Contract Food Policy Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Met Council is America’s largest Jewish charity dedicated to serving the needy. We fight poverty through comprehensive social services and by treating each client with compassion, integrity, and respect. Our programs are staffed by experts who help over 325,000 clients each year and advocate on behalf of all needy New Yorkers. Our services include 100% affordable housing at 21 locations, family violence services, Holocaust survivor assistance, geriatric social work, crisis intervention and the largest free kosher food distribution program in the world. Our network of 101 food pantries, affordable housing sites, and affiliated JCCs provide services directly in neighborhoods across New York City.

Position Summary:

Met Council seeks a Policy Fellow to join our Policy and Advocacy team to support our work at the forefront of AI and labor policy, examining how generative and agentic AI is reshaping work, wages, and economic security for low-income New Yorkers, while also advancing Met Council's broader anti-poverty agenda: expanding food access, strengthening housing stability, and improving access to benefits and social services.

This is an early-career position designed for recent graduate school alumni or advanced degree candidates with a background or demonstrated interest in AI, technology policy, and its implications for workers and low-income populations, as well as one or more of the following: food and nutrition policy; affordable housing; or public benefits and social services. This position will develop expertise across Met Council's full policy portfolio through hands-on policy, research, and advocacy work, with AI and labor as the primary focus.

The Fellow will conduct original research on AI's labor-market impact, draft legislation and testimony for audiences including elected officials, convene stakeholders on AI accountability and worker protections, and engage government, industry, and civil society across City Hall, the State Capitol, and Washington, D.C. The fellowship's signature deliverable is a year-long capstone research project examining how AI is reshaping the economic lives of the low-income, immigrant, and religiously observant New Yorkers Met Council serves.

This position offers a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of frontline service delivery and high-level policy advocacy in one of New York's most consequential anti-poverty organizations. This is a temporary role currently funded for 12 months. It is a hybrid position (3 days on-site, 2 days remote).

Principal Responsibilities:

Policy Research and Analysis

• Examine the rapidly shifting landscape of AI and labor policy and its impact on low-wage workers and low-income communities, including how generative AI is accelerating economic displacement, alongside Met Council's additional policy priorities across city, state, and federal levels, including kosher and halal food access, affordable housing, and programs serving seniors and domestic violence survivors.
• Collaborate with the Policy Director to develop and implement a public policy agenda centered on AI accountability, including worker protections and transparency requirements as generative and agentic AI move into white- and pink-collar work.
• Conduct analyses and identify advocacy opportunities in key local, state, and federal policy processes, helping shape legislative strategies and budgetary priorities. This includes sectoral deep-dives and data work that builds the evidence base for Met Council's legislative asks.
• Draft legislation, testimony, correspondence, talking points, coalition memos, policy briefs, and reports for diverse audiences including elected officials, funders, and the public.
• Participate in advocacy efforts at City Hall, the State Capitol, and in Washington, D.C., including testifying at hearings on AI and labor policy and other anti-poverty issues.

Year-Long Research Project: AI and Economic Security for Low-Income New Yorkers

• The fellowship's capstone is an original research project examining how artificial intelligence is reshaping the economic lives of the New Yorkers Met Council serves and employs. Met Council's clients are concentrated in lower-wage occupations among the most exposed to automation. At the same time, the direct-service workforce faces its own AI transition. The existing AI policy conversation is not in direct contact with low-income, religiously observant, immigrant, and limited-English communities, or with the frontline organizations that serve them. Met Council is. This project will produce robust research studying two distinct but intertwined communities and policy targets, further positioning Met Council as a leading voice in New York's AI policy agenda.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Convene roundtables bringing labor, industry, and government to the same table on AI accountability, worker protections, and economic displacement, building on Met Council's existing AI policy convenings.
• Engage a network of providers, partner organizations, government agencies, direct service staff, and community stakeholders, including Met Council's NYS Kosher and Halal Food Policy Coalition, to ground policy work in frontline realities and amplify constituent voices.

Departmental Support

• Contribute to grant applications and reports, articulating the goals, activities, and outcomes of the Policy Department.
• Support Met Council's government relations and food network teams through policy messaging.
• Assist with additional responsibilities as assigned by the Policy Director.

Competencies:

• Strong research and analytical skills, including the ability to conduct sectoral deep-dives and synthesize evidence on AI's labor-market impact into policy-ready analysis.
• Curiosity about and interest in AI, technology policy, and its implications for low-income workers and communities.
• Ability to communicate complex policy ideas to multiple audiences, from community members and clients to elected officials and technical experts.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience drafting policy documents, memos, coalition materials, legislative testimony, or advocacy materials.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.
• High degree of professionalism in stakeholder engagement with government officials, peer organizations, funders, and the public.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines simultaneously.
• Deep commitment to economic justice, an understanding that AI and technology policy has significant implications for low-income workers and communities, and a passion for serving those communities consistent with Met Council's mission.
• Eagerness to build expertise across a range of policy domains.

Skill and Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent advanced degree in public policy, law, or a related field with a focus on technology, labor, or economic justice preferred; public health, public administration, social work, urban planning, nutrition, and other related fields also considered; recent graduates within approximately two years of degree completion are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • Bachelor's degree with policy experience and a demonstrated record of research may be considered.
• Demonstrated background or interest in technology and AI policy as it relates to workers and low-income communities required; familiarity with one or more of the following a plus: food and nutrition policy; affordable housing; or public benefits and social services.
• Familiarity with AI and labor policy debates at the city, state, and federal level, including awareness of relevant legislation and regulatory developments, strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with nutrition, benefits, and housing policy across city, state, and federal levels required; knowledge of New York City and State legislative and budget processes strongly preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel.
• Experience with data visualization and analytical tools (e.g., ArcGIS, Tableau, Stata, R) preferred.
• Experience with public presentations and oral testimony.
• Strong grant writing and reporting skills.

Compensation: $28.85 an hour.

Benefits: Major medical, dental, and vision insurance; pre-tax commuter benefits; FSA; 403(b); plus holidays.