Director of Government Relations and Advocacy

IICRC • Full-time • Remote (Washington DC-Baltimore Area, US) • 1d ago

The Director of Government Relations and Advocacy is responsible for developing, overseeing, and executing the advocacy strategy for the IICRC. Working with executive leadership, they define policy and research priorities and lead the execution of the advocacy strategy. They use demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and international legislative and regulatory procedures to identify, analyze, and monitor important topics to the industries the IICRC serves. The Director of Government Relations and Advocacy supervise all other positions in the Government Affairs and Advocacy department, including team members when put in place.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

· Oversees the development and implementation of an effective advocacy agenda & strategy to advance IICRC’s policy priorities through legislative and regulatory initiatives, as well as industry outreach. Develop plans to execute, track, and manage that strategy.

· Researches and monitors federal and state government actions that could impact IICRC constituents and industries.

· Researches and monitors international government actions in regions where IICRC has a sizeable presence.

· Presents as the public facing IICRC Advocacy representative; public speaking

· Travel as required for Tradeshows, Events, Speaking engagements related to Congressional and State Committee hearings; international and domestic travel may be required depending on strategic initiatives in motion.

· Uses knowledge of state and federal legislative and regulatory processes to develop and carry out advocacy strategies.

· Stays abreast of policy landscape and trends at federal, state, and local levels and report to executive leadership on potential opportunities and challenges.

· Monitors a variety of topics for important developments and provides proactive analysis.

· Builds and maintains contacts with congressional and committee staff, federal agencies, state and local officials, and industry representatives.

· Contributes to or authors comment letters, public policy statements, policy position papers, issue briefs, newsletter articles, and other policy documents (one-pagers, talking points, etc.) as needed.

· Supports an advocacy-orientated research agenda that advances the IICRC’s policy priorities, including various forms of qualitative and quantitative research methods.

· Direct collaboration with the Marketing Department on all advocacy focused initiatives; including the website, social media campaigns, traditional media, infographics, fact sheets, and other marketing materials.

· Monitors legal decisions that could impact IICRC constituents and industries.

· Oversees work of hired consultants and firms, such as research firms or lobbyists, as needed.

· Lead planning and delivery of IICRC Advocacy Events.

· Contribute to MOU participation on Advocacy Committees in the industry.

· Periodically reviews and updates all advocacy resources and collateral.

· Other duties as assigned

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

· Bachelor’s degree and four years of related experience.

· Advanced or Juris Doctor degree in related field preferred but not required.

· In-depth knowledge of the legislative and regulatory processes at the state and federal level.

· Experience with legislative/regulatory tracking platforms preferred but not required.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

· Excellent written and verbal communications skills.

· Strong presentation and persuasion skills.

· Exceptional project management skills, including attention to detail.

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively

· Critical thinking, analytical, and resourceful

· Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and basic editing skills.

· Ability to thoroughly understand IICRC’s mission, vision, and challenges.

· Superior communication and relationship building skills, including the ability to articulate and advanced ideas with individuals of all backgrounds.

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively on concurrent projects to meet goals and quality

standards

· Ability to adapt to changes, prioritize, meet deadlines, and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.

· Strong interpersonal, teamwork, and diplomacy capabilities.

· Self-motived with a sense of ownership and assertive follow through skills.

· Fluent in English; utilize additional language capabilities if appropriate.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/CONDITIONS

· Remote position, requiring working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions. Job tasks are performed in close physical proximity to other people.

· Requires repetitive movement, sitting, writing letters and memos, face-to-face discussions with

individuals or teams, use of electronic mail, telephone conversations, contact with others (face-to-

face, by telephone, or otherwise).

· Requires the opportunity to make decisions without supervision, freedom to determine tasks,

priorities, and goals, repeating the same physical activities or mental activities over and over; requires being exact or highly accurate; ability to effectively communicate with individuals inside and outside the organization.

· Requires the ability to spot inaccuracies and use problem solving skills to investigate; ability to provide insight into possible process and procedures improvements; ability to perform well in high stress situations; ability to concentrate in an office environment.

· Requires the ability to maintain a positive attitude and professional image; ability to switch priorities and work requirements demand; ability to communicate effectively – written and oral.

· Ability to travel, and telecommute, as needed

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

· All available general office equipment as needed

· All available computer software and hardware as needed

WORK RELATIONSHIP/CONTACTS

· Daily, personal written/phone contact with IICRC staff, supervisors, and managers

· Occasional written/phone contact with IICRC Board members and Shareholder representatives

· Occasional written/phone contact with industry associations

· Frequent written/phone contact with policymakers, staffers, consultants, etc.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

· Sitting for prolonged periods of time

· Standing and walking for brief periods of time