Government Affairs Manager

Missouri Family Health Council
Missouri Family Health Council champions the freedom to access sexual and reproductive healthcare—no matter who you are or where you live. Through programs like Title X, Free EC, and The Right Time, we partner with providers, support communities, and advocate for policies that protect care and expand rights. We ensure that everyone can get the care they need, without shame, judgment, or obstacles. Simply put, we do hard work and we do it well.

Our work is rooted in three core values:

● Justice: We fight for a world where equitable access to healthcare is a reality, not a privilege. We challenge systemic barriers and advocate for policies that uphold dignity and self-determination.
● Courage: We take bold stands, even when it’s difficult. We speak truth to power, innovate in the face of adversity, and support our partners and communities with unwavering resolve.
● Tenacity: We don’t give up. In a hostile landscape, we remain steadfast—finding creative solutions, sustaining our networks, and pushing forward to protect reproductive freedom.

If you’re a resilient and tenacious individual that excels at relationship building and navigating complex legislative dynamics with demonstrated success in leveraging advocacy opportunities to advance policy priorities on a local, state, or national level, we want to hear from you.

Position Summary
As a member of the Programs team, the Government Affairs Manager is responsible for ensuring a functional connection between MFHC’s policy priorities and relevant local, state, and, occasionally, national policy and regulatory work, legislative advocacy, and lobbying. They serve as a trustworthy resource to elected officials and their staff on issues related to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice.

They work in close collaboration with other members of the MFHC team and other health- and equity-focused coalition members and community partners to defend against legislative attacks to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice, and pave the way toward implementation of proactive policies that move us closer to the vision that everyone has access to healthcare without shame, judgement, or obstacles.

How You Do Your Work
Creating a Culture of Equity and Belonging
We are committed to growing a workplace where people are seen, valued, and inspired—across race, gender identity, ability, age, body size, class, sexual orientation, and lived experience, which means:

● Embracing lifelong learning and personal growth in intersectional justice.
● Actively participating in trainings and collective practices that move us closer to health equity and justice for all.
● Showing up with kindness, empathy, and authenticity to protect each other’s psychological safety and foster deep belonging.

How We Work, Together
Our team is driven by justice, courage, and tenacity. We show up every day with a shared belief in a future where everyone has the power to make decisions about their health, their bodies, and their lives. This looks like:

● Communicating with honesty, clarity, and care—especially in moments of conflict or change.
● Practicing strong judgment, collaboration, self-accountability, and flexibility in the face of evolving needs.
● Bringing curiosity and problem-solving to our shared spaces—asking questions, offering feedback, and building trust through action.

Together, we are building something powerful—and everyone’s voice matters.

What You Do
The core of this role is developing and implementing legislative strategies to achieve MFHC’s policy priorities on the local, state, and federal levels. This includes a focus on:

Policy and Legislative Strategies
● Establish MFHC’s priorities in conjunction with MFHC’s Policy and Advocacy workgroup.
● In conjunction with the Advocacy Manager, design power-building strategies that activate MFHC’s base to effectively influence policymakers, including incorporating storytelling and person-level impact into the policy process.
● Effectively lobby policymakers to build support for MFHC’s policy priorities, provide written and verbal testimony, and prepare other advocates to testify on behalf of MFHC.
● Maintain an effective in-Capitol presence in order to support MFHC’s policy priorities.
● Inform strategies for institutional and local municipal changes to policy and practice to support MFHC’s mission in collaboration with the broader Programs department.

Relationship Building
● Build bipartisan champions to support MFHC’s proactive policy agenda.
● Serve as a trusted resource for accurate, clear, relevant information related to sexual and reproductive healthcare and provision to policymakers, state department leaders, and their staff.
● Create and maintain effective, supportive relationships with coalition partners and other stakeholders, focusing on finding common ground on which to advance policy priorities.

Analyze and Communicate Policy Details
● Supported by the Policy Analyst, read, understand, and monitor key policies moving through the legislative process and effectively communicate the impact (or potential impact) to relevant stakeholders, including MFHC staff and board, clinics, volunteers, and community partners.
● Draft suggested policy language and priorities for proactive bills and effectively share with relevant stakeholders.
● Provide clear, concise, and actionable summaries of legislative happenings with the goal of strategically mobilizing appropriate stakeholders toward power-building and legislative efficacy.

Power Building
● In conjunction with the Advocacy Manager and other key stakeholders, support in-Capitol activities like lobby days, legislative visits, and other actions to build and demonstrate community power.
● Facilitate an effective and compelling connection between policymakers and their constituents within the MFHC network, including through in-district visits and clinic tours.
● Occasionally conduct outreach and/or presentations to build MFHC’s stakeholder network to better achieve our shared policy priorities.

Learning as Growth
At MFHC, we believe learning is a lifelong journey—and a vital part of advancing reproductive freedom and justice. We embrace growth not just for individual development, but because deepening our knowledge strengthens our collective impact.

We learn so we can do better—for ourselves, for each other, and for the communities we serve. That means:

● Welcoming feedback as an opportunity to reflect, evolve, and show up more fully in our work.
● Completing all required training tied to our grant commitments, knowing that compliance helps sustain the mission.
● Staying grounded in the latest, best practices of the role.

Additional Duties/Responsibilities
● Attend events, conferences, trainings, and meetings on behalf of MFHC, including tabling/outreach, as needed.
● Promote MFHC’s programs with passion and appropriate knowledge with partners/stakeholders.
● Other duties as assigned that support MFHC in meeting its mission.

Who You Are and Keys to Success (The Must-Haves)
To be successful in this job the following are crucial skills and abilities:

Demonstrated effectiveness with legislative influence: At least three years of experience with implementing strategies to move stakeholders, external partners, policymakers, and their staff toward a goal.

Organizational ability: Able to manage a high volume of quickly-moving work with efficiency and has systems to remember, manage, and complete tasks, especially during the legislative session.

Power-mapping savvy: Understands power-mapping and how to influence coalition and legislative dynamics from various positions of power.

Critical thinking and problem-solving ability: Quickly grasp subtleties of complex issues and identifies patterns in challenges. Proposes solutions to issues without much guidance. Effectively identifies connections between and rifts in aligned or competing policy priorities and advocacy issues.

Adaptability: Ability to quickly change course as new information becomes available. Must be able to thrive in an ever-changing environment, shifting priorities due to external factors, and make sound judgement in the face of ambiguity.

Clear, precise, and detail-oriented communication: Accurately reads, writes, and interprets policies. Speaks and writes clearly on behalf of the organization and is able to tailor messaging based on audience.

Relationship building and resilience: Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with a variety of partners and policymakers. Understands and has the ability to navigate the challenges of coalition work.

Responsive and respectful communication: Listens closely to understand needs, nuances, or concerns and takes steps based on that input. Responds to people in a timely manner and provides clear, helpful, accurate information. Operates resiliently in challenging, hostile, and/or quickly-changing environments.

The Following Are Plusses (Not Requirements)
● Experience in healthcare and/or family planning policy and/or administration.
● Legislative experience in a hostile policy environment.
● Experience applying health equity principles and values throughout work.
● Strong technical, policy, legislative, and/or legal writer.
● Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, and related software.

What Else You Should Know
Position Title: Government Affairs Manager
Supervisor: Director of Programs
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Starting Salary: $75,000

Work Environment
● MFHC is a fast-paced organization that operates in a challenging external environment.
● You MUST be able to thrive in a professional setting with changing priorities due to external factors.
● You must be able to effectively, professionally manage hostile communication and differing perspectives in a legislative context.
● Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
● Prolonged periods of sitting and walking in the Capitol building and during legislative hearings.

Travel Required
● Possess a valid driver’s license to operate a rental or personal vehicle.
● Travel is required in-state for legislative hearings and sessions, stakeholder meetings, etc., with potential for 1–2 out-of-state conferences per year.
● This position requires a consistent in-Capitol presence during the Missouri State Legislative session (January–May), being in Jefferson City at least one to two days per week.

Location and Schedule
● May work from the Jefferson City office or remotely within Missouri or neighboring cities, but must be in Jefferson City weekly during session.
● General office hours are 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday; however, evening and extended hours are required during session.
● Employee has flexibility to manage schedule while attending required tasks, meetings, and events.

Benefits
● Unlimited Paid Time Off for salaried employees.
● 12 weeks paid parental or medical leave.
● 100% paid employee coverage for health, vision, dental, life, and long-term disability; 50–100% dependent health coverage.
● 10 paid holidays, employee’s birthday, and paid office closure the last two weeks of the year.
● Retirement plan with up to 3% employer match.

Work Authorization
The person assuming this position is required to verify eligibility to legally work in the United States.

EEO Statement
MFHC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of sex, color, race, religion, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, citizenship, veteran’s status, political affiliation, marital status, gender identity, number of pregnancies, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

How You Can Apply to Join MFHC
To apply, please complete the online application by 5:00 PM, June 30, 2025.

MFHC will only consider candidates who complete the online application, which includes submission of a resume and cover letter that addresses the following:

● Describe your vision for creating a world where everyone has the freedom to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, no matter who they are or where they live. Include at least one tangible strategy you would use to make that a reality.
● Tell us about legislative strategies you have used to advance or defeat legislation.

All resumes will be treated as confidential. No phone calls, please.