Washington DC

Senior Director, Policy & Government Relations, Humanity United

The Organization

About Humanity United

Humanity United (HU) is a foundation dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring freedom and peace. We support and build efforts to transform the systems that contribute to human exploitation and violent conflict. HU is part of The Omidyar Group, a diverse collection of organizations, each guided by its own approach, but united by a common desire to catalyze social impact.

About Humanity United Action

Humanity United Action (HUA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to cultivating the conditions for enduring freedom and peace. Like Humanity United, we support and build efforts to transform the systems that contribute to human exploitation and violent conflict. We pursue our mission by working directly and with partners to advocate for legislative policies that advance solutions to these intractable problems.

Position Overview

Humanity United is seeking an experienced Senior Director to lead a hardworking and impactful Policy and Government Relations team. This team, representing Humanity United and Humanity United Action, is responsible for developing relationships and engaging with key government and advocacy stakeholders in pursuit of legal and policy change, regulatory action, and public funding. The work of this team is integral to our broader efforts to cultivate the conditions for enduring peace and freedom.

The successful candidate must be committed to HU’s mission and values. To advance this mission, you’ll be accountable for developing a strategic plan for the Policy and Government Relations team, and for deploying resources to achieve that plan. The ideal candidate will not only have management experience, but also a proven dedication to servant leadership. You should be adept at working collaboratively in highly complex environments and with multiple internal and external teams. This position requires a high degree of integrity, discretion, and good judgment.

Based in Washington DC, the Senior Director will report to the Managing Director of Communications, Independent Journalism and Media, and Policy & Government Relations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all HU staff are working from home. When our offices do reopen, returns will be on an opt-in and gradual basis.

Core Job Responsibilities:

  • Cultivate relationships and engage with key policymakers and multiple advocacy communities
  • Provide vision and strategic direction for HU’s policy function and team
  • Develop and deploy annual budget
  • Lead team grantmaking efforts
  • Manage and develop a team of 3 professional staff, as well as external consultants
  • Advocate and lobby to advance HU and HUA’s strategic priorities
  • Serve as a policy voice within HU, leading and advising on policy matters – and act as a leader with a point of view in the broader policy field, engaging with high-level forums and in the media, as needed
  • Engage closely with HU’s programmatic teams to identify and support shared policy objectives and impact opportunities
  • Serve as primary liaison with legal staff to maintain and improve internal compliance systems enabling the affiliated private foundation / 501(c)(4) organizational structure
  • Engage with the HU and HUA Board of Trustees

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Must-have requirements:

  • Commitment to HU’s mission and values (including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) is a must, with a perspective on how to apply these principles in our internal and external work
  • Significant government relations experience and proven experience in advancing policy priorities with U.S. government (USG), with an emphasis on human rights, social justice, international development, and/or foreign relations
  • Ability to effectively lead and develop teams and coalitions with a dedication to servant leadership, holding the ability to be in-service to others while encouraging a thriving and impactful community and team
  • Familiarity with legal and regulatory frameworks regarding advocacy and lobbying by tax-exempt organizations
  • Ability to think strategically and creatively, to both plan and prioritize for impact
  • Ability to engage effectively across multiple bodies of work
  • Comfort working in highly complex and ambiguous environments
  • Ability to learn quickly, adapt and pivot as circumstances require
  • Excellent communications (verbal and written) and project leadership skills
  • Dedication to bringing people together, and building networks comprised of partners with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
  • Commitment to cultivating bipartisan leadership on priority issues for HU and HUA
  • Commitment to learning and sharing lessons across HU and HUA
  • Strong work ethic and outstanding professional ethics

It’s a bonus if you bring:

  • USG legislative or executive experience
  • Robust network within USG executive and legislative branches
  • Direct lived experience of the issues we work on.
  • Master’s degree, JD, equivalent postgraduate degree or equivalent experience preferred.

We encourage qualified candidates lacking formal or direct experience to describe how their background has served as preparation for this role.

Humanity United believes that diversity, equity and inclusion make us more successful in our work, and we are able to grow and learn better together when our team is diverse and representative of the communities we serve. We are actively engaged in a formal DEIJ journey as an organization, and expect that prospective employees are enthusiastic about advancing these goals.

We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and staff. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran status, color, class, religion, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status and any other characteristics protected by law. We strongly encourage applications from people with diverse identities or who are members of marginalized communities.

How To Apply

Please apply at our website with your resume and cover letter.

HU is proud to offer all staff an inclusive and comprehensive benefits package to accommodate a diversity of needs and life circumstances and to accommodate staff at all life stages with flexible and supportive benefits.

In addition to full benefits, this role offers a competitive salary which we are happy to share on request. We will also share with all first-round interview candidates. We will not ask what you are currently earning or for any other details of your salary history.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to fully access our benefits of employment. Please contact us at nmcquaid@humanityunited.org to request accommodation, or describe your needs in your application.

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