Grassroots Advocacy Manager

# The National Restaurant Association & Educational Foundation

The National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation are proud to be part of a highly respected industry, providing hospitality, opportunity, and quality of life. Much like the industry we represent, we have a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive culture, grounded in trust, hospitality, collaboration, and innovation.

We have an exciting opportunity within our Public Affairs Department for a **Grassroots Advocacy Manager** to lead, develop, and elevate the Association’s grassroots and grasstops advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. This high‑impact role will help strengthen the Association’s position as a leading voice in national public policy and advocacy for the restaurant industry.

The Grassroots Advocacy Manager oversees the Association’s flagship **Hill Runner program**, cultivating and managing relationships between restaurant operators and members of Congress in every congressional district across the country. The role is also responsible for driving the Association’s digital grassroots strategy through the **Quorum advocacy platform**, developing and executing national advocacy campaigns and action alerts that mobilize members around key federal policy priorities.

In addition, this position serves as the primary strategist and liaison for **State Restaurant Association partners** on grassroots engagement initiatives, providing oversight and support for individual Quorum accounts and collaborating to enhance the effectiveness and reach of state‑level advocacy efforts.

As the Public Affairs team lead for the Association’s annual **Public Affairs Conference fly‑in**, the Grassroots Advocacy Manager partners with cross‑functional stakeholders to plan and execute a successful event that brings industry leaders and advocates together to engage directly with policymakers.

Ideal candidates bring a minimum of **three years of grassroots or political advocacy experience** with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement and mobilization. Experience working for a trade association, membership organization, or political campaign is highly desirable. The successful candidate is a confident communicator with exceptional writing, interpersonal, and presentation skills, combined with a data‑driven mindset and the ability to translate insights into effective advocacy strategies and outcomes.

This position is based out of our **Washington, DC office** and requires onsite work Monday through Wednesday, with flexibility to work remotely on Thursday and Friday.

The work you do to develop new ideas, programs, and initiatives will help strengthen the restaurant industry’s grassroots advocacy efforts and influence at the federal, state, and local levels. We look forward to hearing from you!

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## Application Link

Interested applicants can apply with the link below:
`https://recruiting.ultipro.com/NAT1030/JobBoard/09a1b648-97bf-40dd-b3df-e884e92fc6b7/Opportunity/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=371516ff-c197-40a4-8470-10088f95cf5e`

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## Benefits

We are proud to offer our team members comprehensive benefits designed to support their financial, professional, and personal well‑being. In addition to outstanding healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision), competitive salaries, generous vacation and leave time, we offer a matching 401(k) plan, a unique collection of corporate discounts and memberships, as well as programs to support career and skills development, learning and tuition assistance, and so much more.

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# Responsibilities

– **Grassroots advocacy leadership** — Enhance the Association’s grassroots advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels.
– **Hill Runner program management** — Lead the Association’s marquee grasstops advocacy program.
– Recruit new Hill Runners nationwide in partnership with State Restaurant Associations, with a goal of reaching 535 Hill Runners.
– Onboard, motivate, and maintain engagement with existing Hill Runners.
– Develop unique content with the Public Affairs team to keep Hill Runners engaged.
– Oversee the Summer of Action program focused on in‑person Hill Runner meetings with members of Congress.
– Innovate new ways to activate Hill Runners for key advocacy engagements.
– **Quorum platform oversight** — Oversee the Association’s relationship with Quorum, the grassroots advocacy and database platform.
– Maintain account relationship with the Quorum team.
– Manage the Association’s grassroots database (over 100,000 advocates).
– Collaborate with the communications team to develop and execute grassroots emails and activations.
– Strategize ways to enhance and grow grassroots engagement via Quorum.
– Manage relationships between Quorum, the Association, and State Restaurant Association accounts; support SRAs in enhancing their use of Quorum.
– **Public Affairs Conference leadership** — Serve as the Public Affairs team’s point person for the annual fly‑in conference.
– Collaborate closely with the events team to organize and hold planning meetings.
– Manage deliverables throughout the year.
– Strategize with Public Affairs, Communications, and Events teams to enhance the conference.
– Organize unique Hill Runner programming during the conference.
– **State grassroots collaboration** — Analyze and enhance grassroots efforts of State Restaurant Association partners.
– **Advocacy event planning** — Work with Public Affairs and State Restaurant Associations to plan and execute in‑state Restaurant Roundtables and other advocacy events.
– **RestaurantsAct.com oversight** — Maintain and enhance the Association’s external advocacy website.
– **Industry representation** — Speak on behalf of the Association at industry and state events.
– **Data management** — Oversee team data collection and management.
– **Drafting and reporting** — Draft correspondence, reports, and presentations.
– **Department recordkeeping** — Assist with maintaining department records, including invoice processing.

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# Requirements

– **Bachelor’s degree** in political science, government relations, public policy, or equivalent.
– **Minimum 3 years of grassroots advocacy or related political advocacy experience**, focusing on stakeholder mobilization.
– **Knowledge of grassroots advocacy software**, such as Quorum, preferred.
– **Highly collaborative and accountable**, with strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
– **Creative thinker** able to develop and implement new grassroots and public affairs strategies.
– **Confident communicator**, skilled in writing, public speaking, and presentations.
– **Intellectual horsepower, emotional intelligence, and curiosity.**
– **Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills.**
– **Strong prioritization and project management abilities**, able to manage multiple deliverables and deadlines.
– **Highly effective organizational and time‑management skills.**
– **Adaptable and resilient**, responsive to change and able to lead as a change agent.
– **Ability to work independently and as part of a team**; self‑initiator, versatile, and responsible.
– **Ability to engage confidently at all organizational levels.**
– **Proficiency in Microsoft Office** (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and ability to learn additional software programs.
– **Ability to travel 1–4 times per year.**

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# Equal Opportunity Employer / Protected Veterans / Individuals with Disabilities

The National Restaurant Association, National Restaurant Association Solutions, LLC, and The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (“Company”) are committed to equal employment opportunity, and it is Company’s policy to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles, and ensure that all other personnel actions are administered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status. All employment decisions are based solely on valid job requirements.