Director, Government Relations

Illinois Association of School Boards; Springfield (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Illinois Association of School Boards seeks a Director, full-time, to lead statewide advocacy initiatives in Illinois and coordinate federal advocacy efforts with member boards and legislators. You will serve as a liaison to the Illinois General Assembly and the State Board of Education, guiding staff support and research on proposed legislation.

The role requires strong writing, public speaking, and relationship-building across government and education partners.

Qualifications

• Graduate or undergraduate degree in Political Science or related field.
• Knowledge of Illinois and U.S. legislative processes.
• Experience as a lobbyist, legislative staff, or related role preferred.

Responsibilities

• Directs state advocacy initiatives: drafting legislation, identifying sponsors, fact sheets, testifying, and meeting legislators.
• Directs federal advocacy initiatives: monitoring reports, coordinating with associations, and federal lobbying.
• Develops IASB’s federal advocacy priorities to Congressional offices and agencies.
• Attends Illinois General Assembly sessions and committee meetings as needed.
• Educates IASB members to advocate on state and federal policy.

Skills

Advocacy

Legislation drafting

Testifying

Stakeholder relations

Education

Political Science degree

Tools

Legislative Information Service

Illinois General Assembly website

Job description

Organization

Founded in 1913, the Illinois Association of School Boards Vision is excellence in local schools’ governance supporting quality public education.

Job Title and Classification: Director, full-time, E2

Position Information

Department: Governmental Relations

Reports to: Associate Executive Director, Governmental Relations

Office Location: Springfield, IL

Position Summary

The Director is a member of the Governmental Relations (“GR”) team, responsible for the coordination and implementation of the Association’s Statewide advocacy strategy; develops and fosters positive relationships with members of the Illinois General Assembly, and member school board members and administrators; acts in concert with the GR team as a liaison to the Illinois State Board of Education; assists in providing support to the IASB Resolutions Committee; communicates Association member positions, concerns and potential solutions to the Illinois General Assembly, U.S. Congress, State and federal regulatory agencies; encourages and facilitates school board involvement in all aspects of the legislative process; provides information necessary to give full understanding of proposed legislation and its impact on local school boards to Association membership; and provides staff support for Association programs and activities as directed.

Essential Functions

• Directs aspects of the Association’s state advocacy initiatives, including drafting legislation, identifying potential sponsors, creating fact sheets, testifying, and meeting with legislators on the advocacy initiatives.
• Directs aspects of the Association’s federal advocacy initiatives, including monitoring legislative reports, coordinating and collaborating with members of COSSBA and members of the statewide association governmental relations network, actively participating in federal advocacy conferences, and writing federal legislative reports.
• Determines and advocates IASB’s key federal advocacy priorities to Congressional offices, Congressional staff, and federal agencies.

• Works with the Illinois State Board of Education by attending board meetings and participating in committees as directed by the Executive Director and/or Deputy Executive Director.
• Creates and maintains relationships with elected officials and other stakeholders including but not be limited to, State legislators, State agency employees, Statewide education partners, and other education
• Educate, inform and train IASB Members to become advocates for local school board members to share IASB positions before the Illinois General Assembly, the United States Congress, the Illinois State Board of Education, Office of the Governor, and other state and federal policy-making entities as needed.
• Assists in the development of the Association’s legislative priorities, legislative initiatives, and lobbying strategies for each legislative
• As needed, attends or monitors sessions of the Illinois General Assembly when the legislature is in session.
• Represents IASB in the Illinois General Assembly during all legislative
• Engages directly and establishes strong working relationships with elected officials, policymakers, and staff at the executive, legislative, and agency
• Assists with the research, development, and drafting of legislation, position papers, content creation and legislative publications, and e-
• Attends meetings of legislative committees, commissions, and task forces and prepares summaries of meetings and provides testimony when appropriate and necessary.
• Monitors and tracks State legislation, administrative rules, and regulations impacting IASB members, and drafts legislative amendments, creates fact sheets, makes strategy recommendations to the Associate Executive Directors, testifies, and meets with legislators, as necessary.
• Writes and edits detailed analyses of legislation, completed in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.
• Develops a collaborative network that will support and promote public education in Illinois, including, but not limited to, other education associations, industry partnerships, not for-profit groups, and
• Writes and edits legislative reports, end of session reports, and other Association legislative publications and e-publications.
• Prepares briefings, legislative memos, testimony, and correspondence for the Executive Director and Associate Executive Director,
• Performs other duties as

Membership Service

• Responds directly and promptly to IASB member school board requests for legislative information.
• Provides service directly to local school boards, as
• Plays a key role in supporting the Resolutions Committee and Delegate
• Researches and prepares a detailed analysis of issues regarding resolutions submitted by Association members.
• Makes presentations at Association division meetings, member school districts, before groups of school leaders in a legislative district, or other organizations upon request.
• Attends annual conference of the Association, including coordinating panel presentations, providing service at the legislative booth, and serving at the Delegate Assembly.
• Writes and edits for Association publications regarding resolutions, position statements, and other topics, as necessary.
• Participates in appropriate professional development offerings as
• Attends frequent meetings outside of the office that may require overnight
• Practices reliable and consistent attendance and
• Performs other duties that may be

Education and/or Experience Requirements

Graduate or undergraduate degree in Political Science, Communications, or related field; broad understanding of the legislative process in Illinois and legislative processes in the United States Congress; preferred experience working as a lobbyist, legislative staff person, or other position related to legislative or political involvement. Knowledge of the public education system in Illinois is desirable.

Required Competencies

• Superior skills in writing and public speaking
• Ability to comfortably deliver oral presentations before large and small audiences
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent problem-solving and solution-creating skills and organizational ability
• High degree of self-motivation and skill with time management
• Proficiency in the use of the Legislative Information Service and Illinois General Assembly website
• Proficiency in word processing and basic knowledge of data bases, charts, and graphs, Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Physical Demands

As necessary to perform the functions of the job, sedentary to light work (this position requires the employee to be able to be able to lift, move and safely handle boxes and materials up to 25 pounds); to see (visual acuity including color, depth perception, and field vision for reviewing hard copy documents, viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, visual inspection involving small defects); hearing (perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction and ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound);speaking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word, which include conveying detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers and/or members accurately, loudly, or quickly); fingering (picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than the whole hand as in handling); repetitive motion (substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers).

Conduct Standards

The highestmoral and ethical standards aredemandedin accordance withthe IASBStaff Standardsand Staff Core Values.Employee conduct standards and other aspects of employment are addressed in the IASB Employment Handbook.

DISCLAIMER

This job description may be changed at any time and is not a contract with the individual employee(s).IASB retains its right to change this job description and assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We arecommittedto creating an inclusive workplace andwe willconsider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, or any other protectedclassunder applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process for qualified applicants with disabilities.If you requirean accommodation, please notify Human Resources.