Government Relations and Member Services Associate

at  Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

SUMMARY

Exciting opportunity to work with elected officials at the local, state and federal level to coordinate government relations/member services for a nonprofit association of local governments committed to shaping a better region. This position will have the unique opportunity to help develop and build a robust government relations/advocacy program within the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. This is a professional position reporting directly to the Government Relations and Members Services Manager and works closely with the Executive Office staff team, member-jurisdictions, Board of Directors, COG Office of Communications. The position requires strong organizational skills, the ability to juggle multiple cross-departmental projects in a fast-paced, membership-oriented environment, and excellent written and oral communication skills. This position is responsible for assisting with the following programs:

• Member services (working with local governments)
• COG Board of Directors and associated committees
• Government relations and advocacy (state and federal)
• Additional support of Executive Office and special projects as needed

This position will work collaboratively with COG’s subject matter experts and area officials on a range of topics, including transportation, water and air quality, climate change, housing, land use, health, and public safety.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Professional experience that includes membership, government relations and/or public -sector or association.

• Demonstrated experience in working with elected officials, member services, meeting coordination, government relations and/or project management.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills, plus ability to pull complex reports into integrated reports for members to easily understand.
• Excellent experience with membership programs, Microsoft Office software, including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint. Familiarity with web content management systems.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage information, correspondence and documents.
• Experience tracking legislation at the state or federal level
• Excellent professional judgment and experience in working with confidential or sensitive information.
• Strong inter-personal skills and ability to work with staff colleagues and COG members in a team or collaborative environment.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Administration, Government Relations, Political Science, Public Relations, or related field and two to three years of experience with a local, state or federal government, or nonprofit organization or any equivalent combination of knowledge and training which provides the required knowledge, experience, skills and abilities

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Exciting opportunity to work with elected officials at the local, state and federal level to coordinate government relations/member services for a nonprofit association of local governments committed to shaping a better region. This position will have the unique opportunity to help develop and build a robust government relations/advocacy program within the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. This is a professional position reporting directly to the Government Relations and Members Services Manager and works closely with the Executive Office staff team, member-jurisdictions, Board of Directors, COG Office of Communications. The position requires strong organizational skills, the ability to juggle multiple cross-departmental projects in a fast-paced, membership-oriented environment, and excellent written and oral communication skills. This position is responsible for assisting with the following programs:

• Member services (working with local governments)
• COG Board of Directors and associated committees
• Government relations and advocacy (state and federal)
• Additional support of Executive Office and special projects as neede