Policy Director
Impact: Societal influence, legislative impact, public welfare
Develops and implements strategic policy initiatives, advises leadership on legislative matters, and oversees policy research and advocacy efforts.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 70% Team / 30% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- Very High
- Travel
- 10-20% domestic
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 45-55 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $140,000
- Entry-level
- $85,000 - $110,000
- Senior
- $180,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 7% (average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High to 100-110% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $60,000 - $100,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Policy Analysis
- Legislative Research
- Public Administration
- Data Interpretation
- Budgeting
- Advocacy
Soft skills
- Strategic Thinking
- Communication
- Leadership
- Negotiation
- Problem-Solving
- Stakeholder Management
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Master's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-15 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Policy Analyst
- Senior Policy Analyst
- Policy Manager
- Policy Director
- VP of Policy
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 10% to low risk due to relationship and judgment components
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.9/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.2/10
- Prestige
- 8.5/10
- Social perception
- High