Associate Director of Government Affairs

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Government Affairs will be responsible for developing and implementing high impact, multifaced, and complex advocacy campaigns to advance Western Resource Advocates and WRA Action Fund’s mission (referred to collectively as “WRA” in this job announcement). This position will involve working closely with WRA’s policy and marketing and communications staff, and senior leadership team to advance innovative legislative and administrative policy solutions critical to addressing the region's most pressing climate change challenges. The position will focus on advancing climate and conservation policies across WRA’s three program areas. The ideal candidate for this role is a highly motivated strategic thinker who possesses sound judgment, strong decision-making skills, and political acumen. This position includes supervision of others on the Government Affairs team.

About Western Resource Advocates

WRA fights climate change and its impacts to sustain the environment, economy, and people of the West. Our team of policy experts, scientists, economists, and attorneys has a 30-year history of working where decisions are made, sweating the details, creating evidence-based solutions, and holding decision makers accountable. This on-the-ground-work with policymakers and other advocates advances clean energy, protects air, land, water, and wildlife—and sustains the lives and livelihoods of the West.

Location

The position can work remotely from the Phoenix or Tucson Metropolitan area, be based in WRA’s Phoenix office, or a hybrid remote and in-office setting.

Responsibilities 

STRATEGY, CAMPAIGN PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Lead in developing and executing strategic, multifaced, and complex advocacy campaign plans to build WRA’s influence in the state and with decision makers.
• Lead in identifying and prioritizing the organization’s highest-impact objectives and overseeing the development of campaign strategies for achieving wins across the various decision-making venues in the state and region. 
• Conduct evaluation of campaign effectiveness and progress through metrics and data analysis and use findings to inform updates to strategies and tactics.

LOBBYING AND STRATEGIC ADVOCACY

• Grow WRA’s influence through strategic partnerships with state decision makers.

• Identify and manage effective coalitions of diverse partners in the state to advance WRA’s priorities.
• Identify, recruit, and organize a diverse group of opinion leaders in the state to engage with decision-makers in support of WRA’s policies and positions.
• Manages and oversees contract lobbyists and other consultants retained by the Government Affairs department.

COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Work collaboratively with WRA staff and contract lobbyists to develop and implement priority campaign plans for driving wins. 
• In coordination with policy staff, read and analyze the potential impact of proposed legislation and administrative policies and work together to respond accordingly.

• Effectively communicate complex policy concepts to a diverse set of audiences.
• Monitor and track relevant state and local policies, rules, and regulations. 
• Frequent travel to state capital during legislative sessions.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervise government affairs manager, interns, fellows, and other Government Affairs staff members.

• Assist with hiring and training of government affairs managers, interns, fellows, and other Government Affairs staff. 
• Provides constructive feedback and timely performance evaluations for direct reports. 

Qualifications & Competencies

Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position will be considered. For example, the requisite experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities would include:

• At least eight years of experience in a government affairs capacity for an elected official, government agency, private entity, and/or nonprofit advocacy organization is required. 
• A minimum of five years of proven experience leading, developing and executing strategic government affairs, external affairs, communications, and/or advocacy campaigns. 
• At least two years of experience supervising staff as well as experience managing consultants. 
• Extensive understanding of relevant state politics and policy makers, especially as they relate to conservation and climate change policies.
• Substantial experience building and maintaining relationships with decision makers to advance policy objectives, including direct lobbying and advocacy. 
• Substantial experience building coalitions with a diverse group of stakeholders to advance public policy objectives. 
• Comfort and skill in communicating with a variety of constituencies and audiences.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to persuade, influence, or lead others on complex subjects.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with attention to detail and follow‐through. 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience and knowledge centering equity in policy development.
• Existing relationships with decision makers and influencers in WRA’s region. 

Working Environment and Physical Requirements

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those required by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation including: 

• A typical office environment with minimal exposure to excessive noise or adverse environmental issues.
• Prolonged periods of time at a desk and working on a computer.
• Position requires some travel by automobile, airplane, etc. 

Travel Requirements

Travel to meetings, conferences, and other work-related events is required within the relevant state and specifically to the capital city. This is in addition to travel required for retreats, and other internal organizational meetings within WRA’s region (approximately 10% to 25% depending on the location of work). 

Salary And Benefits

The salary range for an Associate Director of Government Affairs is $97,750 – 115,000 annually; salary depends on relevant experience and new staff rarely start at the top of the range. 

WRA’s excellent benefits package includes a 401(k)-retirement plan with up to 5% matching and health, dental, vision, and life & disability insurance with 100% of premiums paid by WRA. Annually, staff receive seventeen days paid vacation leave to start, twelve paid sick days, one paid volunteer day, twelve paid holidays, and WRA is closed for Winter Break between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for additional paid time off. Employees are eligible for up to twelve weeks of parental leave, and after five years, staff are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid sabbatical leave. Position is full-time exempt.

Deadline To Apply: Open Until Filled 

Diversity and inclusion are a critical component of our strategy, mission, and vision. We welcome candidates from an array of backgrounds and experiences to join our team. Learn more about our commitment here: 

https://westernresourceadvocates.org/diversity-equity-inclusion/

WRA is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.

Apply To Be WRA’s Associate Director of Government Affairs!

Thank you for your interest in the Associate Director of Government Affairs position with Western Resource Advocates. You will need to upload the following in PDF format:

• Cover letter to the attention of Associate Director of Government Affairs Hiring Panel, describing your relevant qualifications and the reason for your interest in this position.
• Resume
• Writing Sample 

Please direct any questions about this position or application process to hiring@westernresources.org.