Grassroots Advocacy Manager

National Restaurant Association•Washington, DC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation are seeking a Grassroots Advocacy Manager to lead, develop, and elevate the Association’s grassroots and grasstops advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. This role is crucial for strengthening the Association’s position as a leading voice in national public policy and advocacy for the restaurant industry. The manager will oversee the flagship Hill Runner program, cultivating relationships between restaurant operators and members of Congress, and drive the digital grassroots strategy through the Quorum advocacy platform. They will also serve as the primary strategist and liaison for State Restaurant Association partners on grassroots engagement and lead the Association’s annual Public Affairs Conference fly-in.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in political science, government relations, public policy or equivalent.
Minimum 3 years of grassroots advocacy work or related political advocacy work focusing on stakeholder mobilization.
Knowledge of grassroots advocacy software, such as Quorum, preferred.
Highly collaborative and accountable with proven interpersonal and diplomacy skills.
Creative thinker who can develop and implement new grassroots and public affairs strategies.
Confident communicator, including writing, public speaking, and presentations.
Intellectual horsepower, emotional intelligence, and curiosity.
Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills.
Ability to prioritize work and manage multiple projects, deliverables, and deadlines.
Highly effective organizational, time-management, priority-setting and problem-solving skills.
Responsive to change and leads as a change agent; highly adaptable and resilient.
Ability to work as part of a team and to work independently; a self-initiator, versatile and assumes risk with responsibility.
Ability to engage confidently at all levels of the organization.
Proficiency across Microsoft Office products, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and ability to learn other software programs as needed.
Ability to travel 1-4 times per year.

Nice To Haves

Experience working for a trade association, membership organization, or political campaign is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Responsible for enhancing the Association’s grassroots advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels of government.
Lead the Hill Runner program, the Association’s marquee grasstops advocacy program, including recruiting new Hill Runners, onboarding and motivating existing ones, developing content, overseeing the Summer of Action program, and innovating new ways to activate Hill Runners.
Oversee the Association’s relationship with Quorum, managing the grassroots database, collaborating on grassroots emails and activations, strategizing on engagement growth, and managing relationships between Quorum, the Association, and State Restaurant Association accounts.
Serve as the Public Affairs team’s point person for the annual Public Affairs Conference, managing the planning process, deliverables, and unique Hill Runner programming.
Collaborate with State Affairs team to analyze and enhance State Restaurant Association grassroots efforts.
Work with Public Affairs team and State Restaurant Associations to plan and execute in-state Restaurant Roundtables and other advocacy events.
Oversee, maintain, and enhance RestaurantsAct.com, the Association's external advocacy website.
Speak on behalf of the Association at industry and state events.
Oversee the team's data collection and management.
Draft correspondence, reports, and presentations for the team.
Assist in keeping department records up to date, including invoice processing.