Policy Summer Associate

Groma is a real estate and technology startup in Boston. Our business is one part full-service real estate development, investment, and management firm and one part innovative blockchain investing platform designed to enable more people to own real estate. We are passionate about the future of the Greater Boston area, and it is our goal to develop our local communities in sustainable and innovative ways. We are looking for a Policy Summer Associate to assist in research and writing to inform our approach to the many public policy issues with which we interact.

Groma is a startup, which means we work hard and are constantly evolving to meet new and exciting challenges. We are focused on a strong and dynamic in-office culture, with flexibility of course, but we thrive on interpersonal interactions and like seeing each other most days to work together on complex problems. Groma is on a fast growth trajectory, and we’re looking for team members ready to dig in and build something special together in the city we love.

About the Position

Groma is highly active in political advocacy in its core policy areas–economic policy, blockchain/financial services policy, housing policy, and urban policy more broadly–in addition to a number of secondary areas. The Policy Summer Associate will work with the Policy Architect and the executive team to develop and refine Groma’s approach to all elements of our business that intersect with these policy areas (which is to say most of our business). This will include intensive policy research and writing as well as presentation of findings both within the firm and to relevant external parties: government officials, advocacy groups, and thought leaders in academia, think tanks, and journalism. Think of the role as being a contributor to an internal think tank with the goal of developing a holistic approach for Groma to achieve maximally beneficial outcomes for the parts of society with which it interacts: tenants, investors, and all stakeholders in our cities, our country, and the world as a whole. This role combines the subject material and intellectual rigor of a think tank with the fast-paced and flexible environment of a startup. 

Job Functions

• Research policy topics under the direction of the Policy Architect
• Monitor relevant policy changes at the municipal, state, and federal level
• Produce research output for presentation to the Groma team and to external parties. This will include:
• Position papers
• Blog posts
• Educational briefings for other team members
• Analyses of impacts of different state and municipal policies to help Groma plan its expansion
• Collaborate with the Policy Architect and the executive team to determine how to operationalize research findings with other Groma teams, including engineering, acquisitions, and property management
• Develop relationships with external stakeholders via in-person meetings, video calls, and written communications (this will include policymakers, academics, journalists, and activists)

Skills & Experience

• Academic background in policy research or other rigorous analytical role
• Exceptional knowledge of relevant policy issues
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational, time management, and computer skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

At Groma, we’re looking to build something big and are on a fast growth trajectory. While a healthy work-life balance is important to our team, we want to be upfront that there may be times when we expect commitments outside of the standard 9-5. We strive to respect individuals and their needs while also acknowledging the reality that we have a small team that is trying to accomplish some very ambitious goals in a short time period.  

We are also focused on maintaining our dynamic in-office culture at Groma’s headquarters in beautiful downtown Boston, Massachusetts. We believe that in-person collaboration and spontaneous interpersonal interaction is critical to the company’s success at this stage. Also, our office is great. We own the whole building and have made it very much our own space. We’ve got a gym, shower/locker rooms, a game room, a rooftop garden, and all the normal stuff to make an office a comfortable work environment and a fun place to be. We understand that everyone will need flexibility from time to time, but want to be transparent with this expectation.

We have an ever-evolving list of values and conventions that guide how we operate as a company, but here are some of our core ones:

• We approach our work with pragmatic idealism that enables us to focus on our desire to make the world a better place in ways big and small while also being open to intelligent compromises that accelerate us on our path to serve our broader societal goals.
• Our whole team believes strongly that the challenges we are trying to solve require effective teams, not individual heroes.
• We have complex conversations well. We sit at the intersection of housing and blockchain policy, both nuanced topics with real-world impacts. We pride ourselves on being thoughtful, seeking the best solutions to real-world challenges, and implementing them effectively in the real world.

• Competitive compensation
• Early stage equity in a quickly growing startup
• 5% 401k match
• Fully covered commuter passes for bus, subway, boat, or commuter rail
• Competitive Paid Time Off
• 13 official company holidays
• 1 floating holiday: We recognize that there are lots of holidays that are meaningful to different people in different ways and we want to celebrate that by enabling team members to have the time/space to commemorate those days however is appropriate, and using it as an opportunity - if they’d like to - to share the meaning of that day with the broader team
• A beautiful office in downtown Boston with a gym, locker rooms, game room, rooftop garden, and several catered lunches a week

Interested?

Please apply below.