Senior Government Relations Legislative Counsel

SUMMARY

This professional position is responsible for advancing Defenders of Wildlife’s legislative and administrative interests before Congress, the Administration, and the media and providing legal support on legislation and various compliance matters. Issue priorities are drawn from Defenders’ current priorities, including endangered species; wildlife; national wildlife refuges, national forests, and public lands; and related appropriations issues. Issue-related responsibilities include: leading multi-group legislative campaigns involving direct lobbying; developing legislative strategies; leading and/or participating in inter-departmental campaign teams; leading and/or representing Defenders’ interests in national issue-based coalitions; helping to develop grassroots and communications and social media strategies; working with and monitoring Congressional committees; drafting reports, fact sheets, and testimony; obtaining legislative and political information; and generally assisting the advocacy work of Defenders’ Government Relations department. Legal and compliance-related responsibilities include: reviewing legislation, providing legal and drafting assistance, and playing a lead role in ensuring Defenders complies with federal electioneering, lobbying, and ethics laws.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legislative Advocacy

• Play a leading role in clarifying and advancing Defenders’ legislative/administrative goals for assigned issues.
• Lead and regularly work in coalitions with advocacy staff at partner organizations to strategize politically, craft messaging, determine legislative targets, and help determine resource allocations for national issue campaigns.
• Employing sound political judgment, build an effective network of congressional, coalition, and public support to advance assigned issues.
• Utilizing strong legislative judgment, identify and implement effective legislative/administrative strategies and projects to advance assigned issues.
• Continually marshal, leverage, and organize inter-departmental and, where possible, external resources on assigned legislative/administrative issues through ongoing campaign planning, project management, legislative targeting, team building, and coalition leadership.
• Implement, as appropriate, various aspects of issue campaigns through activities including: direct lobbying; coalition representation; legislative, policy, and legal analysis; multi-party negotiations; bill drafting; direct and grassroots lobbying materials development; action alert drafting; testimony and public presentations; media representation; and drafting press materials and legislatively focused Web content.
• Closely monitor legislative developments in assigned issues and disseminate timely information about those issues throughout the organization.
• Provide timely responses to requests for progress reports, funding proposals, budgets, and other information requested by departments including: Government Relations, Communications, and Philanthropy.
• Contribute to the development of Defenders of Wildlife’s legislative Report Card through activities by identifying potential votes and drafting vote descriptions.
• Effectively contribute to Defenders’ positive image on Capitol Hill, with outside organizations, and in the media.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Legal Support

• Research and draft legislative memoranda on federal bills and proposed administrative rules and regulations as assigned.
• Provide analysis of legal context of legislative issues as needed for the department; help to determine what issues need to be elevated to internal or external legal counsel and coordinate with counsel on elevated issues.
• Support department legislative drafting needs and coordinate with Defenders’ Conservation Law department and/or outside counsel on drafting as needed.
• Act as department resource regarding matters of legislative procedure. Conduct research on new and evolving legislative procedure issues.

Ethics, Lobby, and Electioneering Compliance

• Play the lead role in responding to questions about the legal definitions of what constitutes direct and grassroots lobbying, conduct period trainings for Defenders’ staff about these definitions and the organization’s compliance practices.
• Review communications for potential lobbying content and elevate more complex issues within Defenders and/or to outside counsel.
• Conduct review of lobby ethics questions as they arise; draft department memos on broadly applicable ethics issues and help to maintain a questions and answers series on frequently asked questions/issues.
• Play a lead role in ensuring Defenders’ compliance with electioneering prohibitions through staff education and responding to issues as they arise.
• Play a lead role in ensuring Defenders’ compliance with congressional and federal ethics laws, including those related to bribery, gifts, travel, dinners, and events.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: J.D. degree required

Experience: 8 years of Capitol Hill or other legislative experience and/or education, preferably involving natural resource issues. Experience working with wildlife conservation issues and knowledge of federal resource agencies, laws, treaties, and policies dealing with the use and conservation of natural resources. Political experience, judgment, and sensitivity, including a thorough understanding of lobbying, resource and appropriations committees, budget process and federal legislative procedures and grassroots targeting. Experience developing, implementing, and managing legislative and advocacy campaigns on a national level. Knowledge or prior experience with legal compliance matters preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for All Defenders

• Personal interest in and commitment to conservation.
• Ability and willingness to model the tenets of Defenders’ Commitment Statement: Mission, Transparency, Respect & Trust, Appreciation, Empowerment & Accountability, Professional Growth, Fairness, Diversity, Safety, Work/Life Balance, and Pride.
• Ability to approach work in a collaborative and inclusive style, with a solutions-oriented manner.
• Ability to work independently as needed, problem-solve, and exercise sound decision-making skills in fluid environments to meet job expectations and achieve goals in an accurate and timely manner.
• Ability to represent Defenders to external entities and the public in a professional manner while exercising tact, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Demonstrates a willingness and ability to productively engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Ability to clearly and accurately communicate with internal and external stakeholders, in both verbal and written forms.
• Ability to effectively navigate through change and maintain flexibility.
• Ability to effectively address and manage conflict.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook and Word.

For additional information on Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, visit Defenders’ website

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for Professional 5

Administrative

• Ability to accurately maintain electronic and physical records.
• Anticipate and meet the needs of internal and/or external stakeholders delivering excellent service.

Communication

• Ability to clearly and accurately communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately, and concisely.
• Ability to convey effective messages to broad and diverse constituencies.
• Ability and willingness to effectively represent Defenders’ interests in external environments.
• Ability to exert influence and build consensus with internal and external stakeholders.

Critical Thinking

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion.
• Strong research and data analysis skills, including the ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to produce high-quality work products in a consistent, efficient, accurate, and timely manner.
• Creative problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with willingness to experiment and innovate new methods.
• Facilitate and promote the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into Defenders’ work.
• Ability to independently exercise appropriate judgment in response to complex and/or fluid environments.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to take high-level strategy and translate into relatable points and action steps.

Project Management

• Ability to work well under pressure and tight deadlines while balancing competing assignments.
• Ability to remain flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities while remaining responsive to urgent requests.
• Ability to take ownership of a project or process and to use problem-solving skills to resolve issues.
• Ability to manage deadlines on multiple cross-functional projects in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability in managing competing interests on complex issues.
• Ability to independently initiate project and initiative ideas; managing projects and initiatives through to completion.

Coalition and Community Engagement

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to form effective working relationships with diverse constituencies including federal/state agencies; elected officials and their staff; Defenders’ members and donors; private landowners; hunters and anglers; community leaders; religious, scientific, and academic communities; and /or the general public.
• Ability to lead diverse stakeholders in collaborative activities, to anticipate issues impacting Defenders’ mission and make recommendations within Defenders, other organizations, and coalitions.
• Networking skills to engage with leaders in the conservation community, federal and state agencies, NGOs, and other organizations.

Conservation Knowledge

• Expert-level knowledge of Defenders’ legal, scientific, and/or political issues.
• Expert-level knowledge of national and regional social, political, and ecological landscapes.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for Government Relations Legislative Counsel

General Advocacy Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work effectively as part of Defenders’ legislative and administrative advocacy team.
• Ability to conduct legal, legislative, and policy research, analyze information, and produce quality work products in a consistent, efficient, and timely manner.
• Ability to effectively lead and/or represent Defenders’ interests in national issue coalitions.
• Other relevant experience with public policy, education, grassroots organizing, communications, editing, and/or development.
• Demonstrates a willingness and ability to productively engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Ability to represent Defenders to external entities and the public in a professional manner while exercising tact, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Personal interest and commitment to conservation.

Legal Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to provide sound advice to ensure organizational compliance with complex federal lobbying, electioneering, and ethics laws and regulations.
• Ability to provide legislative drafting assistance.
• Working knowledge of and the ability to research environmental and administrative laws, agency regulations and guidance, executive orders, etc. (Examples of relevant laws include the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Clean Water Act, National Forest Management Act, Refuge Improvement Act, Administrative Procedure Act, Freedom of Information Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and other federal statutes.
• Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules and procedures, instructions, etc.

Written Communication

• Communicates information in a succinct and organized manner; uses correct grammar, punctuation, and citations.
• Produces written information that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Oral Communication

• Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of information.
• Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

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