PUBLIC AFFAIRS VICE PRESIDENT

Description

PUBLIC AFFAIRS VICE PRESIDENT

ABOUT THE FIRM

Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. (Cornerstone) is a bipartisan, employee-owned firm specializing in federal and state government relations, public affairs and strategic communications, political action committees, grant consulting and advisory services. With more than 200 professionals across 15 states and D.C., our firm stands as one of the industry’s most effective and respected professional services firms. Our team is dedicated to helping our clients effectively tell their story. We are a group of senior professionals with diverse experience in public relations, business, media and government. We help our clients anticipate and navigate the complexities that occur at the intersection of policy, politics, and public perception to achieve their desired objectives.

Recognizing the ability to better serve our clients, the firm established a public affairs and strategic communications practice, in April 2017 to integrate with the existing government relations and regulatory strategy services. Now with a presence in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Concord, Des Moines, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Washington, DC, we give clients a complete offering that fosters collaboration and increases the resources available to achieve success. We specialize in developing and implementing public affairs strategies that complement government affairs initiatives and amplify communications efforts with local audiences; garner national media attention; advance an organization’s public policy goals; train leaders for press engagement; and organize and execute public events. We provide bespoke counsel, develop and implement thoughtful communications strategies, advise on messaging and reputation management, overcome crises, and assist in building long-term engagement plans.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Summary/ Objective

Cornerstone seeks a full-time Vice President to join our Public Affairs team to provide strategic advice and counsel to the firm’s clients, work collaboratively with team members to grow the business through the acquisition of new clients, and provide support to senior team members.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Excelling with client engagement and overall client service as a leader of the strategic communications and public affairs business unit
• Assuming additional leadership roles with clients by leading or co-leading multiple clients and participating as a core team member for clients
• Building and managing media relationships, including proactively pitching stories and responding to inbound inquiries
• Demonstrate leadership in business development and marketing activities
• Engaging with other aspects of the business and increased leadership roles across the firm
• Demonstrate ability to grow and foster a network of relationships important to client servicing and growing our business, including establishing relationships with current and prospective clients, referral sources, and reporters
• Supporting new business opportunities in the market and working to strengthen and expand existing client relationships
• Anticipating account needs and ensuring activities are completed on-time
• Effective management of people at all levels of the organization—managing up and down, making sure junior team members know what to do, and keeping senior team members apprised of the status of materials, to-do’s, next steps, etc.
• Making sure the principal(s) are prepared for meetings/calls, reminding them of the latest state of play, upcoming deadlines, etc.
• Being responsible for developing materials and managing the review process
• Ensuring that all initial draft work sent to principals for review is as close to client-ready as possible

Qualifications

Competencies

The ideal candidate for this position is a skilled multi-tasker, who is reliable and is committed to consistently meeting deadlines. Key qualities for candidates in this position include:

• Proactiveness: Works independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility: Able to work early mornings and evenings.
• Dependability: Arrives to work on time, follows instructions, pays attention to detail, responds promptly, and solicits feedback to improve performance.
• Adaptability: Able to adapt to changes in the work environment on a day-to-day basis, comfortable with ambiguity, and manage relationships with multiple client service professionals in the office.
• Time Management: Thrives in a fast-paced environment and can manage competing priorities.
• Communication: Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Teamwork: Able to work within a team, is approachable and willing to help others.

Key Requirements

The ideal candidate for this position is someone who has a bachelor’s degree, background in communications, journalism, or public relations, and has a strong interest in public affairs, media, and writing. The candidate must have at least 5-7 years of work-related experience. Excellent writing, organizational, and communication skills are essential, and the ability to thrive in a fast- paced environment is vital.

Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, and Excel), Microsoft Teams, and Adobe Acrobat are required.