Vice President of Government Affairs

Vice President of Government Affairs

Washington, D.C.

One of Washington's fastest-growing government affairs firms is seeking a Vice President of Government Affairs to join its team. The firm is a right-of-center platform representing leading companies, innovators, and organizations across a range of industries.

This is a principal-level, client-facing role for someone with an inside understanding of how Washington works and the judgment to advise senior decision-makers. Our team works directly with the founders, CEOs, senior leadership, and investors behind our clients, including leading venture capital and private investment firms. This individual will be expected to operate comfortably and credibly at that level.

The ideal candidate can walk into a CEO's office, a meeting with the fund backing the company, a congressional office, or a senior agency meeting and add value in each. We are looking for someone who understands the intersection of policy, politics, funding, regulation, and relationships, and can turn that understanding into an executable strategy.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a principal-level advisor to founders, CEOs, senior executives, and the investors backing client companies.
• Own and execute government affairs strategies across a diverse client portfolio.
• Represent clients directly with Members of Congress, senior congressional staff, agency leadership, and other senior government officials.
• Navigate the authorization, appropriations, and federal budget processes, including relevant committees and subcommittees.
• Understand and engage federal agency budget, regulatory, procurement, and programmatic processes, including the connection between congressional action and agency execution.
• Develop strategies around federal funding, report language, legislative provisions, regulatory action, and other congressional and executive branch pathways.
• Work comfortably with key federal budget and policy documents, including the President's Budget Request, agency budget justifications, and related materials.
• Work directly with venture capital, private equity, and other investment partners where government strategy intersects with portfolio company growth, market access, regulation, or policy.
• Maintain and expand senior-level relationships across Capitol Hill, federal agencies, the Administration, and relevant stakeholder communities.
• Anticipate opportunities and risks and translate them into clear, actionable recommendations, rather than simply reporting developments.
• Contribute to the continued growth and development of the firm's practice.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in Congress, the Executive Branch, federal agencies, government affairs, or a combination thereof.
• Demonstrated principal-level experience and judgment, with a track record of working directly with senior government officials, Members of Congress, CEOs, founders, investors, or other organizational leaders.
• Significant experience in federal policy and the legislative process.
• Strong working knowledge of authorization, appropriations, and congressional committee processes.