Government Affairs Advisor, Senior

The City of Tacoma is looking for an experienced Senior Government Affairs Advisor to join our Government Relations Team! The Senior Government Affairs Advisor is a high impact position as a member of the Government Relations Office.   This is a dynamic role involving work with state and federal legislative advocacy, as well as with regional legislative and executive outreach with units of government immediately surrounding Tacoma and throughout the Puget Sound region.

In this role you will support a variety of aspects of the state, federal, and regional government affairs work.  State government affairs work may involve assisting with bill tracking, review, analysis, presentations, testimony, and development of responses and proposals. The position will require coordination with City departments and preparations for Council presentations or discussion. This position may be responsible for government affairs materials including bill summaries, talking points, letters, and other legislative materials. In this role you may undertake special public policy assignments and will work closely with the Chief Government Affairs Officer. Responsibilities of this position also include assisting with the development and implementation of state, federal, and regional outreach and networking activities and collaboration with partner agencies to lead projects and address issues of mutual interest. The role is responsible for identifying emerging issues and thinking creatively on complex and sensitive matters to advance the priorities of the City Council.

Essential Duties

• Participates in legislative, advocacy, and partner meetings

• In consultation and coordination with the Chief Government Affairs Officer, monitors policy development and identifies emerging issues that the City may need to address, and produces recommendations on appropriate path forward as needed

• Participates in bill tracking, review, analysis, and advocacy planning

• Assists with state, federal, and regional advocacy

• Develops materials for advocacy, discussion, or presentation on state, federal or regional issues, including coordinating City positions

• Coordinates meetings and briefings with partner agencies and policy makers as needed

• Works collaboratively with the City Council policy support team to ensure that Council priorities are adequately addressed at the appropriate levels of government

• Other duties as assigned by the Chief Government Affairs Officer to support the work of the City Council and City Manager's Office

• Provides presentations and develops necessary briefing materials for policy makers and other audiences as needed

Minimum Education*

Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, public policy, political science, communication or a field related to the work of this position

Minimum Experience*

6 years including 1 year prior as a subject matter expert (SME)

• Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

• Relationship Building: Ability to cultivate and maintain interpersonal relationships with elected officials, key staff, and community leaders. Build constructive relationships through listening, learning, and building trust. Use knowledge and understanding of the organization and political climate to make recommendations that satisfy diverse interests and contribute to achieving organizational goals.

• Organizational Acumen: Understand City operations, budgetary concepts, and policy objectives.

• Project Management: Ability to effectively manage a project, assess and rank project priorities, collaborate with others, identify and secure needed technical expertise, and ensure timely achievement of project goals.

• Analysis: Assess data and information in a clear and rational process to understand issues, evaluate options, form opinions, and make defensible recommendations. Identify information gaps and develop approaches to address them.

• Communications: Clearly and persuasively convey timely information to positively influence others within and outside of the utility regarding the communicated messages.

• Problem Solving: Utilize critical thinking, intelligence, common sense, and perseverance to address challenges and obstacles to achieving the objectives.

• Cultural Competency: Ability to listen to, and be respectful of, diverse perspectives and policy needs. Actively work to incorporate anti-racist approaches to policy development work and special projects.

• Team Leadership: Actively build team cohesion with both internal staff and external partners by creating a cooperative and productive work environment, and promoting inclusion and professionalism. Employ expertise, credibility, and inclusive collaboration to help team members identify, evaluate, and resolve complex and sensitive issues and problems.

• Political Acumen: Use knowledge and understanding of the organizational environment and political climate when taking actions, making recommendations and communicating with associates and individuals outside of the City of Tacoma organization.

• Personal Accountability: Takes pride and ownership in one's work product and actively seeks to continuously improve over time.

All interested individuals should apply online and attach a resume and cover letter that includes major responsibilities and accomplishments related to the position.

First review of applications will be May 14, 2024. 

Applicants who have the strongest backgrounds related to the responsibilities of the position may be invited to participate in an interview. Reference checks will be conducted on final candidates. Appointment is subject to successfully passing a background check.

City of Tacoma Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Tacoma's diversity is its greatest asset. Tacoma embraces its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character. Communities of color and immigrant communities are fundamental to Tacoma's entrepreneurial spirit, workforce, and long-term success. In Tacoma, equity and empowerment are top priorities, meaning that all Tacoma residents must have equitable opportunities to reach their full potential and share in the benefits of community progress.  One of our goals is for the City of Tacoma workforce to reflect the community it serves. We actively work to eliminate racial and other disparities and welcome candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skill sets and experiences. Our goal is for Tacoma to be an inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and play.

Communication from the City of Tacoma:

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from cityoftacoma.org and/or governmentjobs.com must be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

The online application system requires you to enter a substantial amount of information. Be prepared to spend at least an hour entering information. In order for your application materials to be considered, all information must be submitted by the closing date and time listed on this job announcement.

For assistance with the NEOGOV application process, questions regarding this job announcement, or if you are experiencing complications while applying, please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591.5400 by 4:00 pm of the closing date of the job announcement. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.