Summary

As Head of Government Relations for Save the Children U.S. (SCUS), you will oversee the Agency’s international and domestic policy agendas at the federal level, with responsibility for advancing legislative, appropriations, and policy priorities in Congress and the Administration. You will report to the Vice President, Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns.

You will be responsible for leading and managing a policy team covering domestic and international issues and is accountable for producing measurable results through congressional and federal executive action. You will represent Save the Children with U.S. government stakeholders, in coalitions, and with peer organizations. You will also represent Save the Children U.S. in Save the Children global federation policy and advocacy spaces. You will also be a senior manager, coaching and leading a team of policy staff and managers, managing a department budget and grant funding, and representing the Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns Division as needed.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Lead a diverse federal government relations team in developing and executing domestic and international priority issues (40%)

• Lead and manage a federal government relations team focused on delivering policy change in the domestic, global development, and humanitarian policy spaces through effective advocacy strategies.
• Oversee a US government engagement strategy that includes:
  • building and sustaining bipartisan congressional champions for Save the Children’s international and domestic policy agenda;
  • engaging with the Executive Branch to influence executive action in US and multilateral spaces; and
  • identifying ways to leverage CEO, senior leadership, trustees, and influencers for high level US government engagement.
• Manage effective participation in coalitions and working groups, as well as strong coordination with key partners.
• Develop and implement three-year strategies and annual plans with the goal of achieving policy change through executive and legislative actions consistent with Save the Children’s mission and values.

Provide leadership and support to the government relations department. (30%)

• Lead, coach, and develop the government relations staff, including policy team managers, and implement effective staff management and development plans for the entire department.
• Build and support a strong team approach to our work, rooted in Save the Children's mission, through formal and informal settings, including senior management team meetings, all staff meetings, department retreats, congressional coordination mechanisms, and other professional development opportunities.
• Support staff to assume greater levels of responsibility and achieve career development goals and to become effective and knowledgeable of how their work links to Save the Children’s strategy, annual plans, and policies.
• Ensure compliance with federal laws and SCUS policies related to lobbying.

Serve on the Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns senior management team and represent Save the Children U.S. in global federation advocacy teams (30%)

• Work closely with the Head of Campaigns & Engagement in Save the Children Action Network to inform grassroots campaigns and digital online action that build upon government relations priorities.
• Represent Save the Children US on Save the Children International global policy working groups and closely coordinate with the Head of Policy for SCI to provide input into the global policy agenda and to help inform U.S. policy agenda.
• Ensure compliance with Save the Children’s internal sign off policies on policy reports, sign-on letters, and other documents.
• Closely coordinate with senior leadership team in International Programs and US Programs on policy and programmatic priorities.
• Coordinate with the senior media and social media team to develop communications strategies to advance Save the Children’s policy priorities and to increase visibility and awareness around these issues.
• Develop, implement, and manage the annual Government Relations department budget. Work with divisional leaders to manage grants and support policy and advocacy fundraising efforts.
• Work with Partnerships & Philanthropy Division on policy and advocacy fundraising opportunities.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 15 years of relevant experience.
• Proven familiarity with the legislative process, including domestic and foreign assistance appropriations. Direct responsibility for delivering legislative successes (bills passed, budgets increased).
• Familiarity with the federal Executive Branch, including White House structures, key departments and agencies, and methods of executive policymaking.
• Experience managing full-time staff, coaching new managers, and leading a team. Experience in strategic planning, prioritization, and managing budgets.
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Proven ability to work across teams in a collaborative, contributory manner, including in a complex bureaucracy, and leverage the strengths and buy-in of others.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining and environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing both domestic and international policy priorities.
• Bipartisan networks related to foreign policy, global health, and international children’s issues.
• Bipartisan networks related to domestic children’s issues, particularly early childhood education, food security, and immigration.
• Experience engaging Executive Branch officials and agencies to advance a policy agenda.
• Experience in large, complex organizations and/or multinational federations.

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $188,700 – $210,900 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record.

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is availablehere). Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, paid vacation leave, safety & wellness leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, caregiver leave, and much more.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save the Children:

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.