Government Relations – Principal

The MITRE Corporation•McLean, VA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us. MITRE Government Relations, part of MITRE’s External Affairs function, has primary responsibility within MITRE for engaging with the White House, U.S. Congress and elected officials at the state and local levels. The Department continuously monitors White House and congressional activities, e.g. executive orders, congressional hearings, and policy developments, delivering timely insights that enable MITRE leadership to have situational awareness and make informed decisions related to sponsors, FFRDCs, MITRE, or other stakeholders. The GR team also coordinates briefings and meetings with elected officials in Congress and state and local leaders to share data and insights from our technical work and research for the purpose of educating members and staff. MITRE is a non-profit corporation chartered to operate in the public interest. The company is restricted from lobbying. The focus of our Government Relations work is to serve as a resource to help Congress and elected officials at the state and local levels better understand critical issues and challenges facing the nation – especially those involving technology and complex systems of systems problems – and identifying effective pathways to address them.

Requirements

Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree
8 years of related experience in advocacy or policy
Expert knowledge of congressional: Organization, structures, roles and responsibilities.
Processes and procedures; and
Key players and factors that influence them
In-depth knowledge of the functional, policy and legislative environment related to critical technology areas.
Demonstrated ability to shape and effectively present content of a highly technical nature to non-technical audiences
Experience working on one or more Congressional staffs as an employee or Legislative Fellow, or working directly with Congress in a liaison capacity
Experience reviewing, analyzing, and developing legislative language
Experience with tools and information resources used to track legislative activity
Comfortable with technical topics and engaging with engineering and scientific experts

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of experience working on one or more Congressional staffs as an employee or working directly with Congress in a liaison capacity
Experience engaging at all levels of an organization, including at the officer level
Experience leading teams, initiatives or projects focused on policy or legislative action
Knowledge of the regulatory basis and operating paradigm of federally-funded research and development centers
Knowledge of the activities of The MITRE Corporation and the federally-funded research and development centers it operates
Excellent oral and written communication skills
High level of tact and diplomacy
Demonstrated experience building relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Ability to multi-task and shift gears quickly

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for engaging with elected officials, including the U.S. Congress and state and local officials, on a set of technical capability areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and quantum, among others.
Track and provide situational awareness to MITRE leadership on legislative activities related to cross-cutting technology areas.
Provide timely, tailored, and actionable analysis of legislation and legislative activities to internal customers and keep them informed about relevant developments and events, knowledge of which is essential to MITRE activities and operations.
Collaborate with other GR team members and MITRE sector peers and leadership on engagement strategies and plans.
Collaborate on and inform the development of corporate and center-level strategies, and support implementation leveraging external consultant support.
Coordinate preparation for employees testifying on Capitol Hill; Coordinate preparation for Congressional meetings and educate MITRE staff on proper ways to interface with congressional, state and local elected officials and their staff.
Work with the broader Communications and External Affairs team to create and manage outreach-oriented resource materials.
Maintain excellent understanding of developments in core MITRE business areas and proactively align engagement strategies in light of these developments, focusing on congressional offices and key state officials.

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