The American Bakers Association, the advocate for the $102 billion grain-based food industry, has an opportunity for an organized, motivated, team player as our new Government Relations Manager

The ABA is seeking a Government Relations Manager to provide high-level assistance to the Senior Vice President of Government Relations & Public Affairs, as well as the Government Relations department, to support the Association’s mission and policy goals.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Legislative and Regulatory Support

• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments with policy priorities that have a direct impact on the baking industry, as assigned.
• With the supervision of the SVP, coordinate membership alerts on relevant legislative and regulatory proposals and activities and solicit their input and active participation in drafting to finalize consensus positions and communicating of ABA policy positions and statements to federal agencies and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Assist the Senior Vice President with tracking policy media, legislative research, write issue briefs, and legislative alerts.
• Represent ABA and the baking industry in Washington business coalitions, at Congressional hearings, press conferences, meetings, and other legislative and regulatory functions.
• Maintain a high profile for the association with the following Professional Group areas: Commodity and Agricultural Policy (CAPC), Logistics, and Food Technical Regulatory Affairs Committee (FTRAC), with specific emphasis on commodities, supply chain, logistics, transportation, and food technical issues as assigned.
• With the guidance of the Senior Vice President, develop and manage the association’s response to regulatory proposals, including the drafting of comments, correspondence, and testimony. Assist in coordinating and preparation of appearances of ABA members before legislative and regulatory bodies.
• Manage and coordinate timely updates for government relations team with the ABA Marketing & Communications team. Partner with the Marketing & Communications team on the creation and management of policy-related content on the ABA website and other messaging platforms.
• Support the Government Relations team with coordination of congressional meeting and fly-in events, policy initiatives, coalitions, and outreach opportunities.

Administrative

• Provide high-level, comprehensive support including organization and mission critical tasks for the Senior Vice President.
• Compose correspondence for the approval and/or signature of the Senior Vice President.
• Provide administrative and technical support to the SVP, to include preparation of expense reports and entering of invoices into accounts payable system.
• Provide logistical and AV support for in-office meetings organized by the Government Relations team.
• Management and utilization of various databases (VoterVoice, ZipMatch) in support of Government Relations activities.

Committees and ABA Professional Groups

• Manage commodity, supply chain, and logistics policy related activities. Participate in coalitions as needed and as issue priorities shift, posting periodic updates to the ABA website and sending updates to interested members.
• With guidance from the Director of Government Relations, manage the Tray Loss Coalition, monitor relevant tray activities, and coordinate Logistics Committee meetings, coordinate legislative activities, and other committee activities.
• Assist as needed and serve as secondary liaison for ABA Professional Groups and on ad-hoc projects as needed.
• Coordinate special projects as assigned for benefit of association members. Call appropriate federal, state, and international offices to gather and request information. Distribute items to association members with oversight by the GR Team member tasking the work.
• Compose, compile, and distribute materials to members, and various organizations as assigned.
• Coordinate, prepare, and assemble materials for ABA Professional Group meetings and subcommittee meetings, and working groups as well as recording of minutes and follow up on any outstanding action issues. Assist in meeting logistical planning in coordination with the Meetings department.

Political

• Assist the Vice President of Political and State Affairs on special projects as approved in advance by the SVP.
• In collaboration with the Meetings team, provide support for American Bakers PAC events.

SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in political science, public policy, food science, communications/public relations, foreign relations, or related field or equivalent experience is required.

• Related Master’s degree is desirable.

• 2 years’ relevant congressional, association, or corporate experience in public policy and/or public affairs.

Core Competencies/Skills

• Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to perform professionally and appropriately with members, staff, government representatives and officials, and other stakeholders.

• Strong technical skills, particularly with Office 365 Suite, to include SharePoint, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective, collaborative working relationships with others.

• An interest in baking industry and government relations issues.

• Ability to articulate an advocacy position, policy strategy, and inspire others to support the strategic objectives. Ability to translate complex policy substance and process to business audience.

• Strong project management, analytical, and organizational skills.

• Ability to work well under pressure, to meet deadlines while making sound decisions, and to accommodate shifting priorities.

• Experience working with CRM databases is preferred.

• Occasional domestic travel will be required.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary is $58,000 - $70,000 plus benefits and yearly bonus. This position is a full-time, non-exempt role and is eligible for ABA full employee benefits. This position is eligible for our hybrid work schedule of 3 days in-office, 2 days remote work. Occasional flexibility with this schedule may be required to support in-person events. ABA operates on a 40-hour workweek; overtime may be required.

ABOUT ABA

The American Bakers Association (ABA) is a trade association that represents the voice of the wholesale baking industry. This is an opportunity to work in a results oriented, mission-driven environment that empowers staff to creatively carry out responsibilities. ABA is a fun, team-oriented atmosphere and has been selected as a Best Place to Work by the NAM Council of Manufacturing Associations. ABA’s office is in downtown Washington, DC with convenient public transportation options nearby. ABA is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion in the workplace