Government Affairs Analyst, Consultant

Blue Shield of California; California; Hybrid; USD 123,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Shield of California is seeking a Government Affairs Analyst, Consultant to serve as a liaison to the State Assembly, Senate, Governor’s Office, and regulatory agencies. You will advocate for or against policies impacting Blue Shield and its members, reporting to the Senior Manager, Government Affairs.

The role emphasizes policy development, coordination with health-plan associations, and collaboration with internal teams under our hybrid workplace model (in-office two days per week).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; high school diploma with 4 years of additional relevant experience acceptable.
• Minimum 7 years of prior experience in legislative/external affairs or related field.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Deep knowledge of the Government Affairs function.
• Advanced degree (JD or MPP) preferred.
• Broad knowledge of project management preferred.
• Prior experience in Legislature or Govt Affairs role preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify and monitor state legislative proposals affecting the company.
• Advocate for the company's position with the Legislature and Governor’s Office.
• Support policy development and legislative drafting.
• Participate in meetings with health-plan trade associations.
• Coordinate with diverse constituencies to advance policy positions.
• Provide input on federal policy and state regulatory matters.
• Contribute to strategies for political engagement, including campaigns.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Government Affairs knowledge

Project management

Legislative experience

Policy advocacy

Education

Bachelor's degree

High School Diploma/GED

Advanced degree (JD orMPP)

Job description

Your Role

The State Policy and Advocacy team serves as the company’s primary liaison to the State Assembly, Senate, Governor’s Office, and Regulatory Agencies and Departments – working closely with various business units to understand operational interworking’s as well as overarching company goals, with the ultimate mission to make healthcare better and more sustainably affordable for Californians. The Government Affairs Analyst, Consultant will report to the Senior Manager, Government Affairs. In this role you will actively engage in the legislative process, advocating for or against polies that affect Blue Shield of California and its members, under the direction of the Senior Manager and Vice President of Government Affairs.

Job Description

Your Role

The State Policy and Advocacy team serves as the company’s primary liaison to the State Assembly, Senate, Governor’s Office, and Regulatory Agencies and Departments – working closely with various business units to understand operational interworking’s as well as overarching company goals, with the ultimate mission to make healthcare better and more sustainably affordable for Californians. The Government Affairs Analyst, Consultant will report to the Senior Manager, Government Affairs. In this role you will actively engage in the legislative process, advocating for or against polies that affect Blue Shield of California and its members, under the direction of the Senior Manager and Vice President of Government Affairs.

Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning.

Responsibilities

Your Work

In this role, you will:

• Identify, track, and monitor state legislative proposals that impact company
• Advocate for the company's position with the Legislature and Governor’s Administration
• Assist in policy development, drafting legislation and advocacy strategy to defeat and pass legislation
• Actively participate in meetings with health-plan trade associations
• Implement strategies to work with other influential constituencies to advance policy positions, including health plans, providers, brokers, labor, business and consumer representatives
• Monitor and provide input on federal policy matters and state regulatory matters (including coordinating company responses to regulatory data requests)
• Provide input on strategies to advance the company's interests in the political arena, including candidate and ballot measure campaigns

Qualifications

Your Knowledge and Experience

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree or High School Diploma/GED and 4 years of additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree
• Requires a minimum of 7 years of prior relevant experience in legislative/external affairs or related field
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Requires deep knowledge of the Government Affairs function
• Advanced degree (e.g., Juris Doctorate, J.D., or Master Public Policy, M.P.P.) preferred
• Broad knowledge of project management preferred
• Prior experience working in the Legislature and/or in a Government Affairs role (lobby firm or in-house) preferred

Hybrid

This role requires employees to be in-office based on our hybrid workplace model, balancing purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility. For most teams, this means coming into the office two days each week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location will work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.

About Us

About Blue Shield of California

As of January 2025, Blue Shield of California became a subsidiary of Ascendiun. Ascendiun is a nonprofit corporate entity that is the parent to a family of organizations including Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan; Altais, a clinical services company; and Stellarus, a company designed to scale healthcare solutions. Together, these organizations are referred to as the Ascendiun Family of Companies.

At Blue Shield of California, our mission is to create a healthcare system worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are transforming health care in a way that genuinely serves our nonprofit mission by lowering costs, improving quality, and enhancing the member and physician experience.

To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals.

Blue Shield is a U.S. News Best Company to work for, a Deloitte U.S. Best Managed Company and a Top 100 Inspiring Workplace. We were recognized by Fair360 as a Top Regional Company, and one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States by Points of Light. Here at Blue Shield, we strive to make a positive change across our industry and communities – join us!

Our Values:

• Honest. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and integrity standards. We build trust by doing what we say we're going to do and by acknowledging and correcting where we fall short.
• Human. We strive to listen and communicate effectively, showing empathy by understanding others' perspectives.
• Courageous. We stand up for what we believe in and are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve our ambitious goals.

Our Workplace Model

We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility:

• For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week.
• Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need.
• For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being.

The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews.

Physical Requirements:

Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day.

Please click here for further physical requirement detail.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.

JOB INFO

• Job Identification : 20261945
• Job Category : External Affairs
• Posting Date : 2026-10-07T19:49:56+00:00
• Job Schedule : Full time
• Locations :
• Sacramento, CA, United States
• Pay Range for California : $123,090.00 to $184,800.00
• Pay Range for Bay Area : $138,756.00 to $208,320.00
• Note : Please note that this range represents the pay range for this and many other positions at Blue Shield that fall into this pay grade. Blue Shield salaries are based on a variety of factors, including the candidate experience, location (California, Bay Area, or outside California), and current employee salaries for similar roles.
• Role can be filled by a candidate requiring sponsorship : No