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What does a senior policy associate do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Brian W. Lagotte

A senior policy associate primarily performs clerical tasks to support an office or department. They typically work under the supervision of a senior policy analyst. Their duties usually include conducting extensive research and analysis, facilitating surveys and interviews, preparing and processing documents, and handling calls and other forms of correspondence. Additionally, they lead junior associates in a joint effort to reach project goals.

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Senior policy associate responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior policy associate resumes:

  • Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
  • Plan, coordinate and prepare logistical support annexes and logistics policies.
  • Utilize logistics data to develop key recommendations on subordinate unit logistics profiles.
  • Conduct analysis of international climate change implications and participate in the selection of tools for government agencies to monitor climate change.
  • Evaluate electricity generation and consumptions rates to determine whether existing energy policy would meet demand while complying with UK's policies.
  • Develop and implement USAID infrastructure sector policy for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Senior policy associate skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Senior Policy Associates are proficient in Project Management, Medicare, and Data Analysis. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Senior Policy Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Project Management, 13%

    Project management and team building skills.

  • Medicare, 8%

    Managed the development and publication of the annual Medicare Handbook.

  • Data Analysis, 8%

    Performed data analysis to facilitate improvement in Pathology department call-order and lab result inquiries from neighboring rural hospitals.

  • Phone Calls, 7%

    Created policy and procedures for Landsafe Credit Listened to phone calls to confirm all policy and procedures were being followed.

  • Policy Research, 7%

    Collected information and data from various government websites and policy research institutes and responded to legislative or stakeholder queries.

  • Fact Sheets, 6%

    Develop fact sheets on important topics, including Sequestration and NFIB v. Sebelius Supreme Court decision.

"project management," "medicare," and "data analysis" are among the most common skills that senior policy associates use at work. You can find even more senior policy associate responsibilities below, including:

Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior policy associate to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior policy associates do because "environmental scientists and specialists base their conclusions on careful analysis of scientific data." Additionally, a senior policy associate resume shows how senior policy associates use analytical skills: "tracked and analyzed legislation related to youth workforce and education policy, focusing on at-risk youth. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform senior policy associate duties is communication skills. Senior policy associates responsibilities require that "environmental scientists and specialists may need to present and explain their findings to audiences of varying backgrounds and write technical reports." Senior policy associates also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "support ongoing communication and research projects with united way's public policy team. "

Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for senior policy associates to perform their duties. For an example of how senior policy associate responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "environmental scientists and specialists try to find the best possible solution to problems that affect the environment and people’s health." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior policy associate: "collaborate with environmental leaders, elected officials and state agencies on research and 2015 policy solutions. ".

All senior policy associate skills

The three companies that hire the most senior policy associates are:

Compare different senior policy associates

Senior policy associate vs. Climate change analyst

Climate change analysts or climatologists evaluate the scientific data they gathered and research about the climate. They study climate conditions over a period of time and use climate models for different purposes like studying the dynamics of the weather and the trends of the climate system to forecast the future climate. Climate change analysts who focus on science are involved in the detailed mathematical modeling of the scientific data. They work with scientists who gather climate data to analyze the information and contextualize it with the current environmental practices.

We looked at the average senior policy associate salary and compared it with the wages of a climate change analyst. Generally speaking, climate change analysts are paid $6,551 lower than senior policy associates per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both senior policy associate and climate change analyst positions are skilled in data analysis, press releases, and action plan.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior policy associates and climate change analyst. For instance, senior policy associate responsibilities require skills such as "project management," "medicare," "phone calls," and "policy research." Whereas a climate change analyst is skilled in "greenhouse," "plm," "sustainability," and "configuration management." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Climate change analysts really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $88,705. Comparatively, senior policy associates tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $93,457.climate change analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than senior policy associates. In fact, climate change analysts are 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Senior policy associate vs. Cumulative effects analyst

A policy intern is responsible for supporting the government in researching and analyzing legislation policies, recommending revisions to match law guidelines and state regulations. Policy interns perform administrative tasks under the guidance of a direct supervisor, such as writing reports, drafting content for policy proposals, scheduling meetings, and facilitating public programs and activities. A policy intern must have excellent communication and organizational skills and should be able to work in a fast-paced environment and strict deadlines.

Cumulative effects analyst positions earn higher pay than senior policy associate roles. They earn a $21,825 higher salary than senior policy associates per year.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior policy associate resumes. While senior policy associate responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "medicare," "phone calls," and "policy research," cumulative effects analysts use skills like "dod," "analytical support," "hr," and "healthcare organizations."

Cumulative effects analysts earn lower levels of education than senior policy associates in general. They're 13.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior policy associates in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Brian W. LagotteDr. Brian W. Lagotte LinkedIn profile

Assistant Teaching Professor Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Kansas

Policy work on the international level will often depend on the old tools of writing and analysis. Social media can still be a useful resource to have more venues to produce policy positions, perhaps teleconferencing will be useful for distance interviewing, but policy work will often depend on a blank document and a good internet connection.

Senior policy associate vs. Policy internship

Policy analysts are responsible for developing government policies and providing advice and briefing to senior management. These professionals work to influence both social and political decisions. They typically work in four key areas, including collecting information, analyzing policies, providing recommendations, and sharing information with government officials and the public. Additionally, they are also expected to consult with stakeholders to provide quantitative evidence supporting their policy. The rest of their time is spent on writing, reading, and analyzing information.

On average scale, policy interns bring in lower salaries than senior policy associates. In fact, they earn a $19,297 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on senior policy associates and policy interns resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "medicare," "data analysis," and "policy research.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior policy associate is likely to be skilled in "project management," "phone calls," "technical assistance," and "public policy issues," while a typical policy internship is skilled in "public policy," "policy issues," "powerpoint," and "policy intern."

Policy interns typically earn lower educational levels compared to senior policy associates. Specifically, they're 8.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior policy associate vs. Policy analyst

Policy analysts tend to earn a lower pay than senior policy associates by an average of $17,579 per year.While their salaries may vary, senior policy associates and policy analysts both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "project management," "medicare," and "data analysis. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A senior policy associate uses "phone calls," "public policy issues," "regulatory issues," and "education policy." Policy analysts are more likely to have duties that require skills in "public policy," "policy issues," "health policy," and "powerpoint. "policy analysts enjoy the best pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $76,361. For comparison, senior policy associates earn the highest salary in the finance industry.The average resume of policy analysts showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to senior policy associates. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.5%.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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