Salary Not Available

Position range in Coastal Bend $60k - $172k Per Year Policy Manager

REAL INC/ RURAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE LEAGUE INCORPORATED

Occupation:

Operations Research Analysts

Location:

Alice, TX - 78332-5848

Job Type:

Regular, Full Time (30 Hours or More), Permanent Employment, Flexible Shift

Posted:

10/08/2026

Positions available: 1

Source:

WorkInTexas

Web Site:

WorkInTexas

Onsite /

Remote:

Work onsite all of the time

Updated:

10/11/2026

Expires:

12/07/2026

Job #: 17079465

Job Requirements and Properties

Help for Job Requirements and Properties. Work Onsite

Full Time Education

Bachelor's Degree Experience

36 Month(s) Age

18 and up Language

English, Well Schedule

Full Time Job Type

Regular Duration

Permanent Employment Shift

Flexible Shift Public Transit

Available Benefits Help for . Rural Economic Assistance League, Inc. - Policy Manager

Job Title:

Policy Manager

Location:

Alice, Texas

Department:

Policy & Community Engagement

Employment Type:

Full-Time, Grant-Funded

Grant Term:

Three-Year Grant-Funded Position

Reports To:

Executive Director

Position Summary

The Policy Manager will lead implementation of REAL, Inc.s Rural Housing Stability & Mental Wellness Policy Initiative, a

three-year grant-funded initiative focused on housing instability as a non-medical driver of mental wellness among adults

living with serious mental illness (SMI) in Brooks, Duval, and Jim Wells Counties.

The position will lead community-informed policy engagement and systems coordination by bringing together lived

experience, community knowledge, organizational outcomes, and cross-sector stakeholders to identify recurring housing

stability barriers and translate those findings into opportunities for systems and policy change.

The Policy Manager will work with residents, housing organizations, behavioral health providers, local governments,

community organizations, policymakers, and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and develop communityinformed recommendations. The position is not primarily responsible for direct service delivery, case management,

housing placement, or housing navigation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Community Engagement and Lived Experience

Plan and facilitate community listening sessions, focus groups, stakeholder meetings, and other engagement activities

related to housing stability and mental wellness.

Ensure that the experiences and perspectives of adults living with SMI and others directly affected by housing

instability meaningfully inform the initiative.

Develop approaches for sustained community participation rather than one-time consultation.

Stakeholder and Systems Coordination

Convene and maintain relationships with housing authorities, behavioral health providers, local governments,

transportation providers, community organizations, and other relevant partners.

Coordinate stakeholder roundtables and cross-sector discussions to identify barriers, opportunities, and potential

solutions.

Strengthen communication and collaboration among systems that affect housing stability, recovery, and community

well-being.

Systems Barrier Identification and Documentation

Identify and document recurring structural and systems-level barriers affecting housing stability and mental wellness.

Organize and analyze information gathered through community engagement, stakeholder discussions, lived

experience, and available organizational data.

Identify recurring themes involving housing access and retention, continuity of care, transportation, employment, social

support, and community integration.

Distinguish individual service needs from recurring issues that may warrant organizational, local, administrative, or

policy-level solutions.

Policy Research, Analysis, and Engagement

Monitor and research relevant local, regional, state, and federal policies and initiatives affecting rural housing stability

and mental wellness.

Prepare policy briefs, issue summaries, presentations, systems-barrier assessments, community-informed

recommendations, and other policy-related materials.

Participate in appropriate public meetings, hearings, conferences, coalitions, and policy discussions as a

representative of REAL.

Support communication with policymakers, governmental agencies, community leaders, and other decision-makers

regarding findings and priorities emerging from the initiative.

Data, Outcomes, and Organizational Capacity

Incorporate relevant REAL program outcomes and other available information into policy and systems discussions,

including measures related to quality of life, social support, employment, and housing stability.

Develop and maintain systems for documenting stakeholder engagement, lived experience, identified barriers, policy

activities, recommendations, and project progress.

Assist with grant reporting, evaluation, performance tracking, and documentation of project outcomes.

Help establish sustainable processes and organizational capacity for REALs continued policy and systemsengagement work beyond the grant period.

Other Duties

Rural Economic Assistance League, Inc. | Policy Manager Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned that support the goals of REAL, Inc. and the successful

implementation of the grant-funded initiative.

Specific activities, deliverables, performance measures, and implementation timelines will be established through the

projects approved work plan and may evolve over the three-year grant period consistent with the funded scope and

organizational priorities.

Required Qualifications

Bachelors degree in public policy, public administration, political science, social work, public health, communications,

nonprofit management, community development, or a related field OR at least three years of relevant experience in

policy, advocacy, community engagement, nonprofit management, government relations, behavioral health, housing,

or a related field.

Strong written and verbal communication, research, facilitation, and presentation skills.

Strong organizational and project management abilities.

Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with residents, community organizations, governmental entities, and

other stakeholders.

Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and identify recurring themes, barriers, and opportunities for

systems improvement.

Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with REAL staff and external partners.

Ability to travel throughout Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, and other South Texas communities as required and periodically

for state-level meetings, training, or policy engagement.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in behavioral health, mental health, housing, public health, social services, community development, or

rural community initiatives.

Experience facilitating community meetings, stakeholder groups, coalitions, or collaborative initiatives.

Experience working with local government, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, or advocacy

coalitions.

Experience with grant-funded programs, reporting, evaluation, or performance measurement.

Knowledge of rural and underserved South Texas communities.

Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Key Skills

Community engagement and facilitation Policy research and analysis Systems thinking and problem solving

Partnership and relationship building Written communication and report development Public speaking and presentation

Project management and documentation Leadership and collaboration Cultural awareness Professional judgment

and discretion

Position Impact

The Policy Manager will serve as a bridge between lived experience, community knowledge, organizational outcomes,

cross-sector partners, and policymakers. The position will help REAL move from responding to recurring housing-related

challenges at the individual level toward identifying patterns, convening the appropriate stakeholders, developing

community-informed solutions, and supporting systems and policy change.

Over the three-year grant period, the position is expected to strengthen local collaboration around housing stability and

mental wellness, increase the meaningful participation of people directly affected by these issues, produce actionable

information and recommendations, and build REALs long-term capacity for community-informed policy engagement.