Managing Director of Federal Affairs & Government Relations - Defense & Advanced Technology Practice

McAllister and Quinn LLC•Washington, DC

83d•Hybrid

About The Position

McAllister & Quinn is a federal and foundation grants consulting and government relations firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. We offer our 200+ clients a unique blend of comprehensive grant consulting, strategic advising, and government relations services. The Defense and Advanced Technology Practice is strategically positioned to support, expand, and diversify federal agency research and development (R&D) opportunities for engineering and technology clients, primarily for-profit companies ranging from single-person startups to Fortune 500 corporations. The practice works across a broad range of engineering and technology sectors, including Defense, Critical & Emerging Technologies, Energy, and Biotechnology, helping clients proactively secure federal funding to develop, commercialize, and scale technologies that drive business results. As the federal government continues to invest in strengthening U.S. national security, modernizing defense systems, and accelerating the deployment of next-generation capabilities such as unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous systems, AI-enabled platforms, advanced sensors, and resilient communications infrastructure, our practice brings extensive expertise and proven capabilities to help businesses identify, navigate, and pursue opportunities that align with their strategic objectives while advancing agency missions.

Requirements

Minimum of Bachelor’s degree with a preference for political science, international relations, defense studies or a related policy-oriented field
6-10 years of experience in government relations, defense policy, or related fields, and direct appropriations experience
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with different personality types and organizational levels
Strong working knowledge of Congress, federal appropriations, and the legislative process is required
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple clients and priorities
Self-starter who can organize their time to add value to the team with light supervision
Superior writing, editing, and communication skills
Ability to synthesize and accurately summarize lengthy and complex materials
Strong verbal communication skills via phone, email, and in personal interactions
Comfortable researching new topics, gathering information, and distilling research into useful preliminary recommendations on short timeframes
Detail oriented with strong project management and planning skills
Strategic, creative, service oriented, and adaptive professional mindset
Ability to troubleshoot problems when they arise and to work independently
Very strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, and Adobe, with focus on Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.
Candidates will have held a Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director position, or similar

Responsibilities

Oversee a portfolio of government affairs clients within the Defense & Advanced Technology practice, providing strategic counsel and day-to-day client support.
Partner with the Managing Partner and practice leadership to grow the defense and government relations business, including business development, client forecasting, and outreach to prospective lobbying clients.
Engage with senior officials across the Department of Defense, military branches, federal agencies, and Congress to advocate for client priorities and advance legislative, appropriations, and policy objectives.
Build and maintain strong relationships with key congressional offices, committees, subcommittees, federal agency officials, and program officers relevant to client priorities.
Monitor, analyze, and communicate congressional, administration, legislative, regulatory, and policy developments affecting clients, and serve as a subject matter resource on relevant government relations issues.
Design and manage client appropriations request strategies, including identifying the appropriate accounts and programs, drafting or reviewing project descriptions, ensuring compliance, advising on forms and submissions, and tracking committee guidance and request progress.
Identify and pursue federal funding and partnership opportunities for clients, including grants, contracts, pilot programs, and other opportunities, particularly within the defense sector.
Prepare materials for and lead client meetings, briefings, and engagements by phone, virtually, and on Capitol Hill.
Develop client-facing and business development materials, including presentations, webinars, blogs, and other outreach content.
Tracking firm data in Salesforce/Capture platforms on congressional appropriations requests, accounts, progress, and reports.
Provide internal training, workshops, and written resources on the congressional process, legislative developments, and appropriations requests.
Represent the Defense & Advanced Technology practice in firmwide Government Relations meetings and working groups to support coordination and information sharing.
Occasional travel outside Washington, DC area will be required.