Governmental Relations Specialist II

Texas Education Agency; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement through ERS

Employer-paid health insurance

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Paid state holidays

Vacation leave

Job summary

Texas Education Agency in Austin, Texas, seeks a Governmental Relations Specialist to serve as a liaison with legislative staff, education stakeholders, and internal teams. The role emphasizes project management, policy analysis, data compilation, and clear presentation of TEA's priorities.

Candidates should understand Texas education policy and legislative processes, with experience supporting the Legislature and strong communications skills. Travel up to 10% and onsite work are required.

Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
• Experience: At least five (5) years of professional experience in governmental relations, legislative affairs, public policy, public administration, education policy, or a related field, including at least one (1) year of experience working with or supporting the Texas Legislature.
• Substitutions: Each additional year of related experience above the required minimum may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Support the functions of the Governmental Relations Division: Works with the division to ensure all Legislative calls and requests are responded to in a timely manner.
• Assists with Governmental Relations Projects: Develops project plans, scheduling; reviews policies for continuous process improvement.
• Establish and Maintain Relationships with Legislative Staff and Outside Education Organizations: Acts as liaison with external parties and ensures deliverables from hearings and meetings.
• Assist Office of the Commissioner Team to Ensure Effective Commissioner Support: Supports the Commissioner during travel, events, and presentations, including travel outside of Austin.

Skills

Legislative processes

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Public speaking

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Texas Legislature Online

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

Agency Information

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) oversees primary and secondary public education in Texas and is committed to improving outcomes for all public school students by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems across the state.

Core Values

• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in pursuing our primary purpose of improving outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain committed talent that reflects the diversity of Texas, with each individual contributing to our shared vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on outcomes, and continuously improve in pursuit of excellence for students.
• We are Servant Leaders: We are public servants committed to improving opportunities for students and supporting those who serve them.

Job Description

The Governmental Relations Specialist will serve as a liaison for the agency to legislative staff, education stakeholders, and internal staff, on public education issues and policies. This position involves strong use of project management, policy analysis, data compilation, presentation skills in support of TEA's legislatively required and requested duties. It also requires an understanding of the education landscape in Texas, including the political education landscape, as well as strong communications skills. Knowledge of state legislative processes as well as agency programs is preferred.

The Governmental Relations Specialist will work closely with the Chief of Governmental Relations and the Governmental Relations Team to provide high-quality support for TEA's efforts to execute against the state's strategic priorities for public education. TEA sees this role as critical to the success of achieving the agency's vision to prepare the 5.4 million public school students in Texas for success in college, career or the military.

This position is part of a team that reports to the Chief of Governmental Relations. Experience working through a Legislative Session and analyzing policy is required to effectively understand and communicate the agency's programmatic and policy goals to members and staff of the Legislature, Office of the Governor, and other stakeholders as needed. Works under minimal supervision, with latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

This position requires up to 10% travel, based on business needs, to support program initiatives, collaboration, and operational priorities.

This position requires working onsite in Austin, Texas. Candidates must be able to report in person to support meetings, business operations, and other job-related responsibilities as needed.

Please note that a resume and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Support the functions of the Governmental Relations Division: Works with the division to ensure all Legislative calls and requests are responded to in a timely manner. Works within a team on special nonrecurring and ongoing projects which may include planning and coordinating multiple presentations, disseminating information, and ensuring close out of inquiries or questions from elected officials.
2. Assists with Governmental Relations Projects: Assists in developing project plans, scheduling; and reviews policies, practices, and procedures for Governmental Relations Team with an eye toward codification of processes and continuous process improvement of the team. Regularly updates legislative contacts and responses log, division policies, and procedures as necessary. Collaborates with the Governmental Relations Team to support State Board of Education and Agency Commissions, Task Forces and performs related work as assigned
3. Establish and Maintain Relationships with Legislative Staff and Outside Education Organizations: Acts as Liaison with external parties, including legislative offices and education stakeholders as assigned. Ensures the completion and close out of deliverables from hearings and meetings. This position will create and monitor meeting summaries and deliverables.
4. Assist Office of the Commissioner Team to Ensure Effective Commissioner Support: Assists the Office of the Commissioner in supporting the Commissioner of Education during travel, events, and presentations which will include travel outside of Austin. This may include driving and staffing the Commissioner of Education at speaking engagements and facilitating stakeholder engagement. Ensure efficient daily schedule time management and assist with scheduling and organizing activities such as meetings, travel, school visits, and conferences. Support the preparation of presentation and meeting materials when appropriate and notifying the local legislative delegation of Commissioner's travel in their district.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience: At least five (5) years of professional experience in governmental relations, legislative affairs, public policy, public administration, education policy, or a related field, including at least one (1) year of experience working with or supporting the Texas Legislature.
• Substitutions: Each additional year of related experience above the required minimum may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military
• Major coursework in education, public administration, government, public policy, finance, business or a related field is preferred
• Knowledge of state Legislative processes and state government administration is required
• Strong inter-personal skills, relationship-building and verbal/written communication skills is required
• Requires strong personal values around reliability, confidentiality, and sensitive information
• Skill in compiling, evaluating, and presenting Legislative information, as well as the ability to compose and tailor clear and concise communications for diverse audiences is required
• Ability to prioritize work streams and collaborate with a diverse group of individuals at different seniority levels, with discretion, while managing multiple projects is required
• Proficiency in applicable software, specifically Texas Legislature Online, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word is required
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws related to public education is preferred
• General understanding of statistical and policy analysis and of legislative management processes and techniques is preferred

New hires, rehires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees within the same classification. Offers are based on the candidate's experience and qualifications and consider internal pay equity across employees performing similar work.

The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates whose qualifications exceed the role's requirements. The maximum of the range is typically reserved for candidates who significantly exceed the required and preferred qualifications.

Benefits

TEA employees receive a comprehensive benefits package through the State of Texas and the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS), supporting health, financial security, and work-life balance.

Benefits include

• Retirement through ERS and employer-paid health insurance for eligible employees
• Optional dental, vision, and dependent coverage
• Paid state holidays, vacation leave, sick leave, and longevity pay
• Wellness programs, employee assistance programs, and professional development opportunities
• Eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

To learn more about benefits available to State of Texas employees, please review the State of Texas Employee Benefits brochure and visit the TEA Compensation and Benefits page .

Military/Veteran Information

Applicants eligible for Military Employment Preference will be considered in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

To explore how military experience may align with this role, applicants may review Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes within the State's Position Classification Plan. Please refer to the Military Crosswalk and select the occupational category that most closely corresponds with the classification listed in this job posting.

Additional Information

TEA is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or veteran status.

TEA does not sponsor or assume sponsorship of employment visas.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

To learn more about working at TEA, including hiring timelines, process details, and candidate resources, please visit the Careers at TEA page .

Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to accept phone calls or respond to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.