As the Legislative Affairs Specialist, you will coordinate and support the department’s legislative affairs, represent ODI at the Legislature, and act as the ODI liaison for legislative inquiries and communications on behalf of the Head of Legislative and External Affairs. You’ll advocate for ODI’s priorities by building relationships, providing briefings, representing ODI, responding to inquiries, and coordinating engagement opportunities with elected officials and stakeholders.
Location: This position provides telework opportunities in accordance with agency telework policies. ODI is currently operating in a hybrid work environment with staff reporting to the office 2 days a week to our Sacramento HQ or Oakland HQ.
Annual salary: $91,716 – $113,952 based on experience and qualifications
Benefits: The state offers many benefits, including pension, health benefits (including after retirement), life insurance, employee assistance program, and much more.
Last day to apply: Final filing date is July 22, 2025
What you’ll do
- Conduct ODI’s legislative research, impact assessments, and develop ODI’s official positions on proposed or pending legislation, including emerging issues in service delivery, technology, and government efficiency.
- Build and maintain relationships with elected officials, legislative staff, and external partners at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Support ODI’s civic engagement efforts, including community outreach, coalition-building, and public information sharing.
- Assist in the planning and execution of public-facing events, legislative briefings, and stakeholder convenings.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
We have a guide to the civil service application process. It covers:
- How to apply
- Civil service exams
- Interviews
Desirable qualifications
We encourage you to apply regardless of whether you think you meet 100% of the desirable qualifications.
- Experience managing multiple legislative or policy initiatives simultaneously, with a strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to meet tight deadlines under pressure.
- 4+ years of experience in legislative affairs.
- Experience working in a legislative office, analyzing bills, and researching legislative history.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills for building and maintaining productive relationships with legislative staff, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders in a fast-paced, political environment.
- Strong communication and storytelling skills, including the ability to distill complex issues into clear, compelling messages for diverse audiences, including executive leadership to the general public.
- In-depth understanding of legislative processes at all levels with a demonstrated ability to analyze complex legislation and policy proposals, assess their potential impact, and develop strategic recommendations aligned with ODI priorities.
- Proficient in political analysis, legislative tracking, policy issues, and relevant software.
About ODI
We deliver better services to Californians through technology and design. We do so through close partnership with other state departments. Our goal is to create programs and products that are more equitable and effective. We listen to Californians who use a program now or may do so tomorrow and learn about what they need.
We:
- Build tools and products
- Create and enhance digital services
- Conduct research
- Identify data solutions
- Offer training
We are a cross-discipline staff with blended backgrounds in:
- Design
- Engineering
- Product
- Operations
- Data
- Research
- Policy
- Strategy
Learn more about ODI’s vision and mission.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion at ODI
Diversity, equity, and inclusion help us deliver better government services to Californians.
- Fostering diversity inspires better ideas and more innovative thinking.
- Feeling included nurtures a shared sense of community. This drives us to take collective action on challenging problems.
- Prioritizing equity ensures we build solutions for people whose needs are often overlooked.
We acknowledge our history and present of implicit and structural injustice, bias, and discrimination. We see, hear, and accept each other and the lived experiences we bring to our work. We support each other in learning and developing so we can help all Californians thrive.
We understand this work is never done. That’s why we commit to constant improvement.