Washington Government Relations Director

Occupations

Job Description

Job Title:                  Washington Government Relations Director

Job ID:                       39724

Location:                  Seattle, Washington

ABOUT US

The Nature Conservancy is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in all 50 states and more than 35 countries. Founded in 1951, the mission The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Washington Government Relations Director plans, implements and coordinates a comprehensive program for the Conservancy’s Washington Program to affect government policy and legislation at all levels to further the Conservancy’s mission. S/he monitors legislative and administrative initiatives and policies, which are related to the mission or programs of TNC, and ensures that the program complies with state and federal lobbying laws and regulations. Duties include regular contact with federal, state and other government officials regarding matters pertaining to legislative and administrative actions related to the mission of The Nature Conservancy and Washington Program, as well as public fund raising activity to increase the level of financial support for TNC and Washington Program projects and priorities. The Washington Government Relations Director collaborates with Conservation Programs and other Washington Program staff to develop government relations strategies that advance the conservation goals of the Washington Program.

The Washington Government Relations Director is the leader of the Government Relations Team and serves as a member of the Senior Management Team of the Washington Program. S/he is responsible for management and administration of the Washington Government Relations program, including development of an annual plan and budget, and supervision of the Government Relations staff.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and advancing government policies and programs that support The Nature Conservancy’s mission and the Washington Program’s conservation goals;
• Planning, developing and implementing an annual plan and budget for the Washington Government Relations Program, and supervising Government Relations staff;
• Advocating and lobbying for federal priority policies and public funding for programs and projects, including elements of federal agency budgets that are key to conservation priorities and advance the work of The Nature Conservancy and its partners;
• Researching, analyzing, evaluating and preparing recommendations on state and federal public policy issues, policy options and the potential impacts of proposed legislation, proposed rulemaking efforts, and changes in agency policies;
• Building and maintaining productive relationships and open communications with Washington’s

Congressional delegation and staff, key federal agency officials, and, when necessary, state and local public officials;

• Assuring compliance with all state and federal lobbying laws and regulations, including responsibility for maintaining, reporting and tracking all chapter state and federal lobbying activities;
• Representing The Nature Conservancy’s government relations program with coalitions and stakeholder groups;
• Serving as a member of the Washington Senior Management Team;
• Engaging and supporting the Washington Board of Trustees’ Government Relations Committee; and
• Leading or participating in ballot initiative campaigns for public conservation funding and/or specific conservation policy issues.

Job Requirements

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, government relations or related field and 5 years of experience, including experience working with legislative or campaign issues. Equivalent combination of education and experience acceptable.
• Experience with current political and conservation trends and issues in Washington State;
• Knowledge of federal lobbying laws and regulations.
• Supervisory experience.
• Experience developing, directing and managing multiple projects and implementing strategic program goals.
• Experience preparing and presenting project proposals to and/or negotiating with federal, state, county and/or municipal government representatives.
• Experience using MS Word, Excel, Outlook etc. and navigating the Internet.
• Ability to work with partners/government agencies without violating any restrictions related to conflicts of interest, lobbying former employers, or influencing decision makers.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, government relations or related field and 5 - 8 years of experience, including experience working with legislative or campaign issues. Equivalent combination of education and experience acceptable.
• Preference may be given to applicants with a Master’s degree in political science, public policy, natural resources management or a related field, or a law degree.
• Preference may be given to applicants with experience working or interacting with members of Congress.
• Experience and familiarity with social, economic and political conditions, issues and trends in Washington. Demonstrated political savvy and know-how.
• Experience preparing and presenting project proposals to and/or negotiating with federal, state, county and/or municipal government representatives.
• Supervisory experience, including ability to set objectives and manage performance.
• Knowledge of federal lobbying laws and regulations.
• Demonstrated experience in MS Office, Word and Excel. Ability to use advanced computer functions including navigating the Internet. Ability to manipulate, analyze and interpret data.

COMPLEXITY/ PROBLEM SOLVING:

• Cultivates the creative ideas of others to identify potential solutions. Experiments to find creative solutions – thinks out of the box.
• Designs, implements and directs multiple complex projects, setting and meeting deadlines and ensuring program accountability.
• Work is highly diversified and needed courses of action often do not fall under established practices and guidelines.
• Coordinates the efforts of multiple parties (both internal and external) on projects.
• Act as a resource to others to solve problems.

DISCRETION/ LATITUDE AND DECISION MAKING:

• Significant opportunity to act independently within broad program goals.
• Makes strategic decisions based on analysis, experience and judgment.
• Decisions may have program-wide impact.

RESPONSIBILITY/ OVERSIGHT- FINANANCIAL AND SUPERVISORY:

• Develop multi-year public fundraising strategies and goals and implement programs to achieve them.
• Manage multi-disciplinary administrative and professional staff, with responsibility for performance management, training, and career development. Establishes clear directions and sets stretch objectives.
• Responsibility and accountability for meeting departmental strategic goals and objectives.
• Develops and administers departmental budget.
• Ensures that program complies with TNC policies and procedures and external lobbying and legal regulations.

COMMUNICATIONS/ INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

• Work and communicate with a wide range of people – government officials, board of trustees, community leaders, partner organizations, program leadership, volunteers, the public and other staff to develop, negotiate and/or implement programs and projects.
• Consistently demonstrate professional, positive, and approachable attitude/demeanor and discretion.
• Function productively as a member of a work team.

WORKING CONDITIONS/ PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Work requires only minor physical exertion and/or strain. Work environment involves only infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements.
• Work requires regular travel, including overnight travel. 4 – 5 trips to Washington, D.C., are anticipated annually.

BENEFITS:

The Nature Conservancy offers competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work policies and a collaborative work environment. We also provide professional development opportunities and promote from within. As a result, you will find a culture that supports and inspires conservation achievement and personal development, both within the workplace and beyond.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to position number 39724, submit resume and cover letter as one document. All applications must be submitted in the system prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 28, 2012.

Failure to complete all of the required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. The information entered in the education and work experience sections are auto screened by the system based on the basic qualifications of the position.

You must click submit to apply for the position. Click save if you want to be able to return to your application and submit it later. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT