Description

Director of State Government Relations 

CropLife America (CLA), a trade association located in the Washington, DC-area, is seeking a full-time Director of State Government Relations. The Director of State Government Relations is a leader within the Government Relations team and is responsible for representing the association on a variety of state and local legislative and regulatory matters. Job responsibilities include the development, implementation, and management of effective legislative and political strategies at the state and local level in support of the organization’s priorities and objectives. The Director reports to the Vice President of Government Relations.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the State Affairs Committee (SAC), including overall strategy development, budget, coordination with members, and coordination with Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment State Affairs staff.
• Actively manage state and local issues impacting the pesticide industry in the geographic area of responsibility, primarily the Northeast region.
• Monitor, review, and analyze all relevant state legislation, including the identification of emerging policy issues to determine potential impacts on the pesticide industry and communicate actions, strategies, and threats to CLA staff, leadership, and members.
• Develop legislative strategies to address issues and seek successful outcomes.
• Represent the organization on issues with state and local government officials and decision makers.
• Coordinate across the organization to support legislative strategies with communications and grassroots, legal, and science and regulatory support.
• Actively collaborate with government relations colleagues and allies in developing strategy and implementing tactics. 
• Oversee and manage contract lobbyists and consultants, including lobbying reporting and ethics compliance requirements.
• Maintain and foster stakeholder relations to build consensus and coalitions to coordinate on legislative strategies. 
• Effectively work with state legislative, regulatory and political organizations of importance to CLA with the objective of building relationships and knowledge of our industry and issues. 
• Compose, distribute, and/or deliver informative and persuasive correspondence, presentations, and advocacy materials such as testimony, policy positions, talking points and toolkits, grassroots alerts, briefings, reports, and backgrounders on issues.
• Support management of the State Affairs Committee (SAC), including meeting preparation, management, and follow-up, coordinating CLA staff involvement and addressing SAC member’s needs.
• Facilitate SAC input and engagement on issues of management and budget.
• Other duties as assigned by the Vice President. 

Requirements

Additional Qualifications:

• Builds pesticide subject matter expertise on technical and complex issues in a regulated industry. 
• Develops and successfully maintains effective relationships, including those with members, allies, policymakers, lobbyists, coalitions, grassroots stakeholders, and teammates. 
• Skilled and influential speaker and writer with the ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner with legislators and staff, allied organizations, board of directors, association members and other industry leaders.
• Capable and motivated to learn and accumulate technical and other knowledge about the pesticide industry.
• Demonstrates excellent organization and analytic skills, along with the ability to take a proactive, self-directed approach.
• Demonstrates flexibility, sound judgement, discretion, and political acumen.
• Skilled problem solver who can make decisions under pressure and in complex situations.
• Manages multiple priorities and meets tight deadlines.
• Has proficiency in Microsoft Office, legislative bill tracking tools and social media. 
• Travel is required approximately 40% of the time to be successful in this position. 
• Location in Northeastern region of the United States, or the Washington, DC-area is preferable. 
• 25% of the Director’s time would be spent in the Arlington, VA headquarters office of CLA to develop strategy and work with the Vice President of Government Relations and other team members.

Education/Experience:

• BA/BS degree in agriculture, political science, communications, public relations, environmental science, or similar field.
• A minimum of 12 years of experience in a related position.
• Prior work experience in state government relations is required.
• Ability to produce effective written work products, including distilling complex or technical information into concise and influential communications, is essential.