Director, Government Affairs

The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA)

The NSSGA is the leading voice and advocate for the aggregates industry. Our members – stone, sand, and gravel producers, and the equipment manufacturers and service providers who support them – are responsible for the essential raw materials found in every home, building, road, bridge, and public works project and represent more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States. In 2018, U.S. domestic production and use of construction aggregates amounted to 2.5 billion tons of crushed stone, sand, and gravel–valued at $25.1 billion. The aggregates industry employs approximately 100,000 highly skilled men and women.

With expanding Washington involvement in our industry, forming relationships and engaging with public officials and policymakers is critical to helping our members understand policies and regulations, and provide advice and guidance to help shape them.

Position Summary

Director of Government Affairs

You will play an important role in shaping and executing NSSGA’s government affairs agenda and communicating outcomes to the association membership. This position will report to the Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs. Working around Washington, DC with a flexible and fast-paced schedule, you will have direct contact with NSSGA members and various governmental agencies. This position interacts with government affairs representatives from the world’s top aggregates producers, state aggregates association executives, and government officials. This is a highly visible position, requiring a deep congressional rolodex and excellent public speaking and writing skills.

In a typical day, you might correspond with a CEO at a Fortune 500 company or a high-ranking elected official. You might drive policy initiatives through meetings with officials at DOT or DOEB, persuade members of Congress to vote on an issue important to NSSGA or draft and communicate policy positions on an emerging issue important to the aggregates industry. You also may draft legislation or appropriations language pertaining to infrastructure issues or monitor regulations related to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or labor issues or write an industry memo on the latest tax package.

Key Position Responsibilities

• Promote and defend the interests of NSSGA members on infrastructure, safety and health, tax, appropriations, and workforce issues and/or any other issues important to the industry on Capitol Hill and across federal agencies.
• Develop and maintain relationships with members of Congress and their staff as well as officials at federal agencies, relevant to these issues.
• Arrange and facilitate meetings between association members, members of Congress and their staff on issues of importance to the industry.
• Analyze legislation and regulations related to these issues of importance.
• Draft legislation and appropriations language related to these issues and successfully enact them into law.
• Drive and execute policy development and prepare position papers on legislation and regulations in issue areas of importance.
• Actively participate in coalitions that promote the interest of the industry, including taking the leadership role for the Highway Materials Group.
• Ability to work in a bipartisan fashion and with both chambers of Congress.
• Coordinate activities with association members’ government affairs teams and respond timely to their inquiries.
• Draft strategies to execute member communications, grassroots alerts, and press statements relevant to assigned issue areas.
• Manage outside consultant on projects and comments on rules/regulations.
• Draft presentations and speak at dozens of meetings each year, in front of hundreds of industry members, to provide policy updates on issue activity.
• Work with Political Action Committee to advise political strategy to accomplish policy outcomes.
• Act as a key participant in planning and executing annual fly in with over 300 engagements with members of Congress.

Please provide resume and cover letter to hr@nssga.org. Located in Alexandria, VA, NSSGA provides a supportive hybrid work environment, excellent benefits and competitive compensation, including health and dental insurance, participation in a 401(k) with company match, paid vacation and sick days and holidays, participation in a flexible spending account and transit program.

NSSGA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Background/Education Requirements

Education – BA/BS degree in political science, public policy, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience – 7 or more years of public policy experience, preferably at the federal level including association, consulting firm, Capitol Hill and/or federal agency experience. Knowledge of Capitol Hill is imperative.

Availability to travel about 20% of the time with frequent overnight and weekend travel required.

Technical Skills

• Deep knowledge of the legislative and regulatory process, specifically appropriations, highway reauthorization and/or labor.
• Mastery of issues that are important to member companies and ability to resolve conflicts that arise between competing member priorities.
• Effective communication skills (both written and verbal).
• Robust presentation skills for both large and small groups at all levels internal and external to NSSGA.
• Ability to communicate complex legislative initiatives in straightforward language at the highest levels of government and business organizations.
• Ability to understand and communicate issues important to the aggregates industry.
• Strong interpersonal skills.