Vice President of Advocacy

Company: Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo
Location: Austin
Posted on: November 19, 2021

Job Description:

The Vice President of Advocacy will serve as a member of the senior leadership team. In collaboration with the Senior Vice President of Strategic Process and Program Development and C-Suite, the VP of Advocacy directs Upbring's strategies and relationships with the governor's office, state legislature, state agencies, think tanks and other key advocacy partners across Texas This position is responsible for proactive planning, strategic guidance, and overall direction of the legislative and advocacy activities with core outcomes to support the mission and the strategic goals of Upbring while advancing Upbring's goal of leading transformation in the child welfare industry and positioning Upbring as a strong advocate, thought leader and subject matter expert on priority issues. Upbring is classified as an essential business by the state because the services we provide are critical to the wellbeing of thousands of children and families. Our Upbring staff members are servant-leaders in the pursuit of breaking the cycle of child abuse and empowering others to do the same through example while embodying our core values: We are Warriors. We are Servants. We are Family. Responsibilities We Are Warriors - We Set the Standards for Child Welfare Thinking Strategically

• Work with Upbring's leadership to define and develop the organization's advocacy agenda based on current organizational priorities and external policy landscape
• Identify and monitor pending local and state legislative initiatives, external agency policies and practices, and other advocacy issues falling under the scope of interest for Upbring
• Monitor all state and federal legislation together with administrative/regulatory activities/external landscape relating to Upbring's programs to identify all bills that impact Upbring's mission
• Lead all aspects of Upbring's government affairs strategy, including evaluating risks and opportunities, setting short and long-term priorities
• Oversee ongoing environmental scanning, research, and monitoring of government activities in support Upbring's mission and goals and proactively addressing current and emerging public policy issues that impact Upbring's visioning and strategy plan
• Engage with senior leaders and key leaders of internal lines of business to understand and advocate on behalf of key agency priorities
• Direct Upbring's influence on, and response to, legislation, regulation, sub-regulatory guidance, and other government actions that impact Upbring's business or create business opportunities for Upbring
• Design and pursue strategies for advancing Upbring's mission and goals through elected and appointed public officials
• Other duties as assigned Decision Making
  • Set strategic direction and develop proactive, effective, and best practice driven approaches to achieving Upbring's advocacy priorities
  • Contribute to developing a high-performance team culture focused on leadership and accountability at all levels, continuous learning, collaboration, measurement, and goal achievement Fostering Communication
    • Identify and communicate potential public sector opportunities and threats and develop improvement or mitigation strategies and policy positions
    • Identify, analyze, and communicate how potential changes in existing legislative, regulatory, policy, and political environments (both near and long term) could affect Upbring's mission
    • Initiate external communications messaging through content development of correspondence, presentations and other written or broadcast materials We Are Servants- We Help Others Teamwork
      • Collaborate with Senior Vice President of Strategic Process and Program Development to facilitate high-level meetings between Upbring's leadership and key state partners, including policymakers and executives, industry associations, and alliance partners to promote and advocate for Upbring's priorities
      • Assist Senior Vice President of Strategic Process and Program Development in the development of Upbring's federal legislative process
      • Serve as a critical thought partner and provide expertise on government relations and public policy to the CEO, Board of Directors, Upbring's leadership and act as primary liaison to government agencies and other policy stakeholders
      • Assist in determining priorities and devise strategies to represent Upbring's interests at state level
      • Collaborate with Vice President of Strategic Communications & Marketing to develop a range of approaches for informing internal and external audiences of policy and advocacy matters relevant to Upbring (written materials: reports, blog posts, website content and other web-based materials and presentations) We Are Family - We Are Passionate & Compassionate Building Relationships
        • Support identification of strategic targets and oversee efforts to build strong and long-lasting relationships with key internal and external partners, and identify and recommend funding opportunities that leverage Upbring's brand for maximum impact in creating policy and systematic change
        • Act as a thought-leader and content provider to both internal and external audiences
        • Establish and maintain relationships with state officials, legislators, and other stakeholders to assure Upbring's influence and value ("seat at the table")
        • Develop and strengthen relationships with key policymakers in the state legislative and executive branches
        • Identify, build, and maintain cooperative working relationships and alliances with key stakeholders, individuals, organizations, coalitions, foundations, alliances, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, businesses, and communities to cultivate potential partners
        • Work as a team player and exhibit professional behavior and a positive attitude with both internal and external clients that reflects positively on the Agency and is consistent with Agency policies and practices
        • Actively participate in exhibiting cultural awareness and sensitivity when interacting with stakeholders, staff, and the community Qualifications Minimum Qualifications
          • Bachelor's degree in public policy, public administration, political science, or a closely related field
          • 10 years of relevant professional experience overall, with a minimum of 5 years of progressive responsibility in government, public policy or social services, or related fields
          • Demonstrated relationship building experience relating to Texas policy makers and stakeholders
          • Developed relationships with and recognized by policy makers in the Texas legislature
          • Comprehensive experience with navigating and working knowledge and familiarity with Texas state government, state politics and legislative processes
          • Proven established networks and contacts with senior, bipartisan governmental and non-governmental policy circles
          • Demonstrated persuasive and politically astute communication and networking skills with a range of different audiences
          • A strategic thinker, but detail oriented with strong analytical, problem solving, project management and communication skills, including public speaking, to make a convincing case on issues
          • Ability to spot new issues as they begin to emerge and analyze potential impact on Upbring's mission, business plans, and strategic direction: make recommendations on options to address
          • Technological proficiency in the Windows environment, particularly with Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Word Preferred Qualifications
            • Master's in Public Policy, Public Administration, Political Science, or closely related field
            • 12 years progressive experience working in government, public policy or social services, or related fields
            • Experience with children services, working with DFPS and/or HHSC Physical Demands & Work Conditions
              • This position requires sitting and looking and using a computer for long periods of time
              • Position may work in a child facility and have limited exposure to children
              • Lift, push, pull, move up to 25 lbs. The physical requirements for this position with or without reasonable accommodation are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this position successfully. While performing this position the employee with or without reasonable accommodation should have the ability to walk, stand, sit, kneel, speak, and hear with aid, see, read, reach with arms and hands, lift and/or move up to specified weight, and use equipment that is essential to performing the job, such as a computer, copier, fax machine, telephone, and automobile, if applicable. Specific vision requirements of this position may include color vision, seeing things close up, and the ability to adjust focus.
                
                Agreement The statements herein indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by an employee in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job. Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities of the job and may request the employee to perform other duties and responsibilities not listed at his/her discretion. This job description is not a contract between the employee occupying the position and the employer. Upbring is an at-will employer. Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status. If the day-to-day work I perform differs significantly from the above outlined essential duties, it is my obligation to inform my supervisor and/or Organizational Development. Sorry the Share function is not working properly at this moment. Please refresh the page and try again later.

Keywords: Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo, Austin , Vice President of Advocacy, Executive , Austin, Texas