Director of Public Policy
Company Background
Ownwell helps property owners reduce the costs of owning real estate. Our proprietary software automatically identifies property owners that are overpaying on real estate expenses. We then manage the end-to-end process of reducing bills through tax appeals, exemptions, and corrections.
Over $40 billion is overpaid in property taxes every year, and inaccurate tax assessments disproportionately affect people of color, immigrants, as well as low-income communities.
We’re dedicated to making the costs of property ownership more transparent and equitable. We believe that regardless of status or level of real estate expertise, everyone should have access to the information, tools, and resources to manage their real estate with confidence.
Ownwell is well-funded and venture-backed by some of the best investors in the world. Our customer base has grown by more than 1000% year-over-year with exceptional feedback demonstrating clear product market fit. We are looking for driven and passionate team members who thrive in a collaborative, positive culture where we all win together. If this sounds like the place for you, come help us change the way everyday homeowners manage their real estate across the country.
Our Culture
People are our superpower! Centered in everything we do is a true sense of team. We listen and we learn from each other. We are on this rocketship together and embrace a fast-paced, truly collaborative environment. We are here to win as a team and as a company.
We’ve brought together General Appraisers, Certified Public Accountants, Property Tax Consultants, Data scientists, PhDs, best-in-class customer support representatives, and more to deliver top results for our customers.
Our core values are our guiding principles in everything we do
- Customer Obsession
- Take Ownership
- Do The Right Thing
- Go Far Together
- Accelerate Innovation
Meet The Public Policy Team
Hopefully it is you! We need a driven solo player/coach to build out the Policy function and leverage external vendors in the short term planning to build a team in the long term. You’ll report directly to the General Counsel and work closely with the full leadership team. Manages outside firms and state lobbyists.
The Role: Director of Public Policy
We’re hiring a strategic Director of Public Policy to design and deliver our multi‑state legislative and regulatory agenda. You’ll secure policy wins that expand our serviceable market, improve fairness and transparency in property taxation, and protect homeowners. You are equal parts policy entrepreneur, coalition builder, and execution athlete. Primary mandate: offense (expand TAM) and defense (mitigate adverse bills); secondary: administrative/regulatory wins and data transparency.
Responsibilities:
Set the strategy
- Develop a 2–3 year legislative and regulatory roadmap that expands market access and improves homeowner outcomes across current states and new priority states identified through discovery.
- Prioritize high‑leverage levers: statutes, rules, attorney general opinions, comptroller guidance, appraisal district/ARB procedures, data access, and pilots.
- Define the policy thesis and narrative that resonates with legislators, regulators, and homeowner groups.
Deliver wins
- Draft, sponsor, and shepherd priority bills; craft amendments; manage vote paths and whip counts.
- Drive rulemakings and administrative petitions; file comments; negotiate guidance and MOUs that unlock operational improvements (e.g., standardized evidence exchange, appeal timelines, digital access).
- Coordinate testimony, fact sheets, economic impact briefs, and homeowner stories with Comms/Marketing.
Build coalitions & relationships
- Convene homeowner, taxpayer, REALTOR®, landlord, and consumer advocacy groups; partner with chambers, think tanks, and local leaders to create durable alliances.
- Maintain trusted relationships with legislative offices, state agencies (e.g., Comptrollers, Departments of Revenue), appraisal districts, and ARBs.
- Own and direct external partners: select, brief, and manage state lobbyists and policy consultancies; drive accountability and ROI.
Operate with excellence
- Stand up compliant, multi‑state lobbying operations: registrations, reporting, gift/ethics rules, pay‑to‑play, procurement/contingency‑fee constraints, internal policies and training.
- Build the policy operating system: bill tracker, scorecards, vote maps, coalition CRM, calendar of sessions and rulemakings, and a monthly dashboard.
- Partner with Legal and Exec to manage risk, issue escalation, and scenario planning.
- Advocacy/PAC (as needed): scope and (if warranted) stand up a compliant PAC/issue‑advocacy program to support legislative outcomes.
Requirements:
- 8–15+ years in state‑level public policy/government relations with tangible wins across multiple states.
- Mastery of legislative and administrative process; comfortable drafting, negotiating, and testifying.
- Built/led coalitions that combine grassroots homeowner stories with rigorous policy analysis.
- Operated in lean, high‑velocity environments (e.g. high‑growth company, association, or firm). Startup mindset: scrappy, ethical, persistent.
- Nice‑to‑have: Experience in tax policy, consumer protection, or state/local administrative law; J.D.; prior oversight of PAC or issue advocacy.
Ownwell offerings
- Entrepreneurial culture. Own your career; we are here to support you in the journey.
- Access to First Round Network to build your community outside of Ownwell.
- Flexible PTO. We believe in giving you the flexibility to own your time off. In addition to flexible time off, you will get 11 company holidays. We close the company operations for the last week of the year to help the team recharge and reset.
- Competitive health benefits. We care for you and your family’s health, as reflected in our benefits coverage.
- Learning support through a $1,000 stipend per year to enable investing in your individual learning needs.
- Supporting parental journey. We offer up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental and bonding leave to support your journey as a new parent.
- Equity participation. Bring a founder’s mindset to grow and scale us.
- Complimentary real estate and tax consulting licensing and renewal
Ownwell's vision is to democratize access to real estate expertise. When we say we want to provide access, we mean providing access to everyone. To do that well, we need a team that's broadly representative. We welcome people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and experiences. Ownwell is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status.