Are you an advocacy expert with a passion for politics? Do you love the idea of leveraging and building your expertise in more than one area—including communications, policy, standards, government affairs, industry relations and project management? Join our growing, fiercely talented team and advance your career in non-profit association management and the exciting, fast-paced field of politics.
What do we do?
We promote knowledge sharing. ethical business practices and the protection of political free speech on behalf of the campaign and public affairs industries.
Why do we do what we do?
Our members—political consultants—are passionate about winning elections and advancing causes, and we are passionate about providing the resources, networking and educational tools to help them achieve that goal.
As our Director of Advocacy & Industry Relations, you will have the opportunity to:
- Monitor key legislative, regulatory, and commercial developments that impact the industry and develop plan(s) to achieve positive outcomes and/or keep members informed
- Facilitate meetings with key industry stakeholders and members to address areas of mutual interest and/or business challenges
- Identify issue-based coalitions with like-minded organizations and direct lobbying, grass tops and/or grassroots actions
- Represent the association’s position in front of policy makers, industry members and the public, including authoring presentations, articles, posts and talking points
- Lead and facilitate task force/committee meetings; manage consultants and contractors as needed
- Coordinate the drafting of model standards and practices on issues that impact the industry
- Support our work to recruit, renew and support annual members and sponsors, especially those interested and engaged in our advocacy initiatives
- Travel to meetings & conferences
- Enjoy working with a team of close-knit professionals in a mission-driven organization
The ideal candidate will possess:
- Bachelor’s Degree and 6+ years of relevant experience in legislative affairs, advocacy, communications or policy, knowledge of associations is a plus
- Strong coalition-building and partnership skills to build important alliances with associations, industry, and corporate partners
- Proven leadership skills, including the ability to work effectively, independently, and cooperatively with all levels of staff, members and constituents, policy makers and the press
- A talent for identifying and analyzing industry trends
- A knack for writing and speaking in a clear and compelling way
- The necessary values to provide stellar customer service to internal and external stakeholders, a sense of urgency, superior attention to detail, and a friendly personable demeanor
- Willingness to work off-peak hours and travel to AAPC events as needed
The Perks
You’ll enjoy a generous benefits package, including choice of 3 medical plans, dental plan, vision plan, 11 paid holidays, 401(k) options, flexible schedule, occasional travel and ability to work remotely.
About the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)
Founded in 1969, the AAPC is the largest multi-partisan organization of political and public affairs professionals in the world. AAPC members consist of political consultants, media consultants, pollsters, campaign managers, corporate public affairs officers, professors, fundraisers, lobbyists, congressional staffers and vendors working at all levels—from local campaigns to the White House. Our staff combines skill and passion to promote the interests and ethical business practices of the people who work to protect and promote our democracy. We are mostly based in the DC Metro area but are currently set up for full remote working.
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