The Housing Solutions Lab, based at the NYU Furman Center, welcomes applications for a full-time, two-year Policy Fellow position. The Lab helps local government leaders from across the country to plan, implement, and evaluate promising local housing policies, supporting their efforts through three core program areas: city engagement, research and evaluation, and data and policy analysis. Over the past 5 years, the Lab has directly engaged more than 100 cities in peer learning networks and communities of practice; developed a comprehensive library of housing policies and policymaking tools; and held webinars and events that consistently draw hundreds of housing leaders nationwide.       

The Fellow will report to a senior member of the Housing Solutions Lab staff and will support projects for the Lab’s research and city engagement teams, in collaboration with full-time staff and faculty directors, as well as Furman Center doctoral students, post-docs and legal fellows, and graduate student research assistants. The Fellow will have the opportunity to work on policy and data analysis, program evaluations, and direct engagements with local jurisdictions and public housing authorities. Examples of current projects include: 

• Bay Area Thriving Families, a multi-year pilot analyzing the benefits of providing monthly cash payments to formerly homeless families exiting rapid rehousing; 
• The Public Housing Authority Research Community of Practice, which convenes housing authorities from across the country to harness research and evidence for their work;  
• The Public Development Peer Network, a cohort for cities considering social housing or public development initiatives; 
• The Lab’s “Ask the Lab” portal for local leaders to request policy and data guidance; 
• The Home Repair Peer Network and community of practice for cities strengthening their local home repair systems; 
• Research partnerships with public housing authorities experimenting with Direct Rental Assistance and other Housing Choice Voucher program reforms; and,
• The Lab’s Data Talks webinar series.

The Policy Fellow will conduct a variety of tasks including analyzing and visualizing data, writing literature reviews, conducting policy scans, writing case studies, updating Lab website content, and developing presentations for practitioner and policymaker audiences. The Fellow will also periodically support planning and logistics for Lab events such as webinars, peer learning cohorts, and meetings with city leaders. 

This fellowship is an ideal step in preparing for a master’s program in public policy, urban planning, economics, or other social science. This position is meant to expose fellows to timely housing policy topics of interest to local policymakers and practitioners, and to deepen their policy analysis and research skills in a full-time applied policy research setting. The Fellow will have access to Lab and Furman Center events, research seminars, and alumni networking opportunities, and will be offered developmental flexibility for attending conferences and other activities that further future attendance to graduate school. 

Qualifications

Applicants should have strong analytic, writing, and quantitative skills. Research experience is preferred, as is experience with statistical software, especially R. Successful fellows can come from a range of backgrounds and majors, and have varied experience. Fellows may have recently completed an undergraduate degree and ideally work for up to two years prior to attending a graduate program, and would start in mid 2027.

Compensation and Benefits

The position comes with a salary and a generous array of benefits, which include medical, dental, and vision. Further information regarding benefits can be found on NYU’s benefits website.

In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $60,000 – $70,000. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

To Apply: Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume/CV, a publication sample, names and contact information of three references.  Send application materials and questions to furmanjobs@nyu.edu. Please include “LAB Policy Fellow” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.