Manager, Market Expansion and Public Affairs

Covista•Chicago, IL

12h•$95,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This role sits within Covista's Corporate Affairs team and reports to the Director, Federal Government Relations and Public Affairs. The Manager, Market Expansion and Public Affairs will operate at the intersection of business development and public affairs, leading the execution of Covista's market expansion efforts while contributing to an integrated Government Relations and Public Affairs function. The primary mandate is supporting the team driving the campus growth strategy and new market entry. This includes project managing the public-facing elements of new campus locations, coordinating in-market events and community activations, and ensuring strategic discipline and storytelling quality in all expansion moments. The role involves coordinating across campus leaders, community partners, local officials, Government Relations colleagues, and communications teams to establish successful relationships from day one. Additionally, the role supports the broader Government Relations/Public Affairs function by managing systems, materials, communications, and stakeholder engagement to advance policy positioning and reputation, translate policy activity into resonant narratives, and support issues preparedness and response.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a related field required
5+ years public affairs, communications, event/project management, government relations, or a closely related field required
Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects with multiple workstreams and tight deadlines
Exceptional project manager: builds timelines, tracks dependencies, coordinates across teams, and delivers on deadline without losing quality
Strong written communicator: able to develop event materials, stakeholder correspondence, briefing documents, executive talking points and public affairs content
Builds relationships quickly and credibly with campus leaders, community partners, local officials, and internal stakeholders across functions
Brings a public affairs sensibility to activation work — understands that how a campus opens matters as much as that it opens
Comfortable operating across two distinct functional mandates and shifting focus based on organizational priorities
Resourceful and proactive; identifies what needs to happen next without waiting to be told
Collaborative instincts: works well in a matrixed environment where multiple stakeholders have different but legitimate claims on their time
20-30% Travel required.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with or supporting business development, market entry, or expansion initiatives preferred
Background in healthcare, higher education, or a similarly mission-driven industry a plus
Experience engaging external stakeholders — including government, civic, community, healthcare, or other institutional partners — strongly preferred.
Familiarity with project management tools and communications platforms; experience with stakeholder or relationship-management platforms such as Quorum is a plus; comfortable with data and metrics as part of reporting on outcomes.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Corporate Affairs project manager for new campus openings and market expansion activations — owning timelines, coordinating stakeholders, and ensuring every public-facing moment is executed with quality and strategic intent
Plan and execute ribbon cuttings, community events, campus launch activities, and in-market convenings in coordination with the business development team, institutional leaders, local officials, and community partners
Coordinate in-market event attendance for Covista and institutional leadership — preparing briefing materials, managing logistics, and ensuring principals are set up for productive engagement with local stakeholders
Build and maintain relationships with campus leaders in expansion markets, serving as their primary Corporate Affairs point of contact during the pre-opening and launch phases
Partner with the business development team and their agency support partners on stakeholder mapping in new markets — identifying community organizations, healthcare system partners, elected officials, and civic leaders whose early engagement strengthens Covista's market entry
Track and manage project timelines, deliverables, and dependencies across expansion activations; flag risks early and keep the right leaders informed.
Serve as a bridge between Covista’s market expansion efforts and the broader GR/PA function, partnering closely with the regional Senior Managers of State Government Relations, who lead state and local government engagement, to ensure expansion activations reflect the political and policy landscape and that appropriate Government Relations groundwork is in place well in advance of public-facing launch moments.
Support the GR/PA function's public affairs work by developing and distributing stakeholder communications, policymaker newsletters, briefing materials, one-pagers, and event communications; partnering with colleagues on earned media and thought leadership opportunities; and helping translate policy and advocacy priorities and outcomes into external narratives that reach the right audiences.
Help identify opportunities to connect Covista's market expansion narrative to its broader healthcare workforce story in Washington and beyond — ensuring that new campus openings are positioned not just as business milestones but as meaningful additions to the communities and healthcare systems they serve.
Leverage the Covista Foundation's Open Doors programming and community partnerships as assets in market activation work — connecting expansion moments to Covista's broader community investment story.
Support engagement with third-party stakeholders, including policy organizations, associations, community partners, and other external validators, as appropriate to GR/PA priorities.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Complies with all policies and standards.