Chief Government Relations Officer

About the Job

The Opportunity
The Chief Government Relations Officer (CGRO) will oversee and lead Feeding America’s public policy and government relations efforts to advance its mission of ending hunger. The CGRO is responsible for developing and executing strategies to increase food resources and funds available to food banks, advocating for anti-hunger policies, and ensuring Feeding America is positioned as a leader in hunger-related public policy.

Please direct all inquiries and expressions of interest to: [email protected]

Compensation
Here at Feeding America, equality is central to our mission and an integral part of our compensation policies and structures. We maintain transparent salary ranges and clearly defined practices for how our team, including new hire salary offers, moves through these ranges.

You can expect us to offer the best salary upfront based on these clearly defined pay practices, with little room for negotiation. Exceptions are made for highly experienced (multiple years of at-level experience) new hires in accordance with our pay practices. Once hired, employees can progress through salary ranges via regular merit increases and step promotions.

Salary Range: $250,000 – $300,000 (Based on Experience)
Benefits: A comprehensive list of benefits available to full-time employees can be found here.

Responsibilities
Reporting directly to the CEO, the CGRO will act as a strategic advisor on legislative and policy issues while leading a team of 17 staff in the Washington, DC office, alongside food bank CEOs and other network leaders. This role requires building and maintaining strong relationships with policymakers, federal agencies, and external stakeholders, including legislators and USDA officials, to shape and defend critical hunger-related programs such as SNAP and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. The CGRO will play a pivotal role in mobilizing Feeding America’s network and community constituencies to advocate for impactful policies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals as they move from developing their 2030 strategy to operationalizing it.

Critical responsibilities include:

Oversee and lead Feeding America’s public policy and government relations functions to advance the organization’s mission of ending hunger.

Develop and execute comprehensive strategies to increase food resources and funding available to food banks, including promotion of federal and state anti-hunger policies.

Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues impacting Feeding America and its network.

Build and maintain strong, influential relationships with policymakers, federal agencies (including USDA), legislators, and other external stakeholders to shape and defend critical hunger-relief programs such as SNAP and TEFAP.

Lead, manage, and mentor a team of 17 staff in Washington, DC, fostering a culture of high performance, collaboration, and accountability.

Partner with the Advocacy team to mobilize and engage Feeding America’s network, including food bank CEOs and community leaders, to advocate for impactful anti-hunger policies and increase the network’s advocacy capacity.

Guide the transition from strategy development to operationalization of Feeding America’s 2030 goals, ensuring policy and advocacy efforts are aligned with organizational priorities.

Collaborate with internal departments (Advocacy & Community Partnerships, Marketing & Communications, Development, Supply Chain, Research) to integrate policy and advocacy work across the organization.

Represent Feeding America and its network at governmental hearings, legislative forums, coalition meetings, and with key partners to advance the organization’s policy agenda.

Provide regular policy communications and technical assistance to network members, ensuring alignment and effective engagement on federal hunger-related initiatives. Engage regularly with the PEAC and other relevant committees within the Feeding America Network to ensure strategic alignment and transparency in decision-making.

Oversee the planning and execution of the annual Lobby Day and other events that catalyze stakeholders to lobby for anti-hunger policies.

Manage department budget and prioritize resources to maximize advocacy impact.

Lead special projects and pursue innovative approaches to advancing Feeding America’s public policy agenda.

Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a highly experienced and respected leader in government relations with deep connections and established relationships on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies. They should possess exceptional gravitas, credibility, and influence to navigate complex legislative and regulatory processes.

Key desired attributes include:

Communicates with Impact and Influence

Communicates directly, clearly, and with integrity across all levels.

Crafts and delivers timely, impactful communication using multiple modes tailored to the specific needs of all audiences.

Leads with Accountability

Upholds ethical standards and demonstrates commitment to the organization’s values.

Anchors actions and decisions in values and mission while building trust and taking responsibility for difficult decisions.

Uses data and experience to inform decisions and actively supports outcomes once made.

Collaborates Internally and Externally

Builds partnerships internally and externally to remove silos and meet shared objectives.

Engages in ways that create brave spaces for collaboration and shared learning.

Manages Organization and Business Complexity

Translates organizational priorities into actionable goals and achieves desired outcomes.

Encourages innovation and creates a safe environment to learn from mistakes.

Focuses on People and Teams

Prioritizes people’s growth, provides constructive feedback, and fosters a learning mindset.

Promotes a healthy work environment and mobilizes teams around mission goals.

Fosters an Enterprise Mindset

Aligns departments and teams to enterprise decisions and priorities.

Champions a neighbor-centered strategy and balances short- and long-term priorities.

Fosters an Open and Supportive Environment

Seeks varied perspectives and treats others with fairness, dignity, and respect.

Ensures organizational culture reflects inclusivity and equity principles.

Performance and Personal Competencies

Relationships and Influence

Skilled at identifying, cultivating, and activating relationships with policymakers, regulators, peer organizations, and partners.

Builds trust and inspires followership across diverse constituencies.

Executing an Effective Policy Agenda

Anticipates and positions Feeding America to respond to policy threats or opportunities.

Adapts to ambiguity and leads across complex, federated organizations.

Leading Teams

Provides clear objectives, motivates, and celebrates team success.

Attracts top talent and develops team members effectively.

Setting Strategy

Develops new approaches based on government affairs experience to advance Feeding America’s public policy priorities.

Articulates an inspiring vision and creates achievable implementation plans.

Aligns resources and community networks with organizational strategy.

Feeding America’s goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented, diverse workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging. We seek individuals from historically underrepresented communities and those with lived experience of hunger.

Feeding America participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm your authorization to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm authorization, the employer will provide instructions to resolve the issue before employment actions occur.