Managing Director, Public Affairs

AIR is seeking a Managing Director of Public Affairs, a senior leadership role responsible for representing AIR’s strategic interests in advancing the generation and use of evidence across its key focus areas—education, health, and workforce development—both domestically and internationally. Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, the Managing Director is an experienced visionary, idea generator, and strategist who supports AIR’s positioning as an evidence broker. This role requires maintaining up-to-date knowledge of federal policies, processes, and key stakeholders, as well as tracking significant trends at the state level to proactively respond to field-identified needs. The Managing Director will lead, develop, and manage an experienced team of public affairs staff. This leader will work closely with AIR’s senior leadership to:

• Design and build an overarching AIR policy agenda.
• Communicate evidence that supports sound positions on select issues.
• Implement strategies that enhance AIR’s capacity to influence decision-makers and other stakeholders to adopt evidence-based practices that improve access and engagement in education, health, and workforce development, both domestically and internationally.

The Managing Director will ideate, design, and implement thought leadership initiatives that provide opportunities for AIR to engage in innovative and sustained policy efforts across sectors. These initiatives aim to enhance AIR’s reputation as a trusted and reliable source of information, particularly in its key focus areas. Additionally, the Managing Director will support the dissemination and translation of rigorous, impartial research and evidence-based insights to address pressing and recurring policy challenges. These efforts will help inform public understanding and guide federal, state, and local policy decisions.

 

This position is hybrid, based out of AIR's office in Arlington, Virginia.

 

About AIR:

 

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

 

AIR’s commitment to diversity goes beyond legal compliance to its full integration in our strategy, operations, and work environment. At AIR, we define diversity broadly, considering everyone’s unique life and community experiences. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives, abilities/disabilities, racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, education backgrounds, and life stories drives innovation and employee engagement. Learn more about AIR's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and hear from our staff by clicking here.

 

Essential job functions include but are not limited to-

• Strategic Planning and Execution
• Design AIR’s public affairs strategy and role model the behavior needed to drive, lead, and define the space.
• Work with AIR senior leadership to implement a comprehensive public affairs strategy that helps fulfill AIR’s vision to inform evidence-based decision-making across education, health, and workforce development, while also helping to inform, shape and influence systemic change.
• In partnership with external consultants, maintain timely and thorough understanding and awareness of policy issues and developments across key topic areas to ensure regular transfer of that knowledge to senior staff.
• Direct and provide intelligence to advance AIR’s business and policy interests.
• Proactively position AIR to protect existing business, pursue new business, and expand understanding with key interest holders including policymakers, associations, and other key opinion leaders.
• Work directly with AIR divisions to align and integrate work into strategic plans to build intentional partnerships, inform policy, and support and promote AIR’s mission.
• Influencer Outreach and Engagement
• Develop and implement strategies to identify and engage the network of influencers that surround policymakers and decisionmakers.
• Provide an underlying rationale for policy outreach, education, collaboration, partnership, and advancement among policymakers and relevant organizations, including responding to and generating requests for information.
• Cultivate and maintain trusted relationships with relevant influencers, building a targeted list of digital, media, nonprofit and policy decisionmakers across education, health, and workforce development, domestically and internationally.
• Thought Leadership and Strategic Communication
• Lead strategic communications efforts that develop and steward new strategic partnerships and relationships that build the organization’s impact, visibility, value, and thought leadership.
• Work with project and division staff to develop policy briefs, statements, public comments, letters, and memoranda that inform and advance conversations across government, media, think tanks, academia, and other influencers.
• Work with the Corporate Communications team to place op-eds and position AIR as a go-to resource with editorial boards at mainstream and trade publications.
• Work with the AIR Opportunity Fund team to further AIR’s mission-focused agenda around advancing equity.
• Define a change management process that supports the awareness of and buy-in around public affairs within AIR, building the internal processes that enable the role to work effectively across divisions and teams.
• Represent the organization, as appropriate, with external (media, strategic partners, and funders) groups.
• Identify opportunities for policy engagement, including through collaboration and coordination with other policy and research organizations.
• In partnership with the AIR Opportunity Fund, advise and coach researchers on how to share research findings with policymakers for maximum impact and utilization of evidence.
• Networking and Eminence
• Maintain existing and build new strategic partnerships with national nonprofits that advance AIR’s mission including identifying new partners to drive research, development, and technical assistance for new programs and services.
• Identify, design, and advance opportunities for partnerships and strategic alliances across education, health, workforce development, and international development organizations.
• Leverage relationships with policymakers and other organizations to facilitate collaborations and projects to highlight AIR’s research and services and support AIR’s strategic goals and objectives.

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree with 10-15 years of progressive professional experience. 
• At least 5 years in managerial position within the public sector, private sector, nonprofit or government.
• Background in public policy essential, with key opinion leader (KOL) engagement, government outreach, and/or lobbying experience.
• Deep understanding of how policy becomes legislation, regulatory processes, deep network of influencers in state, federal and governments. Global policy experience a plus.
• Familiarity with nonprofit organizations and/or government contractors (gov con); experience working within research, evaluation and technical assistance preferred.

Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and collaborate in a virtual, cross-functional, and diverse team environment.
• Strong communication skills, including presenting to and facilitating various-sized groups with a broad spectrum of perspectives and entry points.
• Adaptable and flexible, capable of adjusting to changing priorities and working efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to translate dense academic findings into user-friendly language that is accessible to media, the general public, and decisionmakers.
• Track record of influencing and engaging stakeholders, including securing placement of leadership on federal task forces, advisory groups and creating opportunities to testify before Congress.
• Collaborative leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills at a senior level. Experience cultivating and sustaining trusted relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage projects and teams, strong project management and staff supervision skills required.
• Ability to work well independently and as a member of a project team while prioritizing multiple objectives to meet project deadlines.
• Proficient in utilizing standard Microsoft 365 tools, including OneDrive, SharePoint, Excel, Word, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Must be able to travel as needed.

 

Disclosures:

 

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

 

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

 

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

 

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer:

AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to recruitment@air.org.

 

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.

 

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