Director, Government Relations

State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio•Columbus, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

STRS Ohio is seeking a Director, Governmental Relations to join the Executive/Governmental Relations team. Established in 1920 and serving Ohio’s educators, STRS Ohio is one of the nation’s largest retirement systems, serving nearly 550,000 active, inactive, and retired public-school teachers, and university faculty members, managing approximately $96.3 billion as of June 30, 2025, in assets and paying more than $7 billion in benefits annually. STRS Ohio provides a competitive pay, and a comprehensive benefits package including on-site parking, educational assistance, subsidized medical insurance, fully paid dental and life insurance, vacation and sick leave, retirement benefits and on-site fitness center. At STRS Ohio, you can experience rewarding work in a professional, business casual work environment. We welcome, celebrate, and promote respect for everyone. We are continually seeking bright and talented individuals to join our team.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Seven to ten years’ experience in government relations or legislative environment required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Course work in education, business administration, journalism, public relations, political science, government, law or communications preferred.
STRS Ohio or public pension, finance, or public entity experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead STRS Ohio’s stakeholder relations.
Serve as STRS Ohio’s primary liaison to the Ohio congressional delegation, the Ohio General Assembly, legislative staff and key stakeholder organizations.
Assist in stakeholder messaging during periods of political volatility.
Build and maintain effective working relationships with state and federal lawmakers to enact legislation that the Retirement Board deems appropriate and necessary for the functioning of the system and the benefit of STRS Ohio.
Conversely, work to defeat or amend in such a manner as to make acceptable legislation that would be detrimental to the functioning of STRS Ohio and its ability to provide for the retirement security of the members and retirees.
Analyze proposed legislation, regulations and policy initiatives to evaluate legal, financial, and operational impact on STRS Ohio.
Provide timely and accurate legislative briefings and issue education sessions to the Chief Legal Officer, Executive Director, Retirement Board, Board Legislative Committee and senior leadership.
Coordinate joint advocacy efforts with other state retirement systems, national associations and key stakeholder organizations.
Lead and serve as the primary liaison for STRS Ohio participation in national and state pension coalitions.