Public Policy & Government Affairs Officer

State of Montana • Helena, MT

4d • Onsite

About The Position

At the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, our work impacts all Montanans. Our agency mission is to champion a healthy environment for a thriving Montana. Whether it’s the water you drink at a restaurant, the air you breathe on a hike, or the energy that lights up your home — we provide environmental oversight, clean-up, and energy resource information to the people and businesses of Montana. We are actively recruiting for a Public Policy & Government Affairs Officer to lead our public policy, Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and Major Facilities Siting Act (MFSA), and public relations programs to help guide environmental and energy strategy for the Agency. The Public Policy & Government Affairs Officer for Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a challenging and rewarding opportunity. This position will be at the forefront of implementing and shaping the development of Montana’s environmental and energy policies, regulations, and future legislation. The person in this position will work closely with the Director and the Deputy Director on a multitude of diverse projects. This position also goes beyond public policy and government affairs expertise; your ability to lead people will be equally in demand. Your management responsibilities will be focused on the fine details of the MEPA, MFSA, and communications programs; however, your influence will easily extend throughout the entire Department as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. As Public Policy & Government Affairs Officer, you will be a key member of Senior Leadership and drive decisions in executing environmental and energy policy and regulation, developing and sustaining our organizational culture, making operational or process changes in the public policy and communications programs, and helping to serve the Department programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, communications or related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible management experience, including working with upper management of an organization
• Demonstrate strong leadership, analytical, and critical thinking skills
• Be skilled in understanding varying perspectives, yet decisive
• Be capable of effecting change
• Demonstrated experience in negotiating, dispute resolution, decision-making, planning, goal setting, plan execution, continuous process improvement, and monitoring progress towards goals

Nice To Haves

• Passionate about serving the public and protecting the environment, while simultaneously facilitating economic diversity and growth.
• Dynamic, collegial personality, with confidence to engage and foster teambuilding.
• Ability to identify ambiguity in regulation and the law then craft simple and novel remedies.
• Calm throughout stressful situations, possess strong emotional intelligence in often contentious situations.
• A sense of humor and a lighthearted demeanor.
• Strong writing skills.
• Prior leadership that demonstrates accountability, efficiency and effectiveness
• Ability to effectively communicate including active, respectful disagreement and consensus-building with audiences of different views and backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to work within divergent policy and political opinions
• Embracing and supporting a team-oriented culture.

Responsibilities

• Consult with and provide advice to the Director, Deputy Director, and Division Administrators regarding policy issues facing the agency.
• Quickly synthesize policy issues and communicate with other senior leaders and stakeholders on those topics.
• Actively manage resources and lead by example our Department mission, goals, strategies, measures, and core values.
• Represent the agency in various forums, including in front of the legislature, with state and federal partners, responding to the press and working with associated agency boards.
• Collaborate with agency senior leadership and personnel for the purpose of policy issues, rules and regulation adoption process, and communications.

Benefits

• Career ladder for professional development and pay progression.
• Wellness committee and mentorship program providing educational events, small interest-based social groups, and opportunities to grow personally and professionally with guidance from a mentor.

What This Job Offers

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