Deputy Director, Government Relations

Deputy Director, Government Relations

Full Time

Hybrid in Washington, DC

DEPARTMENT: Government Relations

REPORTS TO: Director of Government Relations

Salary Range: $115,000.00 To $125,000.00 Annually

Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization urging U.S. decision makers to do all they can to pursue a world without hunger. Our mission is to educate and equip people to advocate for policies and programs that can help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. 

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To assist in providing departmental leadership (50%) and providing organizational leadership on domestic or international issues affecting people experiencing hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad by developing and implementing policy and legislative strategy (50%).

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:

Deputy Director (50%)

1. Under parameters set by the Director, plans and implements on-boarding of new staff, including serving as a liaison to new staff.
2. Assists Director by monitoring department progress against annual departmental work plan, drafting responses to The Evaluation Report, and preparing materials for board committees.
3. Assists Director reviewing all joint Government Relations / Policy & Research Institute documents and provides approval for coalition sign-on letters, when the Director is out of office.
4. Ensures appropriate preparation and co-chairs organization-wide Legislative Update (a weekly forum attended by Bread staff); identifies a substitute when not available to co-chair.
5. Attends meetings in place of the Director as requested; occasionally attends meetings with the Director to facilitate rapid responses.
6. In the Director’s absence, serves as Acting GR Director, including approving expenditures and timesheets, and working with other departments to address issues, e.g., working with Finance and Administration to resolve payroll, budget or staff concerns.
7. Collaborates with deputy directors in other program departments, including Organizing and Faith Engagement and the Policy Research Institute, to coordinate and implement cross-team Program work plans, events and initiatives.
8. Co-leads planning and project management efforts with staff leaders in Program teams to organize and execute Bread’s Annual Advocacy Summit.
9. Identifies the need for interns and ensures that the internships provide a learning experience.
10. Provides input to Director for staff evaluations, including providing input for performance improvement plans; at the Directors’ discretion, may coach employees in implementing performance improvement plans.
11. Oversees department’s compliance with information system standards, including ensuring appropriate electronic storage of documents and periodic purging of these files and ensuring department follows data protocol requirements.
12. Serves as a policy expert and a Bread brand ambassador/spokesperson in response to media inquiries and interview requests, as well as giving strategic communications and media guidance during key moments for Bread on the Hill and furthering its legislative initiatives.
13. Helps provide cross-departmental thought leadership and coordination to Bread's campaign strategies.

Senior Policy Analyst (50%)

1. Provides policy and strategic leadership and direction on assigned issues area specific to domestic and/or global hunger.
2. Represents Bread, the President & CEO, and Director of GR at coalition meetings gaining group to consensus.
3. Develops and proposes policy recommendations and implements legislative strategy on Capitol Hill.
4. Conducts research and analyzes issues to develop policy. Conceptualizes and designs original material for variety of audiences with a broad impact and explaining complex issues including: advocacy, research, website, and policy documents as needed. Maintains data for issue areas.
5. Develops and implements short- and long-term plans of action on the issue areas.
6. Regularly updates and educates Bread staff and others through oral and written documents and educational materials on short- and long-term strategies for Hill action. Keeps Bread informed of congressional members’ positions on the issues.
7. Serves as registered lobbyist to lobby Congress, the Administration, and others. Maintains effective relationships with same.
8. Recommends membership involvement by developing action-related materials used throughout the organization by various departments (i.e., Organizing and Faith Engagement; Strategic Communications, Development, President & CEO).
9. Writes policy and reviews publications for accuracy and policy consistency.
10. Builds coalitions and leads coalition task forces as needed.
11. Answers inquiries as needed by other departments.
12. Completes administrative requirements such as ensuring the accurate and timely entry of activities into the Raisers Edge database (or Politico-Pro), timesheets, performance evaluations, and Visa reports in an accurate and timely manner.
13. Performs other duties as assigned.

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACTIVITIES:

1. Attends weekly departmental and team meetings and other internal meetings.
2. Serves as department representative on organizations’ task forces, as needed.
3. Provides assistance to policy team (international or domestic).

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

Supervises policy analysts, intern(s) and fellows.

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy or related area is required. A master’s degree or other post-graduate degree is preferred.
• Eight years of Hill or lobbying experience.
• Staff supervisory and management experience.
• Broad knowledge of domestic or international issues affecting people experiencing hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad.
• Strong understanding of the budget and appropriations process.
• Strong understanding of racial and gender inequities exacerbating hunger and poverty rates.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, including ability to conduct research and in-depth analysis of complex factors related to Bread’s issues and to make data-driven recommendations and decisions. Strong written and oral communication skills, including ability to identify and engage target audiences and communicate complex ideas or issues tailored to the audience, using appropriate formats and media.
• Ability to work collegially with diverse religious, racial/ethnic, cultural and income groups.
• Ability to lead diverse teams, develop collaborative relationships internally and externally which require a high degree of diplomacy and judgment to address and resolve substantive conflicts or escalate concerns to senior management.
• A commitment to and/or experience with grassroots organizations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT ISSUES:

• Must be responsive to emails and phone calls off-site during evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed to support time-sensitive matters.
• Attendance at various lobby visits on the Hill and other meetings in Washington, DC will frequently be required.
• This position is based in Washington, D.C. Some domestic and international travel is required.
• Bread is a hybrid organization.

CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS:

Bread is committed to advancing racial equity externally and internally, all staff members play a vital role. In the course of our work, each staff person should work to apply a racial equity lens to their work and practices; and participate in racial equity on-going training. Bread is also committed to being an equal opportunity employer.

OUR VALUES:

1. We value our faith. Our faith in Christ compels us to love our neighbors near and far and is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values.
2. We value human flourishing. We believe that every human being, created in the image of God, has inherent dignity that affords an opportunity to thrive in relationship with God, self, neighbor, and the environment; and to access enough nutritious food for good health.
3. We value justice. We seek to establish effective systems, structures, and policies that affirm equality and advance equity among all human beings to alleviate hunger and poverty.
4. We value courage and prophetic voice. In a spirit of wisdom and love, we will be bold in articulating and pursuing our vision of a world without hunger.
5. We value nonpartisanship. We believe that effective and sustainable public policies are made when, in good faith, we employ a civil and bipartisan approach to develop and implement laws and programs to achieve our mission.
6. We value collaboration. We believe in working alongside and building community with a diversity of churches, interfaith communities, institutions, and individuals, including people experiencing hunger, to achieve our mission.
7. We value impact. We strive for excellence in our work and hold ourselves and our nation’s leaders accountable in the pursuit of public policies that render measurable results and meaningful change for people everywhere affected by hunger.

DISCLAIMER:

Background and reference checks will be conducted on all final candidates. The information in this job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, nor to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job.