Local Government Manager

Houston Food Bank • Houston, TX

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

This position requires occasional evening and weekend work. POSITION SUMMARY: The Local Government Manager is responsible for building strategic relationships with local government officials and their staff in Houston Food Bank’s 18 counties (HFB). This role is also responsible for collaborating with local organizations working on issues that drive food insecurity and those that present opportunities to grow HFB’s operations and programming, such as Chambers of Commerce. The Local Government Manager identifies and pursues new funding sources across local jurisdictions, prepares issue briefs, budget summaries, testimony, talking points, presentations, and other appropriate communiques to inform the community and local elected officials about what is occurring in their area. They will also assist during times of disaster as a liaison between local government entities and HFB departments. Adhere to PACT values. (Purpose: Using our strengths passionately to contribute to our mission. Accountability: Choosing to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrating ownership to achieve results. See It. Own It. Solve It. Do It. Courage: Standing up for what’s right and acting. Transparency: Doing things openly and honestly).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Political Science, Public Affairs, or a closely related field
• 3-5 years of related experience in strategic interaction with elected officials
• 3-5 years in public policy or related work
• Experience giving presentations and preparing memos, reports, and essays using proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar
• Bilingual: speak and write in Spanish, Mandarin/Chinese, Vietnamese, or other language preferred
• Must have reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, and insurance.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including but not limited to Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Ability to work with a diverse population, including the public
• A passion for equity and ending poverty
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively interact and communicate with all levels within the company in English
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively with situations that require tact and diplomacy
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with direct report(s), co-workers, and staff of other departments
• Strong customer service skills and willingness to assist others, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Ability to prioritize tasks and delegate them when appropriate
• Demonstrated ability to work independently to complete projects and effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and senior-level leadership
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously on a variable schedule based on project demand
• Fluency in government policy and funding process, particularly at the state and local levels of government.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to effectively work and communicate with a diverse array of stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment
• Ability to think strategically
• Exceptional organizational and logistical skills
• Excellent analytical skills (quantitative and qualitative)
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and to work as part of a team
• Carries out responsibilities in accordance with HFB policies.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Is legally able to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual: speak and write in Spanish, Mandarin/Chinese, Vietnamese, or other language preferred

Responsibilities

• Builds Relationships with Local Government Officials. Serves as a liaison to local government officials and their staff for areas served directly by HFB. Assists in connecting local government officials with HFB or community stakeholders/resources that can meet the needs of their constituents. Works with local elected offices to arrange tours of HFB and HFB partner organizations. Maintains a database of local government officials and their staff and inputs significant touchpoints to track metrics. Provides local government officials with information pertinent to their constituents, including data on food insecurity, HFB partners in their district/precinct, pounds of food distributed, etc.
• Identifies and helps pursue local funding opportunities. Tracks budgets of strategic commissioner courts and city councils. Meets with local government officials on HFB budget priorities. Works with HFB’s Development and Government Grants Officer to further any local government grant funding opportunities.
• Researches and analyzes local policies that impact HFB’s Affiliates, HFB partner organizations, and their clients, and communicates this information to internal and external stakeholders. Researches and tracks policies that could impact HFB’s operations or its client populations and reports this information to local government officials and HFB upper management. Tracks and reports on local election cycles. Works collaboratively with other HFB departments to translate the impact of local policy for HFB leadership. Provides advocacy training for various stakeholder groups. Works with the Government Relations senior management and Government Affairs Manager to help create HFB’s legislative agenda and develops advocacy campaigns to support the advancement of HFB’s local legislative agenda. Regularly participates in local coalition meetings.
• Assists the Government Affairs Manager in serving as a disaster liaison to local government entities. Helps ensure the Government Relations Department Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) is successfully executed during a disaster. Works with local offices of emergency management to implement Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and keeps these documents and the Concept of Operations document up to date.
• Shares talking points with media periodically.
• Manage one (1) or more direct reports by providing guidance and/or oversight to employees and/or contractors. Develops and maintains roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Practices performance management in support of employee development and performs administrative duties associated with being a people manager. Responsibilities include interviewing, planning, assigning, directing work, and resolving problems. Responsibilities also include sponsoring and participating in and/or supporting project teams sponsored by other management team members.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager