Senior Legislative Analyst

MDW Associates•Arlington, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

MDW Associates is seeking a Senior Legislative Analyst to support the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSW(A&S)) within the Department of War (DoW) in Arlington, VA. This role is hybrid, requiring on-site presence two to three days per week. The analyst will serve as the primary point of contact for legislative correspondence and task coordination, leveraging expertise in the federal legislative process, war policy, and statutory frameworks. Key responsibilities include managing information flow, tracking progress, developing legislative proposals, reviewing legislation, coordinating congressional reporting, preparing testimony, and supporting congressional engagements. The role also involves research and data analysis for responses to RFIs, FOIA requests, and media engagements.

Requirements

At least 7 years of practical experience, including at least 3 years of recent staff‑level service at the Component level or higher.
Demonstrated expertise in legislative affairs or policy analysis.
Leadership in managing legislative portfolios or supervising analysts.
Specialization in defense policy areas.
Experience preparing testimony and briefing materials or representing organizations in legislative sessions.
Proven ability to collaborate across agencies and sectors.
Capable of working independently in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple concurrent tasks with urgent deadlines.
Interfacing with other congressional analysts throughout the DoW, and other internal and external stakeholders.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to synthesize complex legislative language, quickly determining DoW equities (areas of DoW responsibility or impact).

Nice To Haves

Certification in Acquisition Program Management Practitioner (or Legacy Level III) or Contracting Professional (or Legacy Level III) is highly desirable.
Advanced Degree is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for legislative correspondence and legislative task coordination, providing deep subject matter expertise with the federal legislative process, war policy, and statutory frameworks governing DoW operations.
Manage the flow of information, assigning action items to appropriate personnel and proactively tracking progress against established timelines and performance metrics.
Task management, status reporting, and keeping leadership consistently apprised of ongoing legislative activities, potential challenges, and mitigation strategies.
Develop legislative proposals; reviewing draft and final legislation (National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA), appropriations bills, and other stand-alone legislation); assigning, coordinating, and completing congressional reporting requirements; developing legislative informal views; reviewing hearing testimony; and supporting in-person and virtual congressional engagement by coordinating advance policy questions and responses to questions for the record.
Develop Hearing Ready books for A&S leaders to testify on the Hill on various pricing, contracting, and acquisition topics, and gather information needed to prepare for testimony.
Support responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, media engagement, and speaking engagements.
Perform research and data analysis to draft responses to Requests for Information (RFIs) for both internal and external stakeholders.