Director of Government Relations and External Affairs

The Arc Prince George's County•Upper Marlboro, MD

7d•$110,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Government Relations and External Affairs advocates for The Arc Prince George’s County and intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) causes through outreach and stakeholder engagement. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the director works with internal and external stakeholders, collaborates closely with the Marketing department and the Director for Family, Education and Community Engagement, and helps develop and communicate agency priorities. The role builds community partnerships and collaborations, including through memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and supports advocacy, government relations, and agency expansion activities. This position has no direct reports and requires routine travel throughout Prince George’s County and the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The successful candidate is self-directed, professional, and highly motivated, with strong analytical, communication, advocacy, and relationship-building skills. They must be able to manage priorities in a fast-paced environment and represent the agency with integrity and accountability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field is strongly desired.
Strong understanding of IDD needs from infancy through adulthood.
Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to strategically leverage professional relationships.
Strong advocacy skills and the ability to communicate a compelling vision of agency objectives to internal and external stakeholders.
Reputation for fostering durable relationships with government officials and staff.
Accountability, integrity, and ability to handle highly visible responsibilities.
Creative and critical thinking, analytical ability to gather and summarize data for reports, problem-solving, and prioritization skills.
Valid driver’s license.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Experience with people with special needs or developmental disabilities is desired.
Seven or more years of experience working in the Human Service/IDD field is desired.

Responsibilities

Join the CEO in strategic meetings and coordinate follow-up activities.
Attend community meetings and events with the CEO or represent the CEO when needed.
Participate in and coordinate with local advisory groups and councils, including ADDCAC, SECAC, the Prince George’s County Commission for Individuals with Disabilities, the Prince George’s Provider Council, and Parks and Recreation.
Assist the CEO in engaging government leaders and building relationships with industry associations, policy institutes, opinion leaders, and other external stakeholders.
Meet with key legislators in Annapolis annually, seek to host an elected leader for a tour at The Arc quarterly, and follow up on opportunities and next steps with elected leaders.
Review the CEO’s emails to identify and follow up on next steps.
Coordinate the organization’s participation in DD Day and Calendar Day, and organize joint information sessions with partners and collaborators.
Support expansion activities as needed.
Help lead advocacy campaigns, often in coalition with other stakeholders, in support of the agency.
Collaborate with The Arc US on national strategies.
Identify, develop, and report on opportunities to improve supports for students with special needs.
Support The Arc advocacy and governmental affairs committees.
Coordinate activities with the organization’s lobbyist and serve as the point of contact.
Meet with each county council member at least once a year and with key school board members at least once per year.
Work toward ensuring that parents of children with special needs know about the agency’s services; work with PGCPS to broadly share information about events, resources, and supports with parents and students.
Coordinate at least two annual speaking opportunities for key Arc staff to establish them as experts and raise brand awareness.
Host at least two annual tours for key partners and stakeholders.
Support the Prince George’s County self-advocacy group, including efforts to grow participation and impact through recruiting, training, and deploying self-advocates.
Grow the roster of parents available to testify to 20, with a focus on younger parents, and the roster of self-advocates available to testify to 10.
Disseminate relevant information to the disability community and promote agency events to increase participation.