Job Description

Job Description

Who we are:

At the Child Poverty Action Lab CPAL, we believe every child deserves a life filled with opportunity. CPAL operates as an unofficial Research and Development lab for Dallas, using data to rethink public systems and equipping community partners at the neighborhood level to be successful in collectively achieving our mission to reduce childhood poverty in Dallas by 50% within a single generation. CPAL works across five key areas to reduce child poverty - Benefits Delivery, Maternal Health, Housing, Criminal Justice and Public Safety. These five “big bets” are rooted in a growing body of evidence that connects experiences in childhood to economics in adulthood.

Three key principles underpin CPAL’s approach:

• Design for scale: Child poverty is a problem of massive scale and requires the magnitude of government resources to fund solutions of equal scale. CPAL brings together the leaders of nine Dallas public agencies with a collective annual operating budget of over $10 billion to align local resources and take collective action on promising interventions.
• Center on evidence: CPAL develops and applies evidence-based outcomes frameworks on child poverty alleviation programs. Data is used to determine where to develop interventions and to evaluate if those interventions are working. CPAL equips our partners and community leaders to use data so they can make better decisions.
• Power with community expertise: By empowering community based organizations, residents, families, or frontline teams with tools, resources, and access to leaders, CPAL builds a broad coalition for sustainable efforts to combat child poverty.

Overview of Position:

The Public Information Coordinator plays a vital role in advancing CPAL’s mission to drive data-informed, community-centered solutions to cut poverty. This position leads the organization’s efforts to acquire key data and records from local and state governmental agencies under the Texas Public Information Act and similar laws. The ideal candidate will be a resourceful and detail-oriented professional who thrives on uncovering hard-to-find information and ensuring transparency in public systems.

Why We Need You:

Timely, accurate information is the foundation of CPAL’s work. Whether we’re fighting to improve maternal health outcomes or expand access to quality, affordable housing, our ability to act depends on access to high-quality public data. This role ensures that data needs are met through strategic, well-executed public information requests—so our team can make the strongest data-driven decisions.

What You Will Do:

Public Information Strategy & Execution:

• Draft, submit, and manage public information (open records) requests to local and state governmental entities.
• Track request status, timelines, and deliverables, and conduct consistent follow-up to ensure timely responses.
• Review, organize, and analyze documents received from agencies; escalate issues when necessary.
• Maintain a centralized database of requests, agency contacts, outcomes, and response histories.

Internal Collaboration & Prioritization:

• Work closely with CPAL’s data and analytics team to pass off data for warehousing.
• Work closely with the public affairs and Big Bet teams to understand data needs and prioritize information requests accordingly.
• Identify trends in data needs and recommend proactive strategies for recurring or anticipated requests.

Compliance & Government Relations:

• Stay informed on relevant laws and procedures, particularly the Texas Public Information Act and local regulations.
• Build and maintain professional relationships with agency records officers and legal contacts.
• Flag legal or procedural concerns in responses (e.g., redactions, delays) and support follow-up actions such as appeals or clarifications.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in public policy/public affairs, communications, legal studies, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of experience managing public records requests, legal/regulatory research, or public-sector data collection.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, persistence, and ability to manage multiple timelines.
• Ability to manage confidential or sensitive data with integrity and professionalism.
• Familiarity with the Texas Public Information Act or similar open records laws.

Preferred:

• Experience working with data related to public health, education, criminal justice, housing, or human services.
• Prior experience working with public agencies or established relationships with relevant departments.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement savings plan with employer match.
• Generous paid time off and holidays.

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