Vice President, Political Affairs

U.S. Travel Association•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Political Affairs leads three areas of U.S. Travel Association advocacy: PAC, grassroots engagement, and champion development. The role develops and executes strategies to raise U.S. Travel’s profile with Congress and federal agencies, advance pro-travel policies, and strengthen the travel industry’s voice in Washington, D.C. It directly supervises a Senior Manager, Political Affairs. The position is based in Washington, D.C. Staff work in the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with the option to work remotely Mondays and Fridays. The position requires up to 35% travel and attendance at some political and industry events in the early morning or evening. Salary is $235,000–$250,000, with bonus potential.

Requirements

10–15 years of prior advocacy, campaign, PAC, or grassroots work experience.
Undergraduate degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Communications, or an applicable field.
Understanding of the legislative process and strong political instincts.
Strong written and oral communication skills.
Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external contacts; collaborate and mediate effectively.
Ability to recognize the need for action, address issues, and pursue them through resolution.
Problem-solving skills, including identifying issues early and developing practical solutions.
Leadership ability to influence and motivate others, build trust and cooperation, and model communicated expectations.
Ability to mentor and develop direct reports.

Nice To Haves

Association PAC experience is preferred.
Trade association and/or travel industry experience is a plus.
Advocacy experience in the travel and tourism industry is a plus.
A master’s degree is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead TravelPAC fundraising events throughout the year, including events associated with CEO roundtables, board meetings, the summer auction, and other industry events.
Increase PAC fundraising and engagement among U.S. Travel constituencies, including corporate CEOs and lobbyists, destination leaders, and local industry executives.
Develop a prior-approval campaign and fundraising campaigns with approved member organizations.
Work with campaign fundraisers and U.S. Travel’s government relations team to host campaign events with industry stakeholders.
Communicate regularly with the TravelPAC Board of Directors and donors, and increase TravelPAC’s visibility at U.S. Travel events.
Coordinate with legal counsel to ensure FEC compliance; grow TravelPAC and develop program metrics.
Maintain and improve U.S. Travel’s grassroots program to increase political education and involvement in advocacy campaigns.
Work across departments to plan and execute the annual Destination Capitol Hill fly-in.
Develop materials, briefing documents, and educational content to prepare grassroots advocates to lobby Congress and staff effectively.
Draft newsletters, action alerts, and other communications that encourage industry advocates to engage and take action on Capitol Hill.
Grow advocacy-focused social media outreach and plan stakeholder and coalition engagement with associations, business groups, third-party allies, and state and local policymakers.
Identify ways to expand the travel industry’s voice at the federal, state, and local levels; respond to member needs, including sector-specific demands.
Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders, including consultants and travel industry lobbyists, to execute advocacy.
Build and maintain relationships with key associations, think tanks, and nonprofits.
Design and execute a congressional champion development program, including year-round engagements such as PAC events, in-district education visits, site tours, fundraisers, and industry events.
Lead industry relationship mapping and maintain a map of members, executives, and advocates with ties to priority congressional champions and targets.
Connect U.S. Travel members with members of Congress through meetings, facility visits, and events, and coach members to become trusted, repeat industry advocates.
Coordinate PAC contributions and engagement from CEOs, members, lobbyists, and allied stakeholders to demonstrate unified industry support for policy champions.
Work with government relations and policy teams to align champion engagement with committee jurisdictions, leadership roles, pending legislation, and near-term legislative goals.
Track champion engagement, member touchpoints, and PAC activity; report on relationship strength, champion growth, and legislative outcomes.
Ensure PAC, fundraising, and event activity complies with FEC regulations, House and Senate ethics and gift rules, and internal policies.
Mentor, train, coach, and counsel direct reports and support their career development.
Attend PAC events and other political and industry functions, which may require early-morning or evening attendance.