Associate Director of Government Relations

calbright; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Calbright College seeks an Associate Director of Government Relations to lead state advocacy strategies, representing the college before the California Legislature, the Governor's Office, regulatory agencies, and statewide coalitions.

Hybrid role based primarily in Sacramento with in-person work at various locations across California, reporting to the Vice President of Government Relations, and advancing competency-based education and workforce development policy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with five+ years in government relations or public policy in California.
• Experience lobbying elected officials and government agencies.
• Experience in California legislative or budget policy development and engagement.
• Five+ years working with workforce development programs, initiatives or coalitions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, execution and evaluation of Calbright’s state advocacy strategy, including legislative priorities, regulatory engagement and budget advocacy.
• Monitor and report on state legislation, regulatory proposals and budgets related to higher education and workforce development.
• Brief the VP on emerging policy threats and opportunities.
• Draft proposals for sponsored legislation and amendments to proposed bills.
• Coordinate with Communications and Marketing on messaging, op-eds and media appearances.
• Maintain a comprehensive legislative tracking and stakeholder mapping system.

Skills

Knowledge of California state gov't

Lobbying experience

Policy analysis

Coalition management

Stakeholder relationships

Oral and written communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

G Suite

Slack

Asana

Job description

The Position

Title: Associate Director of Government Relations

Position Type: Full time

Requisition No: 27007

Category: Management

Supervisor: Vice President of Government Relations

Last Updated: September 2026

Job Purpose: The Associate Director of Government Relations will support the work being led by the

government relations team.

Location: Hybrid, primary location in Sacramento with in-person work expected at various locations throughout California

Salary Range: The beginning salary range for this position is Range M-18 (Steps 1-3) $137,586.46 - $151,714.85

**The first review of the application shall occur approximately on 10/05/2026**

Position Overview

The Associate Director of Government Relations will support Calbright College’s government relations team, helping lead the development and execution of state advocacy strategies and legislative priorities that advance Calbright’s mission. This role combines strategic policy leadership with direct legislative advocacy, representing Calbright before the California Legislature, the Office of the Governor, regulatory agencies, and statewide coalitions. Under the direction of the Vice President of Government Relations, the Associate Director will help lead Calbright’s engagement on higher education in an effort to best position the College as a leading voice in competency-based education and short-term credentials policy landscape.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the VIce President of Government Relations, manage the development, execution and evaluation of Calbright’s state advocacy strategy, including legislative priorities, regulatory engagement, and budget advocacy.
• Monitor, analyze and report on state legislative, regulatory, and budget proposals related to higher education, workforce development and technology policy.
• Update the Vice President of Government Relations on emerging policy threats and opportunities.
• Anticipate legislative and regulatory developments and proactively position Calbright to shape policy outcomes.
• Draft proposals for sponsored legislation and develop recommendations on amendments to proposed legislation.
• Consult and support the development of opinion editorials, podcast and media appearances, panel opportunities and other initiatives in coordination with the Director of Communications and the Marketing and Communications team.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive legislative tracking and stakeholder mapping system to inform institutional strategy.
• Perform other related duties as assigned that support the objective of the position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of the inner workings of California state government, including but not limited to the bodies of state government, the legislative process, the budget cycle, and the three public systems of higher education.
• Knowledge of direct lobbying practices, legislative strategy development, and coalition management in Sacramento.
• Experience working with contract lobbyists at state and federal levels.
• Experience working on emergent higher education and workforce development policy issues, such as competency-based education, credit for prior learning, adult learners, skills-based hiring, and virtual learning environments.
• Knowledge of general principles of systems change, collective impact, and process improvement.
• Knowledge of project management best practices and principles.
• Experience working with business applications including G Suite, Slack, video conferencing, and Asana.
• Experience developing and executing advocacy strategies with minimal supervision, exercising sound political judgment in fast-moving legislative environments.
• Experience building and maintaining productive working relationships with elected officials, legislative staff, regulatory agency officials and staff, and coalition partners in a bipartisan manner.
• Prioritize equity in education and economic opportunity for historically underrepresented groups in California.
• Communicate in a professional and concise manner, orally and in writing, in both informal and formal settings, including but not limited to written and oral testimony, presentations and direct lobbying meetings.
• Organize and prioritize work, manage time, and meet deadlines via self-directed project management.
• Ability to problem-solve by quickly assessing issues and opportunities and using sound judgment to determine appropriate courses of action, associated timelines, and key collaborators.
• Work independently and collaboratively depending on the nature of the assignment.
• Manage multiple projects, assignments, and stakeholder relationships simultaneously with the judgment to prioritize deadlines.
• Read, analyze, and synthesize complex legislative, regulatory, and budget documents for personal and shared use.
• Ability to regularly prepare written memos to executive leadership.
• Demonstrate understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, staff and faculty.

Minimum Qualifications

• Relevant bachelor’s degree with five or more years of professional experience working in government relations, legislative affairs or public policy in California.
• At least five years of experience working for or direct lobbying of elected officials and government agencies.
• Professional experience working directly on California legislative or budget policies or processes, including direct engagement with elected officials and their staff.
• Five or more years of experience working with workforce development programs, initiatives and/or coalitions.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing legislative advocacy strategies.

Desired Qualifications

• Active registration as a California lobbyist.
• In-depth knowledge of state and national higher education policy.
• Experience building and managing multi-stakeholder coalitions.
• Understanding of the California Community Colleges and its governance structure.

Working Conditions and Travel

• Calbright College is a statewide online college where all instruction and support are done via various online technologies both in person and remotely. Calbright College has administrative offices in Sacramento available for use. When working remotely, employees should be able and willing to use digital communication tools as used by the college, and have the ability to work on a computer for extended periods of time. Although this is a primarily remote position, there may be instances in which you will be required to attend meetings or travel to in-person events.
• Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment.
• The person holding this position is considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in Calbright College policies, procedures, and Title IX.
• Calbright College celebrates all forms of diversity and is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Individuals interested in advancing Calbright College’s strategic diversity goals are strongly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.
• Requires the ability to function in a remote online instructional environment performing work of primarily a sedentary nature. Requires the ability to use hearing and speech to make presentations to groups and carry on conversations over the phone and in-person. Requires speaking skills to communicate with staff and students in one-on-one and small group settings, on the phone, and to distinguish sound prompts from various types of equipment. Requires near visual acuity to read printed materials and computer screens. Requires sufficient hand/arm/finger dexterity to retrieve work materials, operate a personal computer keyboard, and operate standard office equipment. Requires the ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Calbright College provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, veteran status, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Calbright College complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

Who We Are

Calbright College is one of California’s newest community colleges – the first statewide, online campus designed to bridge the gap between employers with unfilled positions and students who don’t have either the time or money to attend a traditional school. Our mission is to increase economic mobility and close equity gaps for working adults who lack easy access to traditional forms of higher education by offering online, flexible, affordable skills-based programs that provide tangible economic value for both working adults and hiring managers.