Federal Affairs Director

The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is seeking an experienced, hardworking, and values-driven government affairs professional to join our federal affairs team. The ideal candidate will have a deep well of existing knowledge and relationships on Capitol Hill, a rock-solid alignment with FGA’s conservative policy agenda and mission, and should genuinely enjoy being on the Hill and interacting with policymakers and staff every week. This role is an opportunity for the right candidate to make a wider impact, grow his or her advocacy skills and policymaker network, and help improve the lives of millions of Americans. 

CULTURE AND FIT

The people who consistently succeed at FGA are those whose actions and behavior reflect our five Core Values. If you adhere to these values and answer “yes” to each of the following questions, you may be a fit.

1) Candid to Solve: Being willing to have tough conversations in order to solve issues and build trust.

• Do you seek out constructive feedback—and provide it to others—to solve issues and build trust with coworkers? 

2) Grow or Die: We don’t have a neutral gear; we must consistently challenge ourselves and each other to grow in our talents and skills.

• Are you aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and do you seek out complementary skills and growth in order to mitigate your weaknesses? 

3) Politically Savvy: Policy doesn’t change in a vacuum, but in a political reality that we must understand and account for.

• Do you agree that embracing the realities of politics is necessary to change public policy? 

4) Partnership-Oriented: Internal and external relationships are not transactional. That starts with our team members and the perspective that we need the rest of the team to succeed in order to win personally.

• Are you comfortable creating your own structure for work, such as setting work hours, your own priorities, and creating clarity and a workplan from a broad goal? Do you tend to be the one who initiates conversations with colleagues, rather than waiting for them to come to you?

5) Bought in to Win: We’re at FGA because we want to change policy. No one is counting hours or widgets. We are here to get results, and sometimes, that will require going the extra mile or doing a job that isn’t technically ours.

• Do you wholeheartedly agree with the policies that we advocate for and the underlying principles that people’s lives are made better through work, not government welfare, and that a free market creates greater freedom and equality than any command-and-control government system?

The vast majority of those who don’t get hired (or don’t last) at FGA are due to a lack of fit with these values. Be prepared to have very candid conversations about them in our interview process.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As Federal Affairs Director, you will have three primary roles broken down into key responsibilities. They are:

1) Developing a Winning “Sales” Strategy for a Portfolio of Issues

• For a specific set of issues (your policy portfolio), you will be responsible for creating and executing the plan of attack, what a business would call a “sales strategy,” to turn smart conservative policy ideas into reality. 
• Important components of a winning strategy will include a deep awareness of the current political environment, the intricacies of how Congress and federal agencies operate, and the real-world impact of the policy. 

2) Turning Federal Policy Ideas into Reality

• For your specific portfolio, you will be the internal and external point person for every step of the lawmaking process, taking policy ideas created by our policy team and transforming them into political reality, and rapidly responding to requests from congressional and executive branch partners. 
• Success will hinge on strong communication skills to sell winning ideas to policymakers and their staff while securing stakeholder buy-in as needed. It will also require a boots-on-the-ground approach that fosters collaboration and trust with key partners.

3) Building Relationships and Network Cultivation

• You will be responsible (and accountable) for building the relationships and facilitating the teamwork—both internal and external—needed to get big policy wins across the finish line.
• You should already have a strong network of allies in Washington, D.C., but you should expect to take it to another level with this role. You will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining those federal relationships to become a trusted resource for top elected officials, staff, and key agencies. 

REQUIREMENTS

• Exceptional communication skills, including interpersonal and written, and a proven ability to work well with others (internal and external) in a way that builds rapport and trust. 
• Minimum of five years of experience in federal policy, which should include federal legislative and/or executive agency experience. You should feel comfortable on Capitol Hill, be available to be there at least one to two days most weeks, and be able to build new and leverage existing relationships as needed. You will ultimately be trusted to schedule and run meetings about FGA policies on your own. 
• Strong organization skills and attention to detail. You will be responsible for managing multiple projects simultaneously, so you need a built-in comfort level with data-tracking and project management tools, the willingness to learn and utilize the tools FGA relies on, and the proactive communication skills needed to keep it all moving smoothly. 
• Self-motivated. You should have the instincts to determine what to do and who to talk to without being told. You should know how to take an idea and turn it into law—because you’ve been a part of it before, and you want to use your skills to advance a wider range of conservative policies and promote government accountability. 

TIMING, LOCATION, AND COMPENSATION

FGA is seeking to fill this position with the right candidate as soon as possible. This role is based in Washington, D.C., and the candidate must be willing and available for frequent in-person meetings with staff and policymakers on and around Capitol Hill. FGA’s headquarters are in Naples, FL, but nearly all of FGA’s staff work remotely from other states, so internal communication will require Zoom and remote communication. FGA has built a highly successful work culture over the past decade with systems and structures designed for clarity, flexibility, and great communication. Key elements of this environment include:

• Quarterly in-person team meetings at which you’ll build deeper relationships, set clear goals aligned with FGA’s big vision, and brainstorm how to seize new opportunities
• An intensive 90-day orientation to familiarize you with the FGA team, our policies, and how we operate
• Home office setup, including equipment and communication tools you need to hit the ground running

FGA offers a competitive salary of between $120,000–$150,000 for this position, depending on experience, education, and qualifications, and a benefits package including a six percent retirement match, health benefit, and generous paid leave plan.
 

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