Senior Director, Federal Affairs

NRG•Reston, VA

21h

About The Position

The Senior Director, Federal Affairs will lead and execute the company’s federal government affairs strategy, advancing policy priorities that support business objectives and long-term growth. This role serves as a key liaison between the company and federal policymakers, agencies, and industry stakeholders—translating legislative and regulatory developments into business insights and coordinated advocacy strategies. The Senior Director will partner closely with internal stakeholders across Policy, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, and Commercial teams to ensure alignment on advocacy priorities, messaging, and engagement efforts. The Director will develop and support strong relationships with industry associations, non-governmental organizations, coalition partners and academia to align and execute policy outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Political Science, Government, or related field preferred (advanced or JD preferred)
10+ years of experience in government affairs, public policy, or related fields engaging with federal legislative bodies, agencies, or political stakeholders and legislative and regulatory processes.
Government affairs experience in a large, complex energy, infrastructure or regulated industry organization strongly preferred; candidates should understand how enterprise decision-making, governance, risk management, and cross-functional alignment work in practice
Strong leadership capabilities and a proven ability to lead directly and through influence to deliver results, and the judgement and ability to advise senior leaders on high-stakes policy and business issues
High-agency, strategic operator with the judgement and initiative to anticipate business needs, shape policy solutions that advance commercial objectives, and independently drive priorities from concept through execution.
Strong, broad relationships with federal policymakers in Congress, agencies and the Administration, as well as non-government organizations, industry organizations and key customers
Proven ability to synthesize complex policy issues into actionable business insights
Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills

Responsibilities

Develop and execute federal government affairs strategies aligned with enterprise policy priorities and commercial objectives
Identify legislative risks and opportunities; advise leadership on potential business impacts
Shape and advance company policy positions on key issues (e.g., energy markets, environmental policy, customer choice, grid modernization)
Build and maintain strong relationships with Members of Congress, federal agencies, committees, and relevant staff
Represent the company in meetings, briefings, hearings, and industry forums
Serve as a trusted external representative advancing the company’s credibility and influence
Monitor federal legislative and regulatory developments; provide timely analysis and strategic recommendations
Translate complex policy developments into clear implications for internal stakeholders, and internal priorities and objectives into clear and politically viable policy asks
Support scenario planning and policy forecasting to inform business strategy
Develop advocacy materials including briefing documents, talking points, position papers, and testimony
Coordinate engagement strategies, including coalition participation and trade association alignment
Partner cross-functionally to ensure consistency in messaging and leverage relationships across federal, state, and regulatory channels
Collaborate with Regulatory Affairs, Legal, External Affairs, and Commercial leaders to align advocacy efforts
Support enterprise-wide policy strategy by connecting federal developments to broader regulatory and market considerations
Demonstrate strong business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to operate effectively within a large, matrixed corporate environment
Translate policy priorities into enterprise value and engage credibly with senior leaders across the business