Federal Relations Specialist - Office of Government and Community Relations

Scheduled Hours

40

Position Summary

Washington University in St. Louis seeks a team player to join the Office of Government and Community Relations in its Washington, DC office. The position will play a central role by leading efforts that advance the University’s federal priorities and by managing administrative, logistical, and programmatic functions of the DC office and federal relations personnel.

WashU Federal Relations engages decision makers on legislative, regulatory, or other policy activities that impact the University. By leveraging expert resources from campus, our federal relations staff seek to elevate the visibility and influence of WashU in the nation’s capital. The office also works closely with the many higher education associations and coalitions headquartered in Washington, and in tandem with partners at other universities and organizations.

Job Description

Provide substantive contributions to WashU’s federal relations activities and engagements, including but not limited to:

• Monitoring congressional activities (hearings, markups, briefings, etc.) and other public events relevant to WashU and providing recommendations for follow-on engagement, if necessary.

• Creating and maintaining briefing materials and background for use

• Performing research on policy issues relevant to WashU and providing recommended engagement or programming actions as necessary.

• Reviewing and editing documents for content, accuracy and format.

• Assistance with the development of annual appropriations requests and other WashU priorities before federal decisionmakers.

Develop strategies and manage implementation of programming/events held at the DC Office, Capitol Hill, or elsewhere in Washington DC designed to increase awareness of WashU’s academic, research, healthcare strengths among policymakers.

A subset of this responsibility will involve managing the planning and logistics associated with programming/evets at the DC office sponsored by campus stakeholders.

Provide administrative support for the WashU Federal Relations team including but not limited to:

• Managing day-to-day administrative tasks required to seamlessly maintain an organized, efficient, and functioning DC office.

• Scheduling virtual and in-person meetings

• Tracking and submitting expense reports

• Managing the preparation and submission of required lobbying disclosure reports, congressional engagement tracking, and other compliance responsibilities.

Perform other duties, as assigned.

Working Conditions:
Job Location/Working Conditions

This role will be located in Washington, D.C.

• Normal office environment

• Ability to travel to various on- and off-campus locations

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or table

• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (1 Year)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

This role will be located in Washington, D.C.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum of one year of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities. 
• Connections to Washington University in St. Louis.
• Familiarity with the state of Missouri and the Missouri congressional delegation. 
• Familiarity with federal issues and policies affecting research universities.
• Experience working on or with Capitol Hill.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, and to exercise good judgment and discretion in the performance of all work assignments. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills that reflect courtesy, discretion, and a collaborative approach in order to develop and maintain effective work relationships and to effectively interact with University staff and federal personnel. 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to navigate complex issues. 
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work in order to meet deadlines while staying on task with daily assignments. 
• Ability to handle sensitive internal information regarding University operations and procedures appropriately.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Collaboration, Communication, Complexity Management, Confidentiality, Congressional Affairs, Detail-Oriented, Federal Government, Government Relations, Interpersonal Communication, Legislative Affairs, Microsoft Office, Multitasking, Organizing, Prioritization, Proactive Support, Problem Solving, Relationship Building, Sensitive Information, Sound Judgment, Working Independently

Grade

G11

Salary Range

$53,100.00 - $90,600.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.