Representative, Government Relations

Position Summary

This professional position is responsible for advancing Defenders of Wildlife’s legislative and administrative interests before Congress, the Administration, and the media. Issue priorities are drawn from Defenders’ current priorities, including endangered species; wildlife; national wildlife refuges, national forests and public lands; and related appropriations issues. Responsibilities include:

• Leading multi-group legislative campaigns involving direct lobbying.
• Developing legislative strategies.
• Leading and/or participating in inter-departmental campaign teams.
• Leading and/or representing Defenders’ interests in national issue-based coalitions.
• Helping to develop grassroots and communications and social media strategies.
• Working with and monitoring Congressional committees.
• Drafting reports, fact sheets, and testimony.
• Obtaining legislative and political information.
• Generally assisting the advocacy work of Defenders’ Government Relations and External Affairs department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Clarify and advance Defenders’ legislative/administrative goals for assigned issues.
• Regularly work in coalitions with advocacy staff at partner organizations to strategize politically, craft messaging, determine legislative targets, and help determine resource allocations for national issue campaigns.
• Employing sound political judgment, build an effective network of congressional, coalition and public support to advance assigned issues.
• Utilizing strong legislative judgment, identify and implement effective legislative/administrative strategies and projects to advance assigned issues.
• Continually marshal, leverage, and organize inter-departmental and, where possible, external resources on assigned legislative/administrative issues through ongoing campaign planning, project management, legislative targeting, team building, and coalition leadership.
• Implement, as appropriate, various aspects of issue campaigns through activities including: direct lobbying; coalition representation; legislative, policy and legal analysis; multi-party negotiations; bill drafting; direct and grassroots lobbying materials development; action alert drafting; testimony and public presentations; media representation; and drafting press materials and legislatively focused Web content.
• Closely monitor legislative developments in assigned issues and disseminate timely information about those issues throughout the organization.
• Provide timely responses to requests for progress reports, funding proposals, budgets and other information requested by departments including: Government Relations, Communications and Philanthropy.
• Contribute to the development of Defenders of Wildlife’s legislative Report Card through activities by identifying potential votes and drafting vote descriptions.
• Effectively contribute to Defenders’ positive image on Capitol Hill, with outside organizations, and in the media.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s (B.A./B.S.) degree or equivalent in Natural Resources, Public Policy, Law, Biology, Education, or related discipline. Advanced degree preferred.

Experience: 4 years of Capitol Hill or other legislative experience and/or education, preferably involving natural resource issues. Experience working with wildlife conservation issues and knowledge of federal resource agencies, laws, treaties, and policies dealing with the use and conservation of natural resources. Political experience, judgment, and sensitivity, including a thorough understanding of lobbying, resource and appropriations committees, budget process, and federal legislative procedures and grassroots targeting. Experience developing, implementing, and managing legislative and advocacy campaigns on a national level.

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for All Defenders

Link to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for Professional 3

Administrative

• Ability to accurately maintain electronic and physical records.
• Anticipate and meet the needs of internal and/or external stakeholders delivering excellent service.

Communication

• Ability to clearly and accurately communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately and concisely.
• Ability to convey effective messages to broad and diverse constituencies.
• Ability and willingness to effectively represent Defenders’ interests in external environments.
• Ability to exert influence and build consensus with internal and external stakeholders.

Critical Thinking

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion.
• Strong research and data analysis skills, including the ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to produce high-quality work products in a consistent, efficient, accurate, and timely manner.
• Creative problem-solving and troubleshooting skills with willingness to experiment and innovate new methods.
• Facilitate and promote the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into Defenders’ work.
• Ability to independently exercise appropriate judgment in response to complex and/or fluid environments.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to take high-level strategy and translate into relatable points and action steps.

Project Management

• Ability to work well under pressure and tight deadlines while balancing competing assignments.
• Ability to remain flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities while remaining responsive to urgent requests.
• Ability to take ownership of a project or process and to use problem-solving skills to resolve issues.
• Ability to manage deadlines on multiple cross-functional projects in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability in managing competing interests on complex issues.
• Ability to independently initiate project and initiative ideas; managing projects and initiatives through to completion.

Coalition and Community Engagement (remove section if applicable)

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to form effective working relationships with diverse constituencies, including federal/state agencies; elected officials and their staff; Defenders’ members and donors; private landowners; hunters and anglers; community leaders; religious, scientific, and academic communities; and/or the general public.
• Ability to lead diverse stakeholders in collaborative activities, to anticipate policy issues impacting wildlife and make recommendations within Defenders, other organizations, and coalitions.
• Networking skills to engage with leaders in the conservation community, federal and state agencies, NGOs, and other organizations.

Conservation Knowledge

• Familiarity with Defenders’ legal, scientific, and/or political issues.
• Familiarity with national and regional social, political and ecological landscapes.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities for Government Relations Representative

• Ability to work effectively as part of Defenders’ legislative and administrative advocacy team.
• Ability to conduct research, analyze information, and produce quality work products in a consistent, efficient, and timely manner.
• Ability to effectively lead and/or represent Defenders’ interests in national issue coalitions.
• Other relevant experience with public policy, education, grassroots organizing, communications, editing, and/or development.
• Demonstrates a willingness and ability to productively engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Ability to represent Defenders to external entities and the public in a professional manner while exercising tact, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Personal interest and commitment to conservation.

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