Vice President of Government Affairs

Position: Vice President of Government Affairs

Hours: Mon – Fri, in office

Location: Washington, DC: travel required

Department: Advocacy and Litigation

Who We Are

https://www.safariclub.org/

Hunting is an ancient tradition passed down from the earliest times of man to the present day. Hunters participate directly in the natural world and care enough to make sure that it continues in all of its awesome beauty and diversity.

Safari Club International is a U.S.-based organization of more than 50,000 hunters and nearly 200 chapters worldwide, dedicated to protecting the right to hunt and to promote wildlife conservation. Between SCI and its sister organization, the SCI Foundation, we have put more than $70 Million on the ground for conservation since 2000. In the U.S. and abroad, hunters are part of a system that keeps the rivers, forests and fields intact and maintains the wildlife.

Summary

Oversees all government affairs activities including federal and state legislative and regulatory actions, lobbying at all levels, litigation and international affairs. This position travels up 30% of the time, including to the SCI annual convention, site visits, Board Meetings, and any other trade shows or events of interest to or supported by SCI/F or Sporting Conservation International.

All applicants should demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, hunting as an essential part of biologically sound and ethically responsible international wildlife management. The ideal candidate will have an existing knowledge of SCI’s current programs and mission and be passionate about hunter’s rights.

Responsibilities

• Oversees, manages and advises other SCI officials on all aspects of the advocacy work of the SCI to protect the freedom to hunt. Includes oversight of all staff working on government affairs of any type and all lobbying activity, including state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, U.S. courts and international forums dealing with hunting issues.
• Responsible for SCI’s interests in the maintenance of the Washington, D.C. facility owned by the SCI Foundation, and all the associated support operations.
• Provides staff support to the Governmental Affairs Committee and all PAC and super-PAC activities.
• Oversees all governmental affairs work including: analysis of federal, state and international matters, development of positions, drafting of necessary papers, correspondence, testimony, and internal and external news releases.
• Uses traditional and social media outlets and provides appropriate material through SCI channels to communicate SCI advocacy work to all audiences.
• Represents SCI at meetings, hearings, and other government affairs events. Supports CEO representation at events that CEO chooses to participate in.
• Develops and executes all portions of the SCI annual budget and SCI Strategic Plan relating to government affairs. Assures that expenditures are coordinated with CFO and CEO.
• Perform other related duties as assigned. Attends meetings, conventions, trade shows, and other events as appropriate.
• Manages support staff; interviews, makes hiring decisions, orients/trains employees, plans, assigns, and directs work. In partnership with Human Resources, counsels employees on disciplinary and performance issues. Addresses employee development, recognition, complaints and concerns
• Creates and supports an open communication culture. Conduct regular team meetings; continually update team on current goals and best practices, answer questions, and help team with new issues. Responsible for communicating departmental/procedural updates.
• Monitor, evaluate, and document team and individual performance including quality of work and compliance; set clear expectations, goals and deadlines for the department. Motivate team members by recognizing high performance and encourage creative thinking.
• Prepare your team for future challenges by identifying and promoting new training. Set training standards for all new hires.
• Engages in successional planning so as to ensure continuity of SCI’s capabilities in this area.
• Perform other related duties as assigned. Attends meetings, conventions, trade shows, and other events as appropriate.

Qualifications

• The position requires at minimum, a bachelor’s degree and 10 years of experience in wildlife conservation and hunting matters.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of advocacy principles, political policy and laws relating to wildlife conservation and hunting matters.
• Must show an understanding of, and commitment to, hunting through current or prior engagement in hunting.
• Must have experience in government affairs at state or federal level
• Knowledge of Washington, D.C., politics, government, etc. is strongly preferred.
• Experience in national and international travel and affairs is preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong Leadership and problem-solving skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite software, to include OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams with an ability to become familiar with SCI-specific programs and software.
• Demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal and customer service skills, organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Motivation and strong desire to take on new challenges and learn as much as possible
• Must demonstrate excellent communication skills, attention to detail, organizational skills and exceptional customer service.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to the needs of the organization and employees.

Any equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience that fulfills the requirements of the position will be considered.

Benefits

Safari Club International offers a full benefit package. Please go to our careers page to view our Benefit Summary: https://safariclub.org/careers/