Senior Director, Strategic Engagement

American Bar Association

23h • $165,000 - $175,000

About The Position

ABA’s Office of Strategic Engagement (OSE) is seeking an experienced public policy professional to join its advocacy team. OSE supports senior leadership in developing ABA’s policy strategy and messaging, while driving a portfolio of high-priority advocacy campaigns across key areas. The Senior Director of Strategic Engagement will be responsible for managing relationships with external stakeholders and providing accountability for OSE-designated projects. The successful candidate will be a seasoned public policy professional with a deep understanding of the federal and state policymaking process, have a track record of bipartisan coalition-building, and experience supporting issue-based public policy campaigns. The Senior Director will be responsible for day-to-day management of our external relations function, building and maintaining relationships with advocacy groups, state policy organizations, third-party organizations, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in government, political science, public policy, or related field preferred or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in financial services policy or related areas preferred.
• 10+ years of working with Congress and/or the Executive Branch preferred.
• 10+ years of experience working with senior executives.
• Large, active personal network within the policy and financial services communities.
• Significant experience meeting/exceeding performance goals.
• Experience supporting successful policy issue advocacy campaigns with a focus on collaboration and problem-solving.
• Ability to successfully take ownership and initiative in a fast-paced, tight-knit environment where flexibility, organization, and teamwork are essential.
• Strong project management skills to ensure the timely execution of complex action plans.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to travel (20 – 50%).

Nice To Haves

• Membership organization experience preferred.
• Familiarity with financial services issues strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of advocacy strategies and tactics is strongly preferred.
• Experience with strategic communications preferred.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and management skills.

Responsibilities

• Building coalitions and interfacing with external stakeholders: A critical component of ABA's advocacy campaigns involves updating external stakeholders on efforts and partnering on various initiatives. The Senior Director will strengthen relationships with third-party organizations and develop new opportunities for collaboration.
• Leveraging advocacy infrastructure: ABA has a comprehensive set of advocacy tools that must be efficiently and effectively deployed in pursuit of our policy objectives. As a membership organization, ABA’s priorities are our members’ priorities, so effective communication with our members in each OSE priority area is critical. The Senior Director must ensure key membership constituencies are positioned effectively and supported with the information they need to maximize advocacy impact – both in everyday interactions with policymakers, and at our flagship advocacy events.
• Crafting compelling advocacy narratives: The Senior Director will work closely with subject matter experts throughout the organization to define and prioritize policy objectives. For key policy priorities, OSE will help facilitate internal deliberations on strategic direction, including the use of data analytics, messaging, coalition building, and member outreach to craft compelling advocacy narratives and achieve objectives. The successful candidate will help create an environment of seamless coordination between ABA departments and drive a cohesive approach to the work product of the organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees