Director Client Relations Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

About McAllister & Quinn

McAllister & Quinn is a federal and foundation grants consulting and government relations firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. We offer our 200+ clients a unique blend of comprehensive grant consulting, strategic advising, and government relations services.

The Defense and Advanced Technology Practice is strategically positioned to support, expand, and diversify federal agency research and development (R&D) opportunities for engineering and technology clients, primarily for-profit companies ranging from single-person startups to Fortune 500 corporations. The practice works across a broad range of engineering and technology sectors, including Defense, Critical & Emerging Technologies, Energy, and Biotechnology, helping clients proactively secure federal funding to develop, commercialize, and scale technologies that drive business results. As the federal government continues to invest in strengthening U.S. national security, modernizing defense systems, and accelerating the deployment of next-generation capabilities such as unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous systems, AI-enabled platforms, advanced sensors, and resilient communications infrastructure, our practice brings extensive expertise and proven capabilities to help businesses identify, navigate, and pursue opportunities that align with their strategic objectives while advancing agency missions.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

The Managing Director of Federal Affairs will help manage a government relations and lobbying portfolio of Defense and Advance Technology clients. The Managing Director will work closely with Managing Partner, Andy Quinn, and the two practice Vice Presidents. The focus of the role is providing legislative and appropriations knowledge and support for Defense and Advanced Technology clients to include:

• Oversee a portfolio of government affairs clients within the Defense & Advanced Technology practice, providing strategic counsel and day-to-day client support.
• Partner with the Managing Partner and practice leadership to grow the defense and government relations business, including business development, client forecasting, and outreach to prospective lobbying clients.
• Engage with senior officials across the Department of Defense, military branches, federal agencies, and Congress to advocate for client priorities and advance legislative, appropriations, and policy objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key congressional offices, committees, subcommittees, federal agency officials, and program officers relevant to client priorities.
• Monitor, analyze, and communicate congressional, administration, legislative, regulatory, and policy developments affecting clients, and serve as a subject matter resource on relevant government relations issues.
• Design and manage client appropriations request strategies, including identifying the appropriate accounts and programs, drafting or reviewing project descriptions, ensuring compliance, advising on forms and submissions, and tracking committee guidance and request progress.
• Identify and pursue federal funding and partnership opportunities for clients, including grants, contracts, pilot programs, and other opportunities, particularly within the defense sector.
• Prepare materials for and lead client meetings, briefings, and engagements by phone, virtually, and on Capitol Hill.
• Develop client-facing and business development materials, including presentations, webinars, blogs, and other outreach content.
• Tracking firm data in Salesforce/Capture platforms on congressional appropriations requests, accounts, progress, and reports.
• Provide internal training, workshops, and written resources on the congressional process, legislative developments, and appropriations requests.
• Represent the Defense & Advanced Technology practice in firmwide Government Relations meetings and working groups to support coordination and information sharing. Occasional travel outside Washington, DC area will be required.

Minimum Requirements and Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of Bachelor’s degree with a preference for political science, international relations, defense studies or a related policy-oriented field
• 6-10 years of experience in government relations, defense policy, or related fields, and direct appropriations experience
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with different personality types and organizational levels
• Strong working knowledge of Congress, federal appropriations, and the legislative process is required
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple clients and priorities
• Self-starter who can organize their time to add value to the team with light supervision
• Superior writing, editing, and communication skills
• Ability to synthesize and accurately summarize lengthy and complex materials
• Strong verbal communication skills via phone, email, and in personal interactions
• Comfortable researching new topics, gathering information, and distilling research into useful preliminary recommendations on short timeframes
• Detail oriented with strong project management and planning skills
• Strategic, creative, service oriented, and adaptive professional mindset
• Ability to troubleshoot problems when they arise and to work independently
• Very strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, and Adobe, with focus on Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.
• Candidates will have held a Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director position, or similar

• Normal work hours are 8:30 am through 5:30 pm Monday through Friday EST (for local staff)
• Location: In-office (Washington, D.C.).
• Hybrid work schedule - 3 days in the office as determined by supervisor and/or practice
• Competitive 401(k), healthcare, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, dependent care FSA, HSA/FSA, and transit benefits.
• Salary consideration will be commensurate with experience
• Flexible vacation and leave policy

At McAllister & Quinn, we’re challenging the status quo. When we connect different perspectives, we open ourselves to new possibilities, inspire innovation, and allow us to achieve the full potential of our people. We’re building an employee experience & engagement that includes appreciation, belonging, growth, and purpose for everyone in our team.

Application Instructions

Please submit a cover letter and resume file along with your application through our careers page: https://jm-aq.com/careers/. The cover letter should speak to how your education and/or work experiences integrate with the role and why you are the best fit for the position.