policy analysts use medicare:

Developed materials including: pamphlets, handouts and booklets to educate membership and staff about the Medicare Advantage program.
Analyzed the Medicare Tentative Settlements and Final Settlements to determine the reimbursement impact of the audit adjustments.

10. DOD

Definition of Done (DoD) is a set of deliverables that are needed to devise software. These deliverables are valuable to the system and can be exemplified by writing code, coding comments, unit testing, integration testing, design documents, release notes, and so on.

Here's how senior policy analysts use dod:

Developed analytic products on foreign audiences, media, and information strategies and policy options for DoD support to Public Diplomacy.
Assist in Reviewing of Audit reports and prepare responses to DoD IG on Audit report status.

11. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how senior policy analysts use data collection:

Managed data collection and analysis on a variety of subjects including economic impact, neighborhood revitalization, and housing preservation.
Played a lead role in data collection of large-scale evaluations using advanced survey tools and methods.

12. Subject Matter Expertise

Here's how senior policy analysts use subject matter expertise:

Provided Subject Matter Expertise to advanced technology initiatives for the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

13. External Stakeholders

Here's how senior policy analysts use external stakeholders:

Worked closely with internal and external stakeholders to commonly share information pertinent to social programs evaluations.
Coordinate strategically with Administrative agencies, external stakeholders, and constituencies to clarify legislative priorities and promote effective, bipartisan legislation.

14. CMS

A Content Management System or CMS is computer software that works as a framework where content can be assembled and managed by using a database. CMS is an important asset in web development. This platform enables users to create, edit, collaborate on, publish and store digital content. It helps users to manage their content and modify it from a single system.

Here's how senior policy analysts use cms:

Reviewed, interpreted, analyzed and commented on CMS and ONC guidelines for Meaningful Use and Health IT Certification Criteria.
Presented analysis to the CMS via public comments, legal memorandums, and in person presentations.

15. Government Agencies

Here's how senior policy analysts use government agencies:

Liaised with government agencies and local authorities on legislation and government policies where these impact on road pavements.
Collected data, conducted surveys, and interviewed officials in government agencies, non-profits and interest groups.

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What skills help Senior Policy Analysts find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on senior policy analyst resumes?

Elizabeth Sasser

Teaching Assistant Professor, Interim Director of Experiential Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Public policy analysts have very strong policy research and evaluation skills. They are critical thinkers who can examine complex social problems - like the affordability of health care or the impacts of climate change - clarify the drivers of these problems, and evaluate ways to address these challenges. Public policy analysts are adept at collecting data, using statistical analysis to evaluate data, and interpreting data to create viable policy solutions.

What soft skills should all senior policy analysts possess?

Elizabeth Sasser

Teaching Assistant Professor, Interim Director of Experiential Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Employers tell us that they value teamwork, strong written and verbal communication skills, and sound time management skills. Our Public Policy Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helps students hone these soft skills through an experiential education course where students work with a non-profit or government client on a real-world policy problem. In this class, students also sharpen their professional etiquette, leadership, and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for pursuing a career in public policy.

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior policy analysts?

Elizabeth Sasser

Teaching Assistant Professor, Interim Director of Experiential Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Strong quantitative analysis and writing skills are two of the most important skills a public policy analyst needs. Quantitative analysis might include the ability to use statistical techniques to draw accurate inferences from a sample of data. Strong writing skills are necessary because policymakers don't have a lot of time to read through lengthy, dense reports, so public policy analysts must write clearly and concisely. They need to be able to distill today's complex problems in a way that clarifies how to think through and address a challenge.

What senior policy analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Carolyn Arcand

Senior Lecturer and Program Director, Master in Public Policy & Master of Public Administration, University of New Hampshire

The ability to think critically, problem-solve, design and complete rigorous research projects, and communicate results in a variety of ways, to a variety of audiences, are key skills for policy analysts. Having the ability to discuss your research and analysis work in clear, non-technical terms is and will continue to be particularly important.

What type of skills will young senior policy analysts need?

Kenneth Wong

Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor of Education Policy, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Brown University

Graduates who enter the job market in 2020 will need a greater sense of adaptability, in addition to solid analytical skills, such as communication, understanding of how policies work, and statistical skills. They are expected to meet their performance goals in work settings under uncertain circumstances. For example, their PowerPoint presentation will need to be flexible when connectivity can be interrupted with no advanced warning. They will not be able to rely primarily on in-person interaction to learn about workplace culture. Finally, due to budgetary constraints and organizational efficiency, recent graduates may be expected to take on additional tasks to meet organizational goals.

Do you want to know more?

List of senior policy analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior policy analyst resume and required skills for a senior policy analyst to have include:

Public Policy
Policy Issues
Project Management
Policy Analysis
Data Analysis
Public Health
Policy Development
Medicaid
Medicare
DOD
Data Collection
Subject Matter Expertise
External Stakeholders
CMS
Government Agencies

Federal Government
Visualization
Policy Research
Technical Assistance
Policy Briefs
Technical Support
Policy Changes
Federal Agencies
Mental Health
Develop Recommendations
Federal Regulations
State Agencies
DHS
OSD
Public Safety

Strategic Plan
Comment Letters
Policy Recommendations
National Security
Position Papers
Process Improvement
Business Processes
Education Policy
Appeals
Analytical Support
Policy Guidance
Federal Laws
State Legislation
Economic Development
Fact Sheets

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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