Vice President, Federal Affairs & Strategic Engagement

Federal Affairs & Agency Engagement 

Lead DBIA’s strategic engagement with federal agencies, developing and maintaining strong relationships with agency leaders, acquisition and procurement professionals, program and project leaders, and other key stakeholders. 

Serve as a primary DBIA point of contact for federal agencies on matters related to design-build project delivery and implementation. 

Identify emerging federal priorities, challenges, and opportunities and bring that intelligence into DBIA to inform organizational strategy, education, resources, and industry initiatives. 

Help federal Owners successfully implement and expand the use of design-build and Progressive Design-Build by connecting them with appropriate DBIA expertise, education, best practices, and resources. 

Develop strong working relationships with industry associations and other organizations that share DBIA’s federal-sector goals, identifying opportunities for collaboration and coordinated engagement where appropriate. 

Represent DBIA at federal-sector meetings, programs and industry forums and identify opportunities for strategic engagement that advance effective design-build practice. 

Federal Committee & Federal Design-Build Symposium 

Provide strategic staff leadership to DBIA’s Federal Committee, engaging its members as a source of expertise, market intelligence and guidance on federal-sector priorities. 

Work with Committee leadership to identify emerging issues and translate them into meaningful DBIA initiatives, resources and engagement strategies. 

Lead the strategic direction and content development of DBIA’s annual Federal Design-Build Symposium in collaboration with the Federal Committee and appropriate DBIA staff. 

Leverage relationships across federal agencies and industry to ensure strong agency participation and a program focused on consequential issues facing the federal design-build market. 

Broaden Owner Engagement & Community 

Lead DBIA’s relationship-building and listening efforts with public and private Owners, creating meaningful opportunities to understand their needs, challenges and experiences with design-build. 

Lead the strategy and planning for DBIA’s Owner Forums and other opportunities for substantive Owner dialogue and engagement. 

Cultivate DBIA’s online Owner Community as an active forum for peer exchange by initiating and facilitating conversations, connecting Owners with relevant information and resources, monitoring emerging issues and encouraging participation. 

Bring insights from the Owner community into DBIA and work with appropriate staff leaders to help inform education, Owner Readiness, research, resources and other strategic initiatives. 

Identify opportunities to deepen Owner participation and engagement in DBIA and its work. 

Legislative Coordination 

Partner closely with DBIA’s Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs to remain informed of federal legislative priorities and developments and ensure alignment among legislative advocacy, federal agency engagement and implementation efforts. 

Provide federal agency and Owner insights to inform DBIA’s legislative priorities and strategy, while maintaining clear organizational responsibility for legislative affairs within the Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs portfolio. 

Maintain a strong working knowledge of the federal legislative and appropriations processes, including how legislation advances through congressional committees and both chambers, the role of congressional and committee staff, and the relationship between legislative action, appropriations, agency policy and implementation. 

Organizational Leadership & Collaboration 

Serve as a collaborative member of DBIA’s leadership team, bringing federal and Owner perspectives into organizational planning and decision-making. 

Work across DBIA to connect external intelligence and relationships to education, certification, research and other organizational priorities. 

Partner closely with DBIA’s Marketing & Strategic Communications team to ensure insights from federal and Owner engagement inform external communications and that related messaging aligns with DBIA’s broader communications strategy. 

Develop and manage budgets associated with assigned programs and initiatives. 

Represent DBIA with the judgment, credibility and professionalism expected of a national industry organization. 

Contracts Committee 

Serve as primary staff liaison to DBIA’s Contracts Committee, connecting the Committee’s expertise and work to broader organizational priorities. 

Work with Committee, Board and staff leadership to identify emerging contractual, procurement and risk-allocation issues affecting design-build Owners and practitioners. 

Help ensure DBIA’s contract documents and related resources remain responsive to changes in design-build practice and industry needs. 

Qualifications & Experience 

Bachelor’s degree required. 

Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial experience working with or within the federal government and a strong understanding of federal agency operations, acquisition/procurement and decision-making. 

Demonstrated success building and sustaining trusted relationships with federal agency leaders, career professionals and other public-sector stakeholders. 

Experience in or substantive knowledge of public infrastructure, architecture, engineering, construction, project delivery, procurement or a related field. Knowledge of design-build and Progressive Design-Build is strongly preferred but not required. 

Demonstrated ability to navigate complex issues, work effectively with volunteer leaders and subject-matter experts, and translate external insights into organizational action. 

Strong facilitation, presentation and interpersonal communication skills, with the credibility and judgment to represent DBIA with senior government officials, Owners and industry leaders. 

Leadership Attributes 

A skilled facilitator who guides diverse groups toward consensus, navigates competing perspectives with tact, and keeps discussions productive and outcome-focused. 

A trusted relationship builder who listens well, develops credibility over time and builds strong, sustained relationships with diverse stakeholders. 

A strategic and intellectually curious thinker who quickly absorbs complex issues, asks thoughtful questions, connects policy, implementation and industry needs, and identifies opportunities for DBIA. 

A collaborative leader who shares information, builds internal connections and effectively engages volunteer leaders and subject-matter experts to move priorities forward. 

A credible and effective communicator who can represent DBIA confidently with senior government officials, Owners, industry leaders and other stakeholders. 

A hands-on leader and implementer who moves comfortably between strategy, relationship development and execution. 

Travel Requirements 

Periodic domestic overnight travel to provide staff support at DBIA National Conferences and special events is required.  

Annual Salary Range: $160,000 - $180,000

Benefits include health, dental, life, disability, 401(k), commuting benefits, onsite fitness facility, and more.