General Summary Under the Policy Manager's general supervision, the Policy Writer performs senior professional-level policy research, analysis, development, and technical writing for the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The position develops, reviews, revises, and maintains complex, high-impact agency policies, procedures, and related directives so that they are legally sound, operationally workable, internally consistent, clearly written, and aligned with applicable federal, state, and local law, regulatory and accreditation requirements, Harris County requirements, and Sheriff's Office directives.
The Policy Writer serves as a senior technical resource for policy development, independently leading complex or agency-wide policy initiatives, establishing policy-development frameworks and standards, and consulting directly with Legal Counsel, Executive Command, and bureau/division leadership on the most difficult or highest-impact policy questions. The position may guide less experienced policy staff on assigned initiatives; it does not have formal supervisory authority.
Key Responsibilities:
Directs research, drafting, and revision of complex, high-impact, or agency-wide Sheriff's Office policies, procedures, general orders, and related administrative directives.
Conducts comprehensive research into applicable federal and Texas law, Harris County requirements, HCSO Civil Service Rules, regulatory and accreditation standards (e.g., TCOLE, TCJS, PREA, CALEA), court decisions, and recognized public-safety practices.
Interviews and consults with Executive Command, Legal Counsel, bureau/division leadership, subject-matter experts, and employees to obtain and validate the information needed to develop or revise policy.
Evaluates existing policies for accuracy, clarity, consistency, redundancy, conflicting requirements, outdated provisions, operational feasibility, and compliance risk.
Translates complex legal, regulatory, and operational information into clear, concise, and actionable policy language appropriate for employees at all levels.
Establishes policy-development frameworks, outlines, definitions, responsibilities, and procedural requirements needed to communicate expectations effectively.
Performs policy gap analyses and identifies areas where existing policy does not adequately address current law, regulation, organizational practice, or operational risk.
Conducts policy impact analyses to identify likely effects on operations, staffing, training, technology, labor/employee relations, forms, records, budget, and other affected functions.
Coordinates policy review with Legal Counsel and appropriate stakeholders on proposed or revised policy involving statutory, regulatory, civil-service, employment, constitutional, or other legal considerations.
Facilitates structured stakeholder review of draft policy, evaluates competing input, and prepares revised language or options for management decision.
Identifies unresolved policy issues and presents alternatives, risks, and recommendations to Executive Command for decision.
Prepares executive summaries, briefing documents, policy memoranda, and change summaries for Executive Command and affected personnel.
Maintains documentation of policy research, source authorities, stakeholder input, revisions, and approvals.
Leads systematic review cycles to ensure agency policy remains current and identifies policies requiring revision due to changes in law, regulation, or operations.
Coordinates with affected divisions on implementation of approved policy, including related training, forms, systems, or procedural changes.
Provides professional guidance to other policy staff on policy development, writing standards, documentation, and policy-management practices.
Conducts benchmarking and comparative research into policies and practices of other governmental and public-safety organizations, as appropriate.
Handles sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
Performs other duties within the scope and responsibility of the position as assigned.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Policy, Public Administration, Government, Political Science, English, Technical Communication, Journalism, Legal Studies, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, or a closely related field; and
Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience in policy research, policy analysis, regulatory analysis, technical writing, legal writing, procedure development, compliance documentation, or comparable professional work, including at least two (2) years of direct responsibility for drafting, substantively revising, or analyzing formal organizational policies, regulations, procedures, standards, or comparable governance documents.
Valid Driver's License (Texas upon hire).
Candidates selected for interview will be required to submit a professional writing sample.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of: Principles and practices of professional policy analysis, policy development, technical writing, editing, and document management.
Research methods used to evaluate laws, regulations, governmental requirements, professional standards, and operational practices.
Organizational governance, internal controls, and policy-implementation principles.
Plain-language principles and methods for communicating complex information clearly.
Public-safety or law-enforcement operations sufficient to understand the operational impact of agency policy, or the ability to rapidly develop such knowledge.
Skilled in: Advanced professional and technical writing, editing, and substantive revision of complex documents.
Legal, regulatory, policy, and operational research.
Analyzing complex or conflicting information and identifying material issues.
Synthesizing information from multiple sources into coherent policy requirements.
Conducting interviews and facilitating discussion with subject-matter experts.
Preparing executive-level briefings, recommendations, and analytical documents.
Managing multiple complex assignments and competing deadlines.
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and other document-development and collaboration applications such as Visio and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Ability to: Write complex policy requirements with precision, clarity, consistency, and appropriate level of detail.
Independently analyze unfamiliar and technically complex subject matter.
Interpret laws, regulations, and professional standards sufficiently to identify policy implications, while coordinating legal questions with counsel.
Identify inconsistencies, omissions, ambiguities, and implementation problems in proposed policy.
Exercise sound professional judgment in determining when additional research, stakeholder consultation, or legal review is necessary.
Communicate effectively with personnel ranging from front-line employees and subject-matter experts to attorneys, bureau/division leadership, and Executive Command.
Maintain objectivity when reconciling competing operational viewpoints.
Work independently with limited supervision on highly sensitive or high-impact assignments.
Maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion.
Master's degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Government, Criminal Justice, Technical Communication, or a related discipline; or Juris Doctor degree.
Professional experience developing policy for a law-enforcement, corrections, criminal-justice, governmental, regulatory, military, healthcare, or similarly regulated organization.
Demonstrated experience researching and interpreting statutes, regulations, administrative rules, case law, or accreditation standards.
Experience developing law-enforcement or detention policies, standard operating procedures, general orders, or comparable operational documents.
Experience conducting policy gap analyses, policy audits, or systematic policy reviews.
Experience working collaboratively with attorneys, executive leadership, and regulatory personnel.
Work Environment This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.
Work Environment & Physical Demands This position operates primarily in a professional office setting.
Standard use of computers, phones, printers, and other office and document-management equipment.
Occasional need to lift and carry up to 10 pounds to move files and/or boxes of documents.
Position Type and Typical Hours of Work Position Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Work Schedule:
Typically Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, with availability for after-hours and on-call support as required.
Other Duties This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, and responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Reporting Relationships Reports To Position: Policy Manager
Supervises Positions: None (may provide functional guidance to Policy Analyst I/II staff on assigned policy initiatives)
Equal Opportunity Statement Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, or any other protected class in accordance with applicable federal and state laws.
