Director, Public Affairs

Key Responsibilities

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) seeks an experienced, motivated Director of Public Affairs to support and drive impactful legislative and regulatory advocacy campaigns at the state and federal levels. This position is essential for shaping NMMA’s public presence on leading policy issues that protect and advance the interests of the recreational boating industry in Washington, D.C., and state capitals through legislation and/or executive branch actions.

Reporting to the Vice President of Public Affairs within NMMA’s Government Relations Team, this role requires strategic insight, a proactive approach, and strong collaboration with NMMA’s government relations, marketing, and communications teams.

The Director of Public Affairs will be responsible for leading and managing:

Campaign Development

• Design, lead, and execute multi-channel advocacy campaigns at the state and federal levels to champion NMMA’s key policy priorities:
  • Protecting boater access to public waters
  • Driving industry sustainability and innovation progress
  • Keeping U.S. marine manufacturing globally competitive
  • Improving and expanding recreation infrastructure
• Analyze policy issues and opportunities to develop breakthrough communications strategies that engage target audiences and compel action.

Media and Influencer Engagement and Monitoring

• Pitch stories to the press and develop relationships with key state and national media outlets.
• Identify and engage media and influencers, including grassroots and grasstops voices.
• Track and analyze press coverage related to legislative and regulatory issues important to the boating industry.
• Craft messaging for public communications and media engagements to enhance NMMA’s visibility on key issues.

Stakeholder Management and Engagement

• Build consensus and drive coalitions with diverse internal and external stakeholders on complex policy positions and relevant strategies.
• A collaborative and flexible style, combined with a strong member-centric service mentality, is critical to the success of this role.
• Support member events and related activations, including but not limited to:
  • NMMA’s annual American Boating Congress fly-in
  • Community town halls
  • Roundtable discussions
  • Receptions

Content Creation

• Partner with NMMA’s government relations and marketing team to produce creative advocacy messaging solutions, including:
  • Talking points
  • Position statements
  • Design pieces
  • Videos
  • Briefing documents
• Distill complex issues and language into digestible messaging for a variety of audiences and channels.

Internal and External Collaboration

• Work closely with NMMA’s government relations team, marketing and communications team, member companies, and allied organizations to coordinate efforts and ensure a cohesive advocacy strategy across jurisdictions.
• Reinforce a highly collaborative corporate culture and position government relations as an enterprise-wide partner across all business activities.

Qualifications

Required Experience, Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Ideally 6-10 years of experience in communications, public affairs, government relations, or a related field, with an understanding of federal and state policymaking. Federal agency, congressional, state legislative, or newsroom experience desired.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, political science, or related field is desired but not required. A strong work ethic and significant work experience may be considered in lieu of a college degree.
• Proven ability to strategically communicate with diverse audiences, manage advocacy campaigns, navigate complex policy issues, and achieve and report measurable results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a keen ability to listen to a variety of stakeholders and translate complex policy information into compelling messages that resonate with diverse audiences and enhance NMMA’s reputation.
• Keen attention to detail and focus on accuracy in support of consistently presenting high-quality deliverables.
• Strong collaborative attitude, with a commitment to teamwork and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset. Demonstrated curiosity, adaptability, and a track record of quick learning and taking initiative are highly valued.
• Ability to self-start, assemble and lead cross-functional working groups, outside contractors, and agency partners, with experience negotiating contracts and overseeing budgets, is strongly desired.

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