Director, Government Affairs - Ag/Nutrition (Washington DC/Hybrid)

Description

Work. Serve. Thrive.

Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in peoples' lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.
Feeding America is the nation's second largest charity and the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States. Our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Learn more about Feeding America here.

This position is based out of Feeding America's Washington DC office location. At Feeding America, we believe in offering a flexible work environment. Employees can be in the office an average of 2-3 days a week (when not travelling for work) and work from home on other days. Employees also have access to a 30-day "work anywhere" program during the course of each calendar year that can be combined with PTO and/or holidays.

The Opportunity

The Director, Government Affairs - Ag/Nutrition develops and implements strategies to increase federal support for federal nutrition programs, particularly through committees of jurisdiction over federal nutrition programs, in particular budget, appropriations, and agriculture committees. Develops and implements a wide range of strategic legislative and lobbying strategies to increase support for federal nutrition programs through legislative and administrative actions. Serves as a spokesperson on the issue of hunger, the impact of legislative proposals on hunger, and Feeding America before a range of audiences. Helps position Feeding America as a leading organization on domestic hunger. Builds legislative support to end hunger for network members, people we serve, and the public to advance policy priorities to help and empower the people we serve. This position requires frequent (20-40%) travel.
Salary Range: $104,000 to $130,000+ Based on Experience

Responsibilities:

• Develops and implements legislative strategies to build Congressional support for legislation that helps address hunger, in particular annual appropriations campaigns to increase support for nutrition and anti-hunger programs and federal campaigns with Congress and USDA to increase support for TEFAP funding.
• Lobbies at the federal level to increase support in Congress and the Administration and federal agencies for policy priorities and funding to address hunger.
• Represents Feeding America at events with Congress, the Administration, legislative forums, speaking engagements, conferences, coalition meetings and similar events and serves as a subject matter expert on the issues facing food insecure households in the United States.
• Develop and execute plans to create broad coalitions of stakeholders with key influence with Congress in support of Feeding America's policy priorities, including potential partners from the network, business community, food and agriculture industry, faith community, national anti-hunger partners and national elected official groups.
• In collaboration with the Director of Congressional Relations, oversees the coordination of Feeding America's legislative engagement across multiple campaigns to ensure coordination and consistent messaging with Congressional offices.
• Guide, coach, and/or supervise department staff by providing direction, input, support, and feedback as needed, and providing management support to the VP of Government Affairs and broader Government Relations Department leadership, working as a team to ensure department goals are met.
• Help provide key guidance and information to enable legislative outreach from network members to advance Feeding America's policy and legislative priorities.
• With the broader Government Relations team, helps create a strategy and plan to implement targeted legislative grants with network members to enable legislative advocacy with critical Congressional stakeholders.
• With the Director of Congressional Relations, create and execute a congressional briefing plan that increases awareness of and support for addressing hunger in Congress and with key federal stakeholders, including key themes and engagement frames to use in educating federal lawmakers on the issue of hunger.
• Utilize highly effective project management processes to focus department on measurable results and promote accountability at the team and individual level for delivering against agreed upon goals.
• Provides lobbying support, including strategic advice and technical expertise to the Government Relations team, national office, network and state food bank associations on federal legislative campaigns.
• Develops timely and effective tools for communicating legislative campaigns and policy priorities to key audiences, including Congress, the Administration, strategic partners, the network, and other supporters.
• Provides leadership support including providing strategic counsel to Government Relations Department leaders, including managing external consultants and budget to support legislative engagement and strategy.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• 10+ years' experience in legislative campaigns, issue advocacy, or other influence campaigns required.
• Strong understanding of the federal legislative process, federal nutrition programs, and food bank network preferred.
• Ability to successfully communicate vision, strategy and operational goals to internal and external contacts using verbal, written and presentation skills. Experience and proven ability to engage and work effectively with a wide range of individuals and organizational stakeholders including network members, partners, donors and internal colleagues.
• Experience and proficiency building and managing complex programs and/or public-private partnerships or coalitions.
• Understanding of food insecurity and its impact, related issues and programmatic and policy initiatives to advance food security.
• Superb organizational and interpersonal skills combined with the ability to prioritize demands and projects, particularly when faced with multiple time-sensitive priorities.
• Outstanding judgement and critical thinking with the ability to assimilate various data points and perspectives in making strategic recommendations and decisions.
• Committed to organizational mission of ending hunger.
• Proficient in MS Office applications; Experience with CRMs (Salesforce, Quorum), legislative tracking, and legislative engagement tools preferred.

Foundational Requirements

• Mission Focused: Demonstrates a commitment to Feeding America's mission through work and action. Is committed to people keep people facing hunger at the center of our work and strives to translate this commitment into action on a daily basis. Willing to advocate for people facing hunger and serve as an ambassador for Feeding America inside and outside of work.
• Embraces Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Demonstrates a personal commitment to valuing different background and life experiences through word and action. Takes personal actions to build an inclusive culture that ensures everyone can fully contribute based on their unique talents, skills and perspectives and feels welcomed and valued. Commits to driving equitable solutions to address root cause issues by incorporating an equity framework in their daily work. Committed to continuous personal EDI development.

Required Leadership Competencies:

• Establishes Vision and Crafts Strategy: Develops strategic initiatives and creates a supporting portfolio of projects aligned to department strategy and operating goals. Partners with leaders in other departments to identify strategies for breaking down long-term barriers to achieving critical organizational goals.
• Communicates Effectively: Conveys clear and effective messages using verbal and written communication to individuals, small groups, and large audiences. Shares timely, relevant project/operating priorities and updates to key stakeholder audiences that may include staff, network food bank members, donors, and other groups. Reads audiences, asks questions, and uses feedback to adjust messages and style as necessary to make positive impact. Seeks first to understand before voicing own opinions. Shares difficult or negative messages in a tactful manner.
• Coaches and Develops Talent and Teams: Regularly allocates time to developing people and teams, including building direct reports' mentoring and coaching skills. Seeks opportunities to place, stretch, grow, and promote talent. Provides specific, behavioral feedback to direct reports and others throughout the year so they know what to keep doing and how they can improve. Ensures employees have on-the-job opportunities to use skills acquired via developmental activities. Actively participates in recruiting, performance, development, and compensation decisions for direct reports.
• Collaborates Internally and Externally: Leads cross-functional work groups and is regularly sought out to work collaboratively on problem-solving teams. Networks and fosters relationships with external partners to achieve long-term mutually beneficial outcomes. Promotes constructive conversations that challenge ideas and consider alternative points of view about issues and options. Models positive engagement in resolving conflict and elevates a focus on mission and what is best for the people we serve. Avoids finger-pointing and preserves others' reputations, even in challenging situations.
• Leverages Functional Expertise: Applies extensive functional expertise to diagnose challenges and root causes to complex, organization-wide problems. Provides colleagues with sound functional guidance and influences others to embrace leading practices for the benefit of Feeding America. Prioritizes building employees' functional acumen and helps team stay abreast of leading practices in their field.

Feeding America recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a culture that values differences, ideas, and experiences. We intentionally seek out diverse perspectives and skills on our teams, knowing that it makes us stronger as an organization and better equipped to serve our neighbors in need. We encourage individuals from historically under-represented communities and individuals with lived experience of hunger to apply.