We’re Hiring: T4America Policy Lead (Senior Policy Manager or Policy Director)

Key Takeaways

• Salary $95k‑$120k, full benefits, DC-based role.
• Leads T4America’s federal reauthorization strategy and policy team.
• Requires five+ years transportation policy, Capitol Hill experience.
• Focuses on infrastructure repair, safety, multimodal investment.
• Emphasizes diversity hiring and collaborative stakeholder engagement.

Summary

Transportation for America, the policy arm of Smart Growth America, is hiring a senior policy leader to steer its federal surface transportation reauthorization strategy and manage a growing policy team. The role focuses on advancing three priorities—repairing infrastructure, prioritizing safety, and expanding multimodal investment—through legislative proposals, advocacy, and stakeholder coalition building. Candidates need at least five years of transportation policy experience, strong Capitol Hill connections, and the ability to lead research and communications. Compensation ranges from $95,000 to $120,000 with full benefits, based in Washington, DC.

Pulse Analysis

The United States is on the cusp of its next federal surface transportation reauthorization, a legislative process that determines funding levels, safety standards, and programmatic direction for highways, transit, and emerging mobility solutions. While Congress drafts the bill, a growing cohort of advocacy organizations—ranging from industry coalitions to nonprofit think tanks—vie for influence over the final language. Transportation for America (T4America), the policy arm of Smart Growth America, has positioned itself as a key voice by championing a balanced agenda that couples infrastructure repair with safety and multimodal investment. Hiring a senior policy leader now signals the organization’s intent to shape that legislative outcome directly.

The new Policy Lead will be tasked with translating T4America’s three core priorities—repairing crumbling roads, prioritizing safety over speed, and expanding the broader transportation system—into concrete legislative proposals and regulatory strategies. By leveraging existing relationships on Capitol Hill and building new alliances across party lines, the role will coordinate lobbying efforts, draft policy briefs, and mobilize the coalition’s member base. In practice, this means steering the narrative around climate‑resilient infrastructure, advocating for performance‑based safety metrics, and ensuring that funding streams support public transit, bike lanes, and pedestrian networks alongside traditional road projects.

The compensation package, ranging from $95,000 to $120,000 plus comprehensive benefits, reflects the competitive market for seasoned transportation strategists in Washington, D.C. Beyond salary, the position offers a hybrid schedule, professional development opportunities, and a mandate to grow a small policy team. T4America’s explicit commitment to diversity and inclusive hiring aligns with broader industry trends that recognize varied perspectives as essential to equitable mobility solutions. For candidates, the role presents a rare blend of policy influence, team leadership, and the chance to embed smart‑growth principles into national transportation law.